What is Class F airspace, and can I fly in it?

Know why Class F is the answer to a question about both controlled and uncontrolled airspace, know the difference between its restricted and advisory forms, and know what it takes to enter each.

Class F is the class that does not behave like the others. Every other class is either controlled or uncontrolled; Class F can be either, and the two forms inside it carry completely different access rules. CAR 601.02

• You know the Designated Airspace Handbook is the source for airspace limits, because Class F's location, its type and the person who can authorize entry into it are all specified there. CAR 601.04
• You know the difference between CYR and CYA designators, because they are the two forms. AIM 3.2.3

The class of controlled airspace is one of Class A, B, C, D, E, Class F Special Use Restricted or Class F Special Use Advisory, as specified in the Designated Airspace Handbook. The class of uncontrolled airspace is Class G, Class F Special Use Restricted or Class F Special Use Advisory, also as specified in the Handbook. CAR 601.02

So the two Class F types appear in both lists. That is the whole reason a question like "is Class F controlled?" has no yes-or-no answer: a Class F volume is controlled, uncontrolled, or a combination of both depending on the classification of the airspace around it. CAR 601.02 AIM 3.2.3

Class G, by contrast, is simply everything that is not Class A, B, C, D, E or F, and it is the basic operating environment for remotely piloted aircraft systems provided the proximity conditions are met. AIM 3.2.3

No person shall operate an aircraft in Class F Special Use Restricted airspace unless authorized to do so by the person specified for that purpose in the Designated Airspace Handbook. CAR 601.04

That person may authorize the operation where the activities on the ground or in the airspace are not hazardous to aircraft operating in that airspace, and access by aircraft to that airspace does not jeopardize national security interests. CAR 601.04

Two limbs, and the second is why this is not a courtesy request: it is a security gate as well as a safety one. CAR 601.04

The AIM's operational picture is worth carrying alongside the rule:

• Class F restricted airspace is designated CYR followed by three numbers, for example CYR123, and should be avoided by all aircraft, including all RPAs, except by those approved by the user agency identified in the Handbook. AIM 3.2.3
• To gain access, the pilot should contact the user agency listed for that specific block of airspace in the Handbook. AIM 3.2.3
• CYRs can be found over prisons and some military training areas, among other places. AIM 3.2.3
• Where a restricted area is established over international waters, the letter D for danger area is used instead. AIM 3.2.3

Class F advisory airspace is designated CYA followed by three numbers, for example CYA123, and it denotes airspace reserved for a specific application such as hang gliding, flight training or helicopter operations. AIM 3.2.3

The access rule is genuinely different: remotely piloted aircraft pilots are not restricted from operating in advisory airspace, and no special permission is required. AIM 3.2.3

The procedures for operating there are still those specified in the Handbook, so "no permission required" is not "nothing to know". CAR 601.04

And the AIM gives the reason the advisory still matters: pilots should be aware of the reason the airspace has the advisory, should identify any additional risks and mitigate them, and — the sentence to remember — many activities in a CYA bring traditional aircraft below 400 ft AGL, which makes them a greater risk to RPA operations. AIM 3.2.3

	Class F Restricted (CYR)	Class F Advisory (CYA)
Authorization	Required, from the person specified in the DAH CAR 601.04	Not required; no special permission AIM 3.2.3
Entry test	Not hazardous and no jeopardy to national security CAR 601.04	Be aware of the activity; identify and mitigate risks AIM 3.2.3
Typical examples	Prisons, military training areas AIM 3.2.3	Hang gliding, flight training, helicopter operations AIM 3.2.3
Why it matters to an RPA	Entry without authorization breaches 601.04(2) CAR 601.04	Its activities often put crewed aircraft below 400 ft AGL AIM 3.2.3

The procedures for operating in both Class F types are those specified in the Designated Airspace Handbook, and the Handbook is also where the class of each controlled and uncontrolled airspace volume is specified. CAR 601.04 CAR 601.02

The Handbook is identified on VFR navigation charts and terminal area charts, and it is updated every 56 days. AIM 3.2.3

That cycle is the operational point: a Class F boundary you looked up two months ago may have changed, and the person to contact for a CYR is named in the current edition. AIM 3.2.3

Remotely piloted aircraft pilots are required to keep their aircraft within Canadian Domestic Airspace, and failure to remain within it can result in individual penalties of up to $1,000 and corporate penalties of up to $5,000. AIM 3.2.3 CAR 901.13

And if control is lost and the aircraft inadvertently enters — or is likely to enter — Class F Special Use Restricted airspace, the pilot must ensure the appropriate air traffic services unit or user agency is notified immediately. CAR 900.07

Note the shape of that duty beside 601.04(2): the entry is prohibited without authorization, and the loss of control that causes one does not remove the notification obligation. CAR 900.07 CAR 601.04

Question	Answer
Is Class F controlled or uncontrolled?	Either — both types appear in both lists, as specified in the Handbook CAR 601.02
Class F Restricted (CYR)	No operation without authorization from the person named in the Handbook CAR 601.04
When may that person authorize?	Not hazardous to aircraft in that airspace, and no jeopardy to national security CAR 601.04
Class F Advisory (CYA)	No special permission required; be aware of the activity and mitigate the risks AIM 3.2.3
Why advisories matter to RPAs	Their activities often bring crewed aircraft below 400 ft AGL AIM 3.2.3
Class G	Everything not A-F; the basic RPA operating environment, proximity conditions permitting AIM 3.2.3
How current is the source?	The Handbook is updated every 56 days AIM 3.2.3
Inadvertent entry into a CYR	Notify the ATS unit or user agency immediately CAR 900.07

Warning "Class F has no special permission requirement" is true of CYA and false of CYR. The two share a class letter and almost nothing else: one is a security-gated prohibition you need authorization to pass, and the other is an advisory you may enter but should think about, because the activity inside it is what put crewed aircraft below 400 feet. CAR 601.04 AIM 3.2.3

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Your planned route crosses CYR123	Restricted airspace requires authorization	Contact the user agency listed for that block CAR 601.04
You assumed Class F advisory needed no planning	Advisory needs no permission but carries risk	Check the activity and mitigate AIM 3.2.3
You looked up the airspace last season	The Handbook is republished every 56 days	Re-check the current edition AIM 3.2.3
A controller asks who authorized your entry into a CYR	Authorization comes from the person specified in the Handbook	Obtain it before flying CAR 601.04
Your aircraft drifts into a restricted area	The entry is prohibited, and notification is separate	Notify the ATS unit or user agency immediately CAR 900.07
You are unsure whether a volume is controlled	Class F can be either	Look it up in the Handbook CAR 601.02

Practise: Airspace class f

• CAR 601.01 — Airspace Structure
• CAR 601.02 — Airspace Classification
• CAR 601.04 — Flight in Class F Special Use Restricted Airspace or Class F Special Use Advisory Airspace
• CAR 901.13 — Canadian Domestic Airspace
• CAR 900.07 — Inadvertent Entry Into Restricted Airspace
• AIM RPA 3.2.3 — Airspace
• Consolidation: CARs current to 2026-09-21