AIM ¶ 3-4-5 — Military Operations Areas
AIM 3-4-5 explains Military Operations Areas (MOAs): purpose, IFR/VFR rules, charting, and how pilots check activity status before flight.
Military Operations Areas (MOAs) are blocks of airspace with defined vertical and lateral limits used to separate certain military training activities from IFR traffic. Per AIM 3-4-5, typical activities include air combat tactics, air intercepts, aerobatics, formation training, and low-altitude tactics.
Key points for pilots:
- IFR traffic: Nonparticipating IFR aircraft may be cleared through an active MOA if ATC can provide separation; otherwise ATC will reroute or restrict them.
- VFR traffic: Not prohibited from entering, but pilots should exercise extreme caution when the MOA is active.
- Military exemptions inside active MOAs: aerobatic flight is permitted (exempt from 14 CFR 91.303(c)/(d)), and DoD aircraft may exceed 250 knots below 10,000 ft MSL.
- Activity status changes frequently. Contact any FSS within 100 miles for real-time hours of operation, and contact the controlling agency for traffic advisories before entry.
- Charting: Permanent MOAs appear on Sectional, VFR Terminal Area, and En Route Low Altitude charts. Temporary MOAs are not charted.
This is operationally critical — flying through an active MOA without situational awareness can put you in conflict with high-speed military aircraft maneuvering aggressively.
Five FAA-written-style questions. Instant explanations, every answer cites its source — no account needed.
What is required before you may operate an aircraft within Class B airspace?