Class B Airspace
The airspace around the nation’s busiest airports — what it takes to get in, and the rules once you’re there.
Key Takeaways
- Class B surrounds the busiest airports as an "upside-down wedding cake" of tailored shelves, typically from the surface up to 10,000 ft MSL.
- You must receive an explicit ATC clearance — "cleared into the Class Bravo" — before entering. Establishing two-way radio is not enough.
- Required equipment: a two-way radio, a Mode C transponder, and ADS-B Out (also within the 30 NM "Mode C veil").
- VFR weather minimums are 3 SM visibility and clear of clouds — the one class where ATC separation replaces the usual cloud-clearance buffer.
- Speed limit is 250 KIAS below 10,000 ft MSL, and 200 KIAS beneath a Class B shelf or in a VFR corridor.
What Is Class Bravo?
Class B (“Bravo”) is the most protective airspace a VFR pilot routinely operates in, wrapped around the country’s highest-traffic airports — places like Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago O’Hare. Its job is to keep a dense mix of airliners, business jets, and light aircraft safely separated, so the rules to enter are the strictest in the system.
It is charted as an “upside-down wedding cake”: a small cylinder at the surface over the primary airport, then wider shelves stacked above as you move out, each ring labeled with its floor and ceiling in hundreds of feet. A private certificate (or a student/sport pilot with the proper endorsement) is required, and a handful of the busiest Class B airports prohibit student solo operations entirely.
Class Bravo at a Glance
Class Bravo VFR Weather Minimums
3 statute miles
Clear of clouds
These come from 14 CFR 91.155. See how Class Bravo compares to every other class in the full VFR weather minimums table.
See Class Bravo on a live chart
FlightKit’s interactive sectional shows Class Bravo boundaries, floors, and ceilings on the real chart — and the airspace module pairs the FAA diagram with quizzes so it sticks before your checkride.
The Other Airspace Classes
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you need to enter Class B airspace?
You need an explicit ATC clearance to enter — the controller must say the words "cleared into the Class Bravo." You also need a two-way radio, a Mode C transponder, and ADS-B Out, plus at least a private pilot certificate (a student or sport pilot may enter only with a specific instructor endorsement, and some of the busiest Class B airports prohibit student solo flight).
What are the VFR weather minimums for Class B?
In Class B you need 3 statute miles of flight visibility and to remain clear of clouds. Class B is the exception to the usual "3-152" cloud clearances — because ATC positively separates all traffic inside Class B, you only have to stay out of the clouds rather than 500/1,000/2,000 feet away from them.
Is "cleared to land" the same as cleared into Class B?
No. You must hear a specific clearance to enter the Class B airspace itself — "cleared into the Class Bravo." Simply being in radio contact, or getting a landing clearance for a satellite airport, does not authorize you to enter the Class B. If you are ever unsure, stay out until you hear those words.
What is the Mode C veil?
The Mode C veil is a 30 nautical mile ring around the primary Class B airport within which aircraft must have an operating Mode C transponder and ADS-B Out, even when flying below or outside the charted Class B shelves. It exists so ATC radar sees altitude on every aircraft near the busy hub.
What is the speed limit in Class B?
Inside Class B the limit is the general 250 KIAS that applies below 10,000 ft MSL. When flying beneath the lateral limits of a Class B shelf, or through a published VFR corridor, the limit drops to 200 KIAS.