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The instructions how to land when the radio is no longer working state as the first item "stay away from the class D airspace".

Why is the class D specifically mentioned in these instructions? How it could be that A, B which "has the most stringent rules" and C are less a problem?

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2 Answers 2

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I think you are mis-interpreting the answer, you should remain outside Class-D until the flow of traffic can be acertained. If you lose comms outside of a Class-B or Class-C, you should not enter that airspace, instead divert to a Class-D or E airport if possible. If you are already inside the B/C airspace, continue, but don't enter. Class-A is different, as it is not surrounding airports and you can fly IFR after you've gotten your clearance with lost comms.

The original question links to the AIM, Chapter 4, Section 2-13, read that and see if it clears things up.

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    $\begingroup$ FYI, Europe has a few airports in surface class A airspace, and some low-ish airways are class A too. Lots of different models outside the US on how/where to use the various classes. $\endgroup$
    – StephenS
    Commented Dec 2, 2018 at 19:49
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    $\begingroup$ @StephenSprunk While true, the answer which was linked to in the original questions is about US/FAA procedures. $\endgroup$
    – Lnafziger
    Commented Dec 2, 2018 at 23:52
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The procedure in the linked answer assumes you're VFR. If you're in class A airspace, that means you must be IFR, and there are specific (and somewhat different) procedures for IFR flights that lose radio communications--which may include landing at a class A/B/C airport. VFR pilots without radios should stick to class D/E/G airports, which are a lot more plentiful anyway. Most B/C airports are ringed by D/E/G airports, so unless you lose your radios while already inside class B/C airspace, those wouldn't be very logical options anyway.

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  • $\begingroup$ This answer confuses me. "VFR pilots without radios should stick to class D/E airports, which are a lot more plentiful anyway" -- why not a Class G airport? And why lump Class E in with Class D -- you don't need to talk to anyone to land at surface-level Class E, unless the weather is bad enough that you want to request SVFR. Wouldn't it be more logical to say "VFR pilots without radios should stick to class G/E airports, which are a lot more plentiful anyway"? $\endgroup$
    – quiet flyer
    Commented Dec 1, 2023 at 18:10
  • $\begingroup$ @quietflyer I’ve updated to say D/E/G. Personally, I’d rather use a D airport because there will be someone watching me land and, if there’s something more wrong than just lost comms (maybe I lost comms because I’m on fire!), call fire/rescue immediately. $\endgroup$
    – StephenS
    Commented Dec 2, 2023 at 19:21

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