While taking a scenic over Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon, I began wondering if it is wise, let alone even allowed, to fly single engine prop or turbo aircraft over the Grand Canyon for real. I had my Meridian and thought about whether I'd make it to any airport in time if my engine quit. I have a World Air Routes Scenic Airways twin Fokker video, and it seems quite vast and distant once over the middle of the canyon. Does anyone know if there are any restrictions in the real world?? Thanks. Tom

I'm pretty sure single engine aircraft fly over it all the time including sightseeing operators. Theres no restriction concerning the number of engines, I'm pretty sure of this.

Airspace over the Grand Canyon is restricted and controlled, as is the airspace over almost all National Parks. However the Grand Canyon is a bit more tightly controlled than most.These are noise restrictions, not safety restrictions. It's not uncommon for single engine aircraft to be 30-50 nm from a safe landing airport in the western states.Almost no aircraft except certain licensed / permitted tour operators are allowed to fly low over the canyon, and then only on carefully supervised routes.Private aircraft will very seldom, if ever, be given permission to fly close enough for sight seeing.The basic rule of the Grand Canyon on the Las Vegas VFR Sectional is that aircraft must fly above 18,000 ft to not be subject to special restrictions.There is a special chart for the Grand Canyon for flights under 18,000 ft and apparently at least one corridor for transit aircraft at 10,500 feet.http://www.faa.gov/about/office%5Forg/head...%5Foverflights/This is an extremely large PDF document which shows the routes http://overflights.faa.gov/apps/GetFile.CFM?File_ID=112Another, easier item, is to go to KGCN in Flight Simulator, open the map view and click on the boundary lines - they will tell you the restricted altitudes.

Also, remember single engine aircraft can fly across oceans and great deserts (for dramatic effect). I wouldn't be worried one bit about a short hop across a canyon.Jeff