It may be tempting to take a closer look at wildlife from the air, but direct flyovers or multiple passes over sensitive wildlife areas can harm the environment and even be unsafe for you. That’s where special conservation areas come in. Familiar to most pilots are national park, wilderness, and wildlife refuges shown on VFR aeronautical charts with blue dots inside a blue solid border. Similarly, magenta dots inside a solid magenta outline represent overflight prohibition zones over wildlife and habitats harboring threatened or endangered species in some of the most diverse and bountiful marine environments.
While not FAA airspace restrictions, these NOAA-regulated areas dictate you fly at least 1,000 agl—or 2,000 agl depending on the zone’s specifications—above all charted National Marine Sanctuaries, coastal areas, and other sensitive environments to protect wildlife habitats from aerial disturbance. Respect birds and mammals by complying with the NOAA overflight prohibition zones. The wildlife thank you.
Email [email protected]
Web: www.airsafetyinstitute.org/airspacecards and http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/flight/welcome.html
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