"Dan Luke" wrote in message
...

"Peter Duniho" wrote:
Have you ever found the FAA's definition of a "congested area?" I've
never seen it.

Nope. It's a common misconception that it coincides with the yellow area
on VFR charts, but in truth there's no documentation to that effect
either. (The yellow area is simply there to provide some indication as to
how the area looks at night...and the official description is simply
"Populated Places Outlined").

However, as always, past interpretations offer guidance as to what the
"definition" might be, and one can be assured that any built-up urban
area such as the one the original poster describes would be considered
"congested".

Well, yeah, sometimes it's obvious. But how about a residential area -
is that "congested?" I thought about that last week when I flew home from
Houston and did a hurricane damage survey of my neighborhood before
landing. I stayed above 1,000' simply because I wasn't sure.

The rule of thumb I use is: in the event of engine failure, is the area
below me such that I could land there without coming dangerously close to
any people, vehicles, or buildings? If not, then it's congested.

--Gary