that was the rule given to me when I first started flying over 30yrs ago..
but the charts do not keep up with rapid growth..
if you can't land without touching something other than earth..
it's congested.
BT

"Mike" wrote in message
news:7oddk.720$HY.194@trnddc01...
"Dallas" wrote in message
...

What's your opinion, is this a congested area or not?

http://tinyurl.com/3okuon

My take is that this is an "other than congested area", but a recent
article in AOPA magazine discussing an FAA ruling gives congested area a
pretty broad definition.

I've been assuming "congested area" = pretty much wall to wall
development
with streets being the best option for emergency landing.

"Other that congested area" = I took to mean that there are at least
several open areas at most times that you could bring an airplane down
into
without hitting any person or property.

I've always figured that any area marked in yellow on the sectional is
going to be considered a "congested area". That gives you some place to
start, but there's lots of places that aren't yellow which are going to be
considered a "congested area".

The FAA has consistently said the determination will be made on a
case-by-case basis.

So the way I figure it the answer to your question is the same one for
"should I go around?" If you have to ask yourself the question, the
answer is always "yes".