AIM ¶ 5-6-3 — ADIZ Definitions
AIM 5-6-3 defines ADIZ, Defense Area, U.S. territorial airspace, and to/from/within/transit operations. Key terms for pilot oral exams and checkrides.
In Plain English
AIM 5-6-3 lays out the vocabulary you need before flying anywhere near a security-sensitive boundary. Knowing these terms isn't just academic — they determine when you must file a flight plan, squawk a discrete code, and maintain two-way comms.
Key definitions:
- Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ): Airspace over land or water where ready identification, location, and control of all aircraft (except DoD and law enforcement) is required for national security.
- Defense Area: Any airspace of the contiguous U.S. that is not an ADIZ but still requires aircraft control for national security.
- U.S. territorial airspace: Airspace over the U.S., its territories and possessions, and over the territorial sea extending 12 NM from the baselines.
- To U.S. territorial airspace: A flight entering from outside and landing inside the U.S.
- From U.S. territorial airspace: A flight departing the U.S. and landing outside it.
- Within U.S. territorial airspace: A flight that both departs and lands inside the U.S.
- Transiting U.S. territorial airspace: A flight that passes through U.S. airspace without landing in the U.S.
- Aeronautical facility: A communications facility where flight plans or position reports are normally filed.
These definitions feed directly into the ADIZ procedures in the following AIM paragraphs.
AIM Source Text
FAA AIM ¶ 5-6-35-6-3. 5-6-3. Definitions
Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) means an area of airspace over land or water, in which the ready identification, location, and control of all aircraft (except Department of Defense and law enforcement aircraft) is required in the interest of national security. Defense Area means any airspace of the contiguous U.S. that is not an ADIZ in which the control of aircraft is required for reasons of national security. U.S. territorial airspace, for the purposes of this section,means the airspace over the U.S., its territories, and possessions, and the airspace over the territorial sea of the U.S., which extends 12 nautical miles from the baselines of the U.S., determined in accordance with international law. To U.S. territorial airspace means any flight that enters U.S. territorial airspace after departure from a location outside of the U.S., its territories or possessions, for landing at a destination in the U.S., its territories or possessions. From U.S. territorial airspace means any flight that exits U.S. territorial airspace after departure from a location in the U.S., its territories or possessions, and lands at a destination outside the U.S., its territories or possessions. Within U.S. territorial airspace means any flight departing from a location inside of the U.S., its territories or possessions, which operates en route to a location inside the U.S., its territories or possessions. Transit or transiting U.S. territorial airspace means any flight departing from a location outside of the U.S., its territories or possessions, which operates in U.S. territorial airspace en route to a location outside the U.S., its territories or possessions without landing at a destination in the U.S., its territories or possessions. Aeronautical facility , for the purposes of this section, means a communications facility where flight plans or position reports are normally filed during flight operations.
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What is an ADIZ, and which aircraft are exempt from its identification requirements?
Per AIM 5-6-3, an Air Defense Identification Zone is an area of airspace over land or water in which the ready identification, location, and control of all aircraft is required in the interest of national security. Department of Defense and law enforcement aircraft are exempt.
Q2How far does U.S. territorial airspace extend from the coast?
Per AIM 5-6-3, U.S. territorial airspace includes the airspace over the territorial sea, which extends 12 nautical miles from the baselines of the U.S., determined in accordance with international law.
Q3What's the difference between a flight 'transiting' and a flight 'within' U.S. territorial airspace?
Per AIM 5-6-3, a transiting flight departs from outside the U.S. and operates in U.S. territorial airspace en route to a location outside the U.S. without landing in the U.S. A 'within' flight both departs from and lands at a location inside the U.S., its territories, or possessions.
Related Paragraphs in AIM Chapter 5