Site with ceiling of 30,000 ft Near Me

[MClark]

At Black Rock we get 493k (150 kilometers MSL) and I believe 19 nautical miles radius.

 

[Dane Ronnow]

At Black Rock we get 493k

There's some crazy powerful rocketry going on up there. CSXT hit 380,000+ feet with their GoFast rocket. I'd love to drive up some time and watch.

 

[TheTank]

Every request >=18k MSL has to go through FAA HQ for an Aircraft Hazard Analysis (AHA). This is a relatively new requirement (~3 years). Below 18k, the decision is up to the regional FAA and the local air traffic control office. The AHA isn't trivial... it takes weeks due to the backlog and priority is given to commercial launches. The boom in New Space companies has put us far down the list.

The other difficulty with higher waivers is the clear radius requirement. Our Safety Codes say 1/4 the altitude or 1500 ft, whichever is greater. The FAA will double that, or even clear more distance if there's more traffic. So, for 30Kft AGL (assuming a low elevation Eastern launch site), the FAA will start with a 2.5 NM clear radius. If there is a Jet airway or other IFR route nearby, that could be doubled. Take a look at the sectional charts online for IFR maps to see how difficult that is almost anywhere in the US. Near the coast and near international borders, there's an additional controlled zone (ADIZ).

An open waiver for a rocket club is a lot more work for the FAA. A single event waiver for an individual or college team is less work. Knowing the above limitations, locate a reasonable hole in the air traffic patterns, get landowner permission, and file your own waiver for one or two test flights. If they see that you've done your homework and that you understand the difficulties, they'll be more open to looking into it. But, it may take 60-90 days to get the COA.

Over the last 5 years, my waiver (in southern NM) went from 150K to 75K to 13K. The FAA has been very helpful recently and I may be able to get back above the 18K AGL limit.

Agree. Having recently applied for a waiver (first time I ever did it) and being a GA Pilot with thorough knowledge of sectionals and having reviewed them, I knew exactly what my challenges were going to be even though I appeared to be in the middle of no where (two victor flyways not far from the location). The FAA was very helpful and I found the process to be pretty simple. They did a thorough analysis and while they couldn't approve the altitude I requested without risking IFR aircraft traveling those flyways, they offered me what they could do and even offered to rush-request another review through if I had another location outside the 4 mile radius of the flyways. Like the rest of the east coast we are crisscrossed with flyways so I was happy just to get an approval!