Does Tony Bennett leave his heart anywhere except San Francisco? No. Are San Francisco-area airports general aviation-friendly? Yes — while the idea of mixing it up with the nearly constant flow of air carrier airplanes flying into and out of San Francisco International Airport may be daunting, all Bay Area airports welcome GA pilots. Here are some hints that will make flying in the Bay Area a lot easier.
Where?
San Francisco International Airport is located eight miles southeast of the city. Five runways serve the airport. Elevation is 13 feet and pattern altitude is 1,000 feet msl for light aircraft and 1,500 feet msl for heavy aircraft. Telephone: 650/821-3349.
Bay Area fliers must contend with a large volume of scheduled airline traffic into and out of San Francisco International and the confusing sectors of both San Francisco's Class B and the Class C airspace around two nearby airports, at San Jose and Oakland. This can appear daunting on a chart, especially for the pilot who is afraid of making a mistake, or who isn't comfortable with his or her radio communications technique.
It's easier than it first appears. Let's start with the basics.
San Francisco's airspace is Class B. You are prohibited from flying into Class B airspace until an air traffic controller specifically says that your airplane's registration number is "cleared into" or "cleared through" the San Francisco Class B airspace. Class B airspace segregates airline arrival and departure aircraft from VFR traffic in the area. The ceiling of the San Francisco Class B airspace is 10,000 feet msl. The outer edge extends as far as 30 miles to the south. In terms of vertical dimensions, the outer rings of San Francisco's Class B airspace are pretty thin — the 25-to-30-mile ring, for example, goes from only 8,000 feet msl to 10,000 feet msl. It's OK to fly above and below the Class B airspace without establishing radio contact with Norcal Approach, provided that the airplane has a working encoding altimeter and hasn't been flown into the Class C airspace of Metropolitan Oakland International and Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International airports. But it isn't very smart. Norcal Approach is there to help and it's always a good idea — and good practice — to use its services.
As you proceed toward San Francisco International, the floor of the Class B airspace drops, generally every five miles — the famous upside-down wedding cake. From 25 to 20 miles, for example, the floor is 6,000 feet; from 20 to 15 miles the floor drops to 4,000 feet. It would be simple if the pattern were identical for every Class B airport, but each Class B airspace has its own peculiarities based on surrounding terrain, prevailing winds and visibility conditions, noise-abatement programs, and other features.
When you get within five to seven miles of San Francisco, the Class B airspace extends from the surface to 10,000 feet msl. Even with this formidable Class B airspace around the San Francisco airport, VFR pilots may enter, provided they have been issued a Class B clearance.
The front of the terminal area chart
A clearance to enter Class B airspace opens all kinds of doors. I recently flew to the Bay Area and told Norcal Approach that I wanted to sightsee up the east side of the San Francisco peninsula — a route that would take me almost right over the top of San Francisco International. I was told to descend to 1,500 feet and follow Highway 101 — the main freeway up the east side of the peninsula. I was hoping to take some pictures of Bennett's "City by the Bay." But the weather unexpectedly deteriorated; the controllers were getting busy and the photo opportunities were gone, so I asked for, and was given, a course to get out of their way.
The Norcal Approach controllers who work the San Francisco area are well known for their willingness to accommodate special sightseeing requests, usually termed "Bay Tours." But when the weather takes a turn for the worse and the controllers get busier than normal, it's not smart for VFR fliers to overstay their welcome.
When pilots request a Bay Tour, the approach controllers are going to ask for a routing. Have a plan and be succinct in your request. Becoming familiar with the routes and airspace of the Bay Area is the key to a successful and low-stress flight. The first place to start boning up is the San Francisco Terminal Area Chart. These charts are twice the scale of a sectional chart, making landmark, airspace-boundary, and reporting-point identification much easier. The appropriate Norcal Approach frequencies are prominently displayed on the topographical side of each chart as are the boundaries and floor and ceiling altitudes of the class B and C airspace. A much easier-to-use chart is on the back side.
VFR flyway planning chart
The back side of the terminal area chart features the charted VFR flyway planning chart, which greatly simplifies matters for VFR pilots. The topographical features have been removed to declutter the map, which uses blue, purple, and black features on a white background.
Jet arrival routes are depicted by profiles of four-engine airliners that are connected by a trail of arrowheads showing flight paths. Alongside each path are common altitudes for that route. Departure routes are identical except that the airplane profiles are missing.
VOR frequencies are shown, as are airport identifiers. Pilots of GPS-equipped airplanes can enter the five-letter identifiers of common reporting points to stay on course. Many of these help identify important turns in the series of suggested VFR flyways, which are shown as broad blue paths. Each leg of each flyway lists the altitudes you must remain below, i.e., the floor of the Class B in that location. Flying the VFR flyways is the best way to stay out of Class B airspace. Another very helpful device for flying near Class B airspace is a GPS navigator with a current database. Even the least expensive handheld unit can prove invaluable in avoiding unwanted airspace incursions, and tracking to destinations while flying in unfamiliar airspace.
The Bay Area airports
Reid-Hillview of Santa Clara County, Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International, Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County, San Carlos, Hayward Executive, Metropolitan Oakland International, Livermore Municipal, Buchanan Field, and Half Moon Bay are all located within a 30-mile radius from the center of San Francisco. These airports welcome the low-time, low-and-slow pilot as well as the turbine crowd. The key to flying into and out of busy airports located near or in Class B airspace is to practice your radio technique if you're a little rusty. Or if you're unsure of how it goes, study the appropriate chart to become familiar with the area, and have a plan. Many pilots have learned that it's a good idea to take a flight instructor along for their initial foray into Class B. With a little preparation it's not as difficult as it might first appear.
E-mail the author at [email protected].
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