Plain English Meaning

Places on the ground where lots of people or buildings are packed together, like a town or a crowd. Pilots must stay higher above these areas and follow specific rules when flying over them.

Full Definition

Areas on the ground containing concentrations of people, buildings, or structures — such as cities, towns, settlements, or open-air assemblies of persons — over which minimum safe altitudes and operational restrictions apply under FAA regulations.

Context Anchor

Seen when selecting a safe practice area for ground reference maneuvers and when deciding how low an aircraft may legally and safely fly.

Derivation

Congested comes from the Latin congerere, meaning to bring together or pile up. In , it describes ground areas where people and structures are piled together closely enough to require extra and when flying overhead.