The AIM 7-4-9 table, not RECAT
U.S. controllers and pilots still meet the wake minima in Aeronautical Information Manual paragraph 7-4-9, organized by the Pilot/Controller Glossary classes: Small (41,000 lb MTOW or less), Large (more than 41,000 and less than 300,000), Heavy (300,000 or more), Super (Airbus A380-800 and Antonov An-225, by type), and a special set of rows for the Boeing 757. The same-threshold departure times — 3 minutes behind Super, 2 minutes behind Heavy, 2 minutes for a Small behind a B757 — may not be reduced or waived. Intersection and opposite-direction times are longer (4 minutes behind Super, 3 behind Heavy, 3 for a Small behind a B757, all not waivable; 3 minutes for a Small behind a Large other than a B757, which a pilot may request to waive). Radar in-trail miles and the Small-follower landing-threshold miles are listed in 7-4-9 a1 and a2.
Some facilities use RECAT (FAA Order JO 7110.126) or ICAO wake categories instead. Those schemes can differ from this table; the page labels every result as AIM 7-4-9 and, where the AIM is silent (a Super leader in the landing-threshold sub-paragraph, or a Small landing behind a B757), it says so rather than inventing a number. Time-based departure gaps do not replace ATC instructions or a visual wake-avoidance plan on an uncontrolled field. Related tools: runway selection and approach speed.
Sources
- FAA Aeronautical Information Manual 7-4-9, Air Traffic Wake Turbulence Separations.
- FAA Aeronautical Information Manual 7-4, Wake Turbulence, and the Pilot/Controller Glossary (aircraft classes).
- 14 CFR 91.3, responsibility and authority of the pilot in command. (RECAT / JO 7110.126 is noted only as a scheme this table does not implement.)
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as ICAO or RECAT wake categories?
No. This page is the AIM 7-4-9 legacy weight-class table. RECAT and ICAO categories can prescribe different miles or times at facilities that use them. Follow ATC.
Can I waive the two- or three-minute departure hold?
Not the same-threshold Super, Heavy, or Small-behind-B757 times, and not the intersection times behind Super, Heavy, or a B757. The one 7-4-9 interval a controller may waive on a specific pilot request is the three-minute intersection / opposite-direction hold for a Small behind a Large other than a B757.
What if AIM 7-4-9 does not list my pair?
The calculator says so. Standard radar or runway separation may still apply, and you still own wake-avoidance as PIC.