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Aviation glossary

Warning Area

What is warning area?

Illustration related to warning area
Image: Post processing by User:W.wolny — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A warning area is airspace—usually extending from 3 nautical miles outward off the U.S. coast—that contains activity hazardous to nonparticipating aircraft. Unlike restricted areas, the government may not control all the airspace (since it can extend over international waters), so flight there isn't prohibited, but you enter at your own risk. Think of it as a "fly here and you've been warned" zone over the water.

Also known as: W, warning areas

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