FAR 91.117 — Aircraft Speed Limits
FAR 91.117 sets aircraft speed limits below 10,000 ft MSL, near Class C/D airports, and under Class B airspace. Study guide for pilot students and checkrides.
In Plain English
FAR 91.117 establishes the maximum indicated airspeeds you must observe in different chunks of airspace. Knowing these cold matters because busting a speed limit is an easy way to get a phone number from ATC — and it's a common checkride question.
The limits are:
- Below 10,000 feet MSL: no faster than 250 knots indicated, unless the Administrator authorizes otherwise.
- At or below 2,500 feet AGL within 4 NM of the primary Class C or Class D airport: no faster than 200 knots indicated. This does not apply inside Class B — there you follow the 250-knot rule below 10,000 MSL.
- Underneath a Class B shelf or in a VFR corridor through Class B: no faster than 200 knots indicated.
If the minimum safe airspeed for your operation (think heavy jets, certain configurations) is higher than the limit, you may fly that minimum safe speed instead. This is a safety exception, not a free pass to go fast.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 91.117§ 91.117 Aircraft speed.
(a) Unless otherwise authorized by the Administrator, no person may operate an aircraft below 10,000 feet MSL at an indicated airspeed of more than 250 knots (288 m.p.h.).
(b) Unless otherwise authorized or required by ATC, no person may operate an aircraft at or below 2,500 feet above the surface within 4 nautical miles of the primary airport of a Class C or Class D airspace area at an indicated airspeed of more than 200 knots (230 mph.). This paragraph (b) does not apply to any operations within a Class B airspace area. Such operations shall comply with paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) No person may operate an aircraft in the airspace underlying a Class B airspace area designated for an airport or in a VFR corridor designated through such a Class B airspace area, at an indicated airspeed of more than 200 knots (230 mph).
(d) If the minimum safe airspeed for any particular operation is greater than the maximum speed prescribed in this section, the aircraft may be operated at that minimum speed.
[Docket 18334, 54 FR 34292, Aug. 18, 1989, as amended by Amdt. 91-219, 55 FR 34708, Aug. 24, 1990; Amdt. 91-227, 56 FR 65657, Dec. 17, 1991; Amdt. 91-233, 58 FR 43554, Aug. 17, 1993]
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What is the maximum indicated airspeed below 10,000 feet MSL?
Per FAR 91.117(a), no person may operate an aircraft below 10,000 feet MSL at an indicated airspeed of more than 250 knots, unless authorized by the Administrator.
Q2What speed restriction applies when flying beneath a Class B shelf or through a VFR corridor?
FAR 91.117(c) limits aircraft to 200 knots indicated when operating in the airspace underlying a Class B area or in a designated VFR corridor through it.
Q3If your aircraft's minimum safe airspeed is higher than the speed limit in the regulation, what are you allowed to do?
FAR 91.117(d) allows you to operate at that minimum safe airspeed, even if it exceeds the maximum speed otherwise prescribed in the section.
Studying for a checkride?
Related Sections in Part 91