"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...

The other day I was north of Syracuse and I asked for direct Rochester
(instead of flying down to Syracuse and following V2). The controller
cleared me "direct when able", and when the GPS showed that I would just
barely miss the restricted area (R-5203?), I turned. But evidently that
was too close for her, because a few minutes later she turned me 45
degrees off my course for a few minutes before she let me turn back.

I wonder if I should have said something to her about seeing the
restricted area on my GPS?


The book is a bit vague on that.

FAA Order 7110.65N Air Traffic Control

Chapter 9. Special Flights

Section 4. Special Use and ATC Assigned Airspace

9-4-2. SEPARATION MINIMA

Unless clearance of nonparticipating aircraft in/through/adjacent to a
Prohibited/Restricted/Warning Area/MOA/ATCAA is provided for in a Letter of
Agreement (LOA) or Letter of Procedure (LOP), separate nonparticipating
aircraft from active special use airspace by the following minima:

a. Assign an altitude consistent with para 4-5-2, Flight Direction, and
4-5-3, Exceptions, which is at least 500 feet (above FL 290-1000 feet)
above/below the upper/lower limit of the Prohibited/Restricted/Warning
Area/MOA/ATCAA.

REFERENCE-
FAAO 7210.3, Prohibited/Restricted Areas, Para 2-1-16.

b. Provide radar separation of 3 miles (En route Stage A/DARC, FL 600 and
above - 6 miles) from the special use airspace peripheral boundary.

c. Clear aircraft on airways or routes whose widths or protected airspace
do not overlap the peripheral boundary.

d. Exception. Some Prohibited/Restricted/Warning Areas are established for
security reasons or to contain hazardous activities not involving aircraft
operations. Where facility management has identified these areas as outlined
in FAAO 7210.3, Facility Operation and Administration, vector aircraft to
remain clear of the peripheral boundary.

NOTE-
Nonparticipating aircraft refers to those aircraft for which you have
separation responsibility and which have not been authorized by the using
agency to operate in/through the special use airspace or ATCAA in question.


Clearly, if the controller is vectoring you around SUA then 3 miles is the
minimum. If you're on an airway that clears the SUA then you're deemed to
be clear of the SUA without regard to how close you actually are to the SUA
boundary. But if you're proceeding via your own navigation direct to a fix
is just being clear of the SUA boundary good enough?