Practice Area Frequencies/Locations

[Sam I Am]

I've been wondering about this topic recently, and I was hoping some of my more experienced colleagues could help me out. Exactly how do you know where practice areas for different airports are located? I've been based out of two airports during my short flight experience, and each one has given me a diagram of where the practice areas are located. However, I haven't been able to find this information for other airports. Am I missing something?

Also, how do you know which frequencies to use? I know that the AIM specifies 122.75 or 122.85, but how do you know which one to use?

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[pilotman2105]

Practice areas are not designated by the FAA, per se. Because of this, they don't show up in any "official" documentation. The only "official" recognition that I can think of in regards to practice areas are Alert areas. These can be designated to alert pilots of "unusual activity" or some such thing. Check the AIM for the exact wording.

If there isn't an alert area, the practice areas are more or less agreed upon by people flying locally.

As far as frequencies, the airport that I'm flying out of now just uses the local CTAF frequency. However, I know that others use the air-to-air frequencies.

 

[Timebuilder]

Pratice areas are determined by the flight school based on several factors.

Away from active approaches and feeder corridors.

Lots of possible emergency landing areas.

Ground features suited to ground reference maneuvers.

Reasonable distance from home field, such as .1 or .2 on the hobbs.

Away from congested airspace, MOA's, and places with popup TFR's, like stadiums.

Basically, you ask about the areas nearby that are suitable, and if a local tower provides VFR callouts for traffic, or if there are other considerations that the locals consider fundamental.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Timebuilder is absolutely correct. Call a flight school at the airport and ask.