Flying the Bay Tour

by Michael Coyle

(originally appeared in Pilot Getaways, Spring 2004 issue)

On days when San Francisco isn't completely covered by a layer of fog, a flight over the city is great opportunity to see it in a way few other visitors will. Over the Golden Gate Bridge, the floor of the SFO Class B is 3,000 feet, lowering to 2,100 feet at Golden Gate Park. The eastern side of the city is below the 1,500 foot floor of the Oakland Class C. If you are staying below 1,500 feet, you don't need to be in radio contact with anyone. However, with the amount and variety of traffic in the vicinity, asking a controller for a "Bay Tour" is the way to communicate your intention to fly over the city with radar advisories. In your initial call to Norcal Approach, you should provide your eventual destination as well. The city is inside the 30 mile mode C veil, so an active mode C transponder is required in the area. Please note that while the controllers will attempt to provide traffic advisories to the best of their ability, the airspace over the city can be busy on fair-weather weekends, so be vigilant with your traffic scan.

Aircraft inbound from the south have the most airspace with which to contend. If you're taking off from Reid-Hillview (RHV), the ground controller can arrange a squawk code in advance of your takeoff. Let the controller know you are a Bay Tour. After takeoff, you'll be told to contact San Jose tower on 124.0. DO NOT enter the San Jose Class C until contact has been established. Expect to fly overhead San Jose International at midfield. If you are in the air and arriving from the south, call Norcal Approach on 120.1 MHz near South County Airport (E16). Approach will coordinate your transition through the San Jose Class C and the Moffett, Palo Alto, and San Carlos Class D areas. They may assign you an altitude for your eventual Class B transition, typically at 3,500 feet, however if it does not suit your needs, requests for a different altitude are sometimes granted. To keep you clear of the approaches to SFO, you will likely be told to stay south and west of the Bayshore (or 101) Freeway. This freeway runs along the eastern side of the peninsula, connecting San Francisco and San Jose. The freeway on the western side of the peninsula is Interstate 280. As you make your way toward the city, you will either be vectored to the coast or brought past SFO along the Bayshore, depending on traffic. If it seems strange to fly alongside SFO, bear in mind that SFO traffic generally arrives on Runways 28L/R and departs on Runways 1L/R, even with a slight tailwind. Once well past SFO the airport, you'll be on your own navigation, which depending on which side of the city you're on, means flying to the Golden Gate or Bay bridges, and orbiting over the bay and city.

Aircraft inbound from the north have no airspace with which to contend at all, so most come in over San Rafael, heading for the Golden Gate Bridge. A good reporting point for advisories is the Sausalito VOR, using com frequency 120.9 MHz. Fly past the Golden Gate on the Pacific Ocean side for a stunning photo opportunity with the bridge framing the downtown buildings.

When arriving from the northeast, the easiest approach is beneath the 1,500 floor of the Oakland Class C to the north of the field. Norcal approach is available on 127.0 MHz, and reports as far out as Concord Airport or as close as 10 nm northeast of OAK are common. Pilots coming in from the southeast should consider crossing directly over OAK, for which you'll need to be in two-way radio contact with Norcal Approach on 135.4 MHz near Livermore Airport. From either route, follow the Bay Bridge to Treasure Island, then turn right to fly over the bay north of the city for a great view on your way to the Golden Gate.

Many San Francisco attractions will be easy to find from your vantage point. The bright orange Golden Gate Bridge is difficult to miss, spanning between the rugged hills of the Marin Headlands to the north and the Presidio of San Francisco to the south. Golden Gate Park is the three-mile long park to the south that extends halfway across the city, and the tall hills south of the park are Twin Peaks, about the best view of the city most folks will get. From there, a flight toward the downtown skyscrapers will treat you to sights such as the Transamerica Pyramid, the Bay Bridge, and the SBC Park baseball stadium. Be aware that the ballpark is often subject to TFRs during the baseball season. Fisherman's Wharf is located on the western piers at the northeastern corner of the city. Go further north, over the bay, and you'll find Alcatraz sitting its lonely vigil.

Getting to Reid-Hillview (or any other peninsula airport) is easy after the tour. Advise the controller that you're southbound for Reid-Hillview, and you'll probably be told to maintain 2,000 feet or below west of the highway 101 (the Bayshore Freeway), as you are handed off from controller to controller during the flight down the peninsula.

Version: 1.0 / October 18, 2009