[McFly]

I started phase II today in a big way today(at least by my standards). I took the Bay Tour with a friend/flight instructor who is familiar with the Bay Area airspace. All I can say is WOW. I am thrilled, amazed and grateful that I can jump in my little RV-7 and do this post 9-11. We landed in San Carlos and later had lunch at HalfMoon Bay. What an incredible afternoon!


San Fran coming into view

Alcatraz

Trans America building headed towards SFO

SFO: Center turned us over to SFO tower at this point and the tower was very accomidating.

Just after passing over the Golden Gate

 

[Ironflight]

Very nice way to celebrate the completion of Phase I Hugh! Pretty scenery you've got out there....

 

[arffguy]

Congrats-Thanks for the inspiration

Great photos. I wish I had an enlarged clear one of the Golden Gate Bridge shot. I am curious about your instructor friend's knowledge of the "Bay Tour" Everytime I hear about someone doing a seminar down there the darn things fill up so fast that a person can hardly get in. I hear that it is simple enough but then again, it's still Class B airspace.

Are you going to be at the Golden West EAA fly-in at Marysville in two weeks?

 

[McFly]

Thanks for the kind words.

I am curious about your instructor friend's knowledge of the "Bay Tour"

I doubt he had any formal training about the bay tour but this guy flys A LOT all over CA.

I plan to be at Golden West on Saturday. My instructor bud will probably be there on Saturday as well. I believe he will be flying in a LSA (most folks would call it an ultralight) called an Airbike wind and weather permitting.

Send me a PM if you are intereseted in getting his contact info (or mine). Hope to see you at GW.

 

[jmartinez443]

Bay Tour

I trained in the area so the holy grail after you get your ticket is to do a bay tour. I actually had my instructor take me on a training run from CCR to SQL (which basically takes you over the numbers at OAK and bisects SFO Class B) as a student so I could experience "the system". Needless to say that first experience was overwhelming.

Once you get comfortable talking to ATC, getting cleared for a bay tour is no bid deal. Norcal approach is very accomodating in that regard. Simply call in with your position and altitude 5-10nm norht and east of the outer shelf and tell them you'd like to do a bay tour. They'll assign you a squawk and set you loose clear of bravo. They'll be more than happy to call out traffic for you (as if they didn't have enough to do with SFO to the west, OAK to the east, and SJO to the south.)

Unless you are shooting down the bayshore freeway to the airports south of SFO (San Carlos or Palo Alto) you will never actually hit class B - the outer shelf of SFO B (which overlies the bridge, alcatraz, etc) starts at 3 or 4K feet and you wanna be 1000 - 1500 to apreciate the sights anyway.

If your intentions are to go south, just let them know and they'll hand you off to SFO tower "north and west of the 101 freeway". Just make darn sure you heed assigned altitudes and headings. They don't want you fooling around holding up heavies out of SFO who will usually fly out at RV alts until the hit the shoreline on their way to the pacific rim. One time a buddy of mine got chewed out for doing an unapproved 360 west of SFO - a 747 was "position and hold" while he trasitioned SFO B and he made them wait longer that they liked.

 

[rv8guy]

great pictures-nice trip

It only gets better

 

[The_CaptKirk]

another tip...

Enjoy the tour. I suggest you preview it in GoogleEarth with a sectional to familiarize yourself with the landmarks and airspace, as well as a jungle guide.

As a former hang glider pilot, let me add a friendly request. If the winds are over 15 kts from any westerly direction (in short, just about every afternoon in the summer), keep an eye out for hang glider traffic along the cliffs from Ocean Beach in SF south to the Pacifica pier up to 1000 ft MSL. Non-powered pilots would appreciate if you fly 1000 ft or more west of the cliffs to minimize turbulence. V35s at 250 feet are literally looked down on by hang gliders.

If there's a wind shear condition you might find hang glider pilots up to Bravo base. Yep, there have been reports of hang gliders and Asia-bound 747-400s departing 28R almost eyeball to eyeball 7.5 NM from SFO VOR, giving new meaning to "beware potential wake turbulence." Guess which aircraft didn't have Mode-C turned on? (No, I was never that stupid.)