Airspace, Air Traffic Services, and Operational Authorizations
Where you are allowed to fly
Brazilian airspace is structured in the AIS/AIP Brasil publications: FIRs, control areas, TMAs, CTRs, airways, and prohibited, restricted, and danger areas. UAS operations sit inside that structure, and the controlling authority for access is DECEA, with ANAC regulating the operator side. You must know the difference between controlled and uncontrolled airspace, the meaning of classes A–G, and the practical consequence: in controlled airspace you need a clearance or an established authorization, and you must be able to communicate or be coordinated by the responsible ATS unit (APP, TWR, ACC, or FIC).
Concepts and services
- ATS services: air traffic control, flight information, and alerting. Know which unit provides what and that "flight information service" does not separate traffic.
- SARPs and procedures come from ICAO Annex 11 (ATS) and Doc 4444 (PANS-ATM) - the source of standard phraseology and separation minima.
- Airspace use requests for UAS: prior coordination, publication of NOTAM when required, and respect for temporary reserved airspace during events.
- Right of way: manned aircraft always have priority; UAS must give way and avoid creating a collision hazard.
Traps and a rule of thumb
Typical traps: assuming a low altitude (e.g., 400 ft) is automatically free of restrictions - CTRs and restricted areas extend to the surface; confusing a NOTAM with a permanent prohibition; and believing a UAS authorization grants airspace clearance (it does not - DECEA coordination is separate). Also watch questions that describe a danger area as legally prohibited: it is not, but flight there is at your risk.
Worked rule of thumb: before any flight, run a three-layer check - (1) permanent airspace (AIP charts, restricted/prohibited areas), (2) temporary status (NOTAMs), (3) local coordination with the ATS unit if inside controlled airspace. If any layer is unresolved, the flight does not launch.