"Jose" wrote in message
. com...

Ok. I checked the AIM. A "surface area" is the airspace contained by the
lateral boundries of B, C, D, or E airspace designated for an airport tha
begins at the surface and extends upwards.

Indefinately? To outer space? To the limit of that class airspace?

Special VFR operations are conducted within a class B, C, D, or E surface
area. Class E airspace is controlled airspace that is not A, B, C, or D.

So, if a class D surrounding an airport is overlain by class E, it seems I
should be able to get a special VFR clearance up to 18000 feet (where
class A generally begins). No?


No. The SVFR clearance includes the surface area by name; "Cleared out of
Smallville Class D surface area, maintain Special VFR conditions." Once you
exit the Class D airspace the SVFR clearance no longer applies.

SVFR is also limited to below 10,000 MSL.



When would an operating control tower not induce class D (or better)
airspace?


Surface areas require weather observations. I don't know if any still exist
but when airspace was reclassified in 1993 there were still a handful of
airports with operating control towers but without weather observing. These
airports had control towers in Class G airspace.

You may also encounter temporary control towers in Class E or G airspace,
such as the one at Fond du Lac during AirVenture.



When would a class D airspace not have a control tower? They
are usually correlated, but I seem to remember that they are not
necessarily correlated.


When some knucklehead operating in an official capacity but beyond his
abilities and knowledge thinks it should be that way. The only example I'm
currently aware of is at SEA.

El Toro MCAS used to have Class D airspace adjacent to the Class C airspace
that didn't even reach the surface.

Pearson Field in Vancouver, WA, had Class D airspace from the surface to the
overlying Portland Class C airspace. Pearson had no control tower and was
the only airport in the Class D surface area. It now has a Class E surface
area.