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14 CFR § 91.130
Volume 2 · Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, 2025 edition.
Operations in Class C airspace
Sec. 91.130 Operations in Class C airspace.
(a) General. Unless otherwise authorized by ATC, each aircraft
operation in Class C airspace must be conducted in compliance with this
section and Sec. 91.129. For the purpose of this section, the primary
airport is the airport for which the Class C airspace area is
designated. A satellite airport is any other airport within the Class C
airspace area.
(b) Traffic patterns. No person may take off or land an aircraft at
a satellite airport within a Class C airspace area except in compliance
with FAA arrival and departure traffic patterns.
(c) Communications. Each person operating an aircraft in Class C
airspace must meet the following two-way radio communications
requirements:
(1) Arrival or through flight. Each person must establish two-way
radio communications with the ATC facility (including foreign ATC in the
case of foreign airspace designated in the United States) providing air
traffic services prior to entering that airspace and thereafter maintain
those communications while within that airspace.
(2) Departing flight. Each person--
(i) From the primary airport or satellite airport with an operating
control tower must establish and maintain two-way radio communications
with the control tower, and thereafter as instructed by ATC while
operating in the Class C airspace area; or
(ii) From a satellite airport without an operating control tower,
must establish and maintain two-way radio communications with the ATC
facility having jurisdiction over the Class C airspace area as soon as
practicable after departing.
(d) Equipment requirements. Unless otherwise authorized by the ATC
having jurisdiction over the Class C airspace area, no person may
operate an aircraft within a Class C airspace area designated for an
airport unless that aircraft is equipped with the applicable equipment
specified in Sec. 91.215, and after January 1, 2020, Sec. 91.225.
(e) Deviations. An operator may deviate from any provision of this
section under the provisions of an ATC authorization issued by the ATC
facility having jurisdiction over the airspace concerned. ATC may
authorize a deviation on a continuing basis or for an individual flight,
as appropriate.
[Docket 24458, 56 FR 65659, Dec. 17, 1991, as amended by Amdt. 91-232,
58 FR 40736, July 30, 1993; Amdt. 91-239, 59 FR 11693, Mar. 11, 1994;
Amdt. 91-314, 75 FR 30193, May 28, 2010]U.S. Government work — public domain (17 U.S.C. §105). Reproduced from the checksummed 2025 annual edition of Title 14; always confirm against the current eCFR.