Soaring With Sagar - April 2010
Navigating “Class Bravo” Airspace
By Sagar PathakWhen looking at your favorite sectional map, the most intimidating part seems to be the concentric blue lines of the Class Bravo airspace that surrounds 39 of the nations busiest airports. In Northern California, our Class Bravo airport surrounds San Francisco International (SFO), with nearly 400,000 operations in 2009. And a mere 10 nm north of SFO lies one of the most beautiful skylines in the world, one that hundreds of millions of people visit every year. But to get to that paradise, you have to transition through the dreaded Class Bravo airspace.
Tourists from across the globe come to see the famous Golden Gate Bridge, but the most amazing view comes from flying above it. (Sagar Pathak)One of the most rewarding flights you can take here in the Bay Area is the “Bay Tour.” For a pilot, it is both rewarding in terms of beautiful scenery (green mountains, the classic San Francisco skyline, famous landmarks such as Alcatraz Prison and the Golden Gate Bridge) and a challenge to fly due to numerous airspaces and congested air traffic. I promised myself that once I had my Private Pilot’s license, and my training was completed, I would set off to conquer this beast.My local airport, Palo Alto, is approximately 30 miles south of San Francisco, but to get there I have to deal with 4 different controllers: Palo Alto Tower, San Carlos Tower, San Francisco Tower, and NorCal Approach. And on a flight that is about 45 minutes round trip, juggling that many radio frequencies in rapid succession can be intimidating. Add to it the other planes that fill the skies, and it can be quite a daunting flight. But as with all things in aviation, good planning and preparation makes the flight that much safer and more enjoyable.First thing’s first, I decided to take along an experienced pilot who is familiar with the airspace up with me. This way I have a sort of safety blanket that can help out with the radios and air traffic. To prepare for the flight, I plotted my route and wrote down all the potential frequencies that I would encounter along the way. I would start off by contacting Palo Alto Ground, and requesting a straight out departure for a Bay Tour. This would tell the controllers that I was intending to fly to San Francisco up along the peninsula and pass through the SFO Bravo airspace. Then I contact Palo Alto Tower for departure clearance and anticipate being handed off to San Carlos Tower. At that point, I would tell San Carlos that I was requesting a Bay Tour and a discrete sqwak code for my transponder so that I could enter the SFO Bravo. With that in hand, I would go to either NorCal Approach or directly to San Francisco Tower and through the Bravo. After that I end up with NorCal and enjoy the Bay. And on the way back, reverse the order.Now there is a way to get to SF and go around the San Francisco Bravo airspace, but that depends on if there is fog along the coastline and navigating around a sliver of Class Bravo over the ocean that starts at 1500 feet. Pilots do it all the time, but I wanted to take the most direct route and be assisted if need be by radar control. So I did one last weather check and started my preflight.As I prepared to taxi, I contacted Palo Alto Ground and told them my intentions. To my surprise, they gave me my sqwak code right then and there. That was easy! This took one item off my checklist. Shortly after, I was switched over to Palo Alto Tower and got my clearance to take off. But before I did, I tuned my second radio San Carlos Tower as that would be my next controller. With the roar of the engine, my little Piper leapt to the skies, eager to start a new adventure.As I passed through 1,000 feet, I finished up my post take off checklist and Palo Alto Tower told me to contact San Carlos Tower. Luckily I simply switched radios and was ready for them. “San Carlos Tower. Cherokee 4378N’s with you, just departed from Palo Alto airport at 1,000 feet and would like to transition your airspace for a Bay Tour.” “Cherokee 4378N, Ident and stay west of the Bayshore Freeway and above 1,500 feet.” Easy enough. But just as soon as I was done talking to the controller, I set the primary radio to NorCal Approach and the backup frequency on the secondary radio to San Francisco Tower. I had about 5 minutes to enjoy the green hills to my left before the Tower told me to contact San Francisco Tower.
Staying west of the Bayshore Freeway and out of the arriving/departing airliners, we cruise by the departure end of SFO. (Sagar Pathak) The main thing to remember about the Class Bravo airspace is that you can not enter unless you are cleared in by the tower. And I had about 1 mile to get cleared before I illegally entered the Bravo and would have some serious explaining to do. I quickly switched frequencies to SFO Tower and immediately I hear this controller that would make an auctioneer sound like a third grader sounding out the alphabet. “United 288 Heavy cleared to land 28R. American 988 Cleared to take off 28R, caution landing traffic on parallel runway. Redwood 1590 hold short 28L.” Man, this guy was quick and I needed to jump in and get cleared before I entered his airspace. I looked down on my chart and saw that I had until the Bay Meadows Racetrack just south of the 92 freeway before I busted airspace; and that was quickly approaching. And just like that the radio went quiet for a second. “San Francisco Tower, Cherokee 4378N departing San Carlos airspace at 1,500 would like to transition your Bravo airspace on a Bay Tour.” There was a pause. “American 988 contact departure and have a nice day.” Did I forget something? Wait, where is Bay Meadow? There it is. And I have not been cleared to enter yet. Better turn to the left and do a 360 for time so I don’t accidental go into the Bravo. And just as I started my turn, Tower cleared me in and told me to stay at or above 2,000 feet and remain west of the Bayshore freeway. Whew. I was good to go.I add a little power and start my climb and tune the other radio to NorCal Approach. I look to the right and saw a blue and white 747 floating above the water and about to touch down at SFO. The airport looks so beautiful. I look off at the horizon and see the tall buildings of downtown San Francisco coming up quickly. I double check that I have not crossed the 101 freeway and am shortly handed off to NorCal Approach. NorCal advises that I am out of the Class Bravo and am free to fly anywhere as long as I stay West and North of the Bay Bridge and below 2,000 feet. With the tallest buildings of downtown San Francisco at 800 feet, I fly past them and aim towards Alcatraz. The prison once made to house the most dangerous criminals looks so calm and peaceful as I pass by. Next stop, the most famous bridge in the world, the Golden Gate. I make a few laps around it and the green Marin Headlands and figure it’s time to head back to Palo Alto airport.I contact NorCal Approach and advise them that I’d like to cross through the Bravo and head back to Palo Alto. They clear me on my way and advise me to stay at 2,000 feet. Just south of The City, I get handed off to San Francisco Tower, who clears me in and tells me to drop down to 1,500 and keep an eye out for a Cessna at 11 o’clock, 3 miles ahead at 2,000 feet. I don’t see him at first, but no doubt another pilot on a Bay Tour. I spot his landing light and he passes off my left wing. And with that, I get handed to San Carlos Tower, and eventually Palo Alto Tower.The flight back seems a bit less rushed. Maybe because I knew the Class Bravo transition was behind me, or I was just feeling a sense of accomplishment that I slayed the mighty dragon. I was speaking to my uncle a few weeks prior to the flight and he told me that in his 6 years of flying, he has yet to do a Bay Tour with a Bravo transition. I can see how it can be intimidating and obviously a busy workload switching frequencies and worrying about different airspaces. But when you are passing by a 747 a mile off your wing, skyscrapers of a major city getting bigger in front of you and the coastline just a few miles on the other side, who wouldn’t want to do it? I know I am sure glad I did.
