Roost Air Lounge => Aviation related topics => Topic started by: Turbomallard on April 19, 2006, 04:54:54 PM
Title: SF Bay area flying
Post by: Turbomallard on April 19, 2006, 04:54:54 PM
I'm going to be visiting the Bay area for a wedding (groan) in a couple of weeks. I thought I'd take the opportunity to rent a plane and CFI for a couple of hours and take a flight around the place. Anyone have any FBOs/schools/clubs that they'd suggest for that? Hayward is probably the best airport location-wise for me.
Thanks!
TM
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: Ted_Stryker on April 19, 2006, 05:16:12 PM
I'm going to be visiting the Bay area for a wedding (groan) in a couple of weeks. I thought I'd take the opportunity to rent a plane and CFI for a couple of hours and take a flight around the place. Anyone have any FBOs/schools/clubs that they'd suggest for that? Hayward is probably the best airport location-wise for me.
Thanks!
TM
Is the groan due to the fact that it's your wedding, or just that you don't like weddings? ;D
I'm not sure what's out there.... but had to ask about your groan.
I live by the addage..."Are you married, or happy?!" :P
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: Turbomallard on April 19, 2006, 05:51:44 PM
I'm going to be visiting the Bay area for a wedding (groan) in a couple of weeks. I thought I'd take the opportunity to rent a plane and CFI for a couple of hours and take a flight around the place. Anyone have any FBOs/schools/clubs that they'd suggest for that? Hayward is probably the best airport location-wise for me.
Thanks!
TM
Is the groan due to the fact that it's your wedding, or just that you don't like weddings? ;D
No... not my wedding. A best friend from childhood... I hate weddings, but he's a close friend so I'm going.
I'm not sure what's out there.... but had to ask about your groan.
I live by the addage..."Are you married, or happy?!" :P
Good one! I had a near miss on getting married once; since then my life has evolved to my being a total aviation bum outside of my day job, and I don't think anyone but another pilot would tolerate me as a mate... if, that is, anyone would tolerate me at all. Furthermore, airplanes, unlike souses, come with manuals, can be left in the hangar when you don't feel like dealing with them, don't have inlaws, and all the other standard cliches...
TM
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: Mike on April 19, 2006, 07:41:35 PM
There is a little flying club in the bay area that features our strip in their newsletter. Their website is www.unitedflyingclub.org (http://www.unitedflyingclub.org) Maybe they know a little about the bay area flying. That's all the people I know in that neck of the woods.... Tell them the "Chicken Wings Guys" gave you their address and they might help you. They like us...
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: Frank N. O. on April 19, 2006, 09:31:55 PM
As a comic once said: Near-miss actually means an accident did happend! Nearly missed means they almost missed, but didn't :D
Frank
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: Plthijnx on April 20, 2006, 02:39:43 PM
yeah, a near miss?? sh&t i had a collision and got AIDS! (Aviation Induced Divorce Sentence).....
don't know anyone out in the SF area but i'm sure you'll enjoy the flight!!
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: fireflyr on April 20, 2006, 05:49:49 PM
I'm going to be visiting the Bay area for a wedding (groan) in a couple of weeks. I thought I'd take the opportunity to rent a plane and CFI for a couple of hours and take a flight around the place. Anyone have any FBOs/schools/clubs that they'd suggest for that? Hayward is probably the best airport location-wise for me.
Thanks!
TM
If you run into too many problems, Email me for my phone.. I live a ways North of there, might be able to help. 8)
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: bayareaflier on April 25, 2006, 02:30:39 AM
I flew out of the Alameda Aero Club (OAK) a while, their aircraft are priced according to tach time, which is great for a nice slow (Vg) "Bay Tour." Send an email to Adam Johnson or Ben Freelove... California Airways out of HWD may be another choice, but I've never used them.
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: Frank N. O. on April 27, 2006, 10:26:48 AM
Is it at all allowed to fly around over the Bay Area nowadays? If one could then I bet it would be a fantastic sight. No idea why I have this thing for the SF area but maybe it's also partly due to the classic game F/A-18 Interceptor where I started all flights from the carrier and went underneath the bridge on full afterburner :D And the big intl. airport and two others were also there. Btw speaking of GA flight, I noticed on Google Earth that a bit south of SF Intl (KSFO right?) there is a single-strip GA airport with a ton of GA planes stacked together on the ramp, at least when the photo was taken. I have never seen so many single-engine GA planes packed so tight and in such great numbers!
Frank
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: Plthijnx on May 03, 2006, 03:33:21 PM
a friend of mine is moving to SF and wants to learn to fly. can someone recommend a flight school? does united flying club offer lessons?
Title: Re: SF Bay area flying
Post by: bayareaflier on May 03, 2006, 05:54:22 PM
I last did the Bay Tour in 2005, shortly after getting my private. Out of Oakland, you call ground and ask for "Bay Tour", which means you want to fly north over the Bay Bridge and hang a left into SF. Once they hand you off to approach, they ask you to advise intentions, and you want to go VFR under Bravo for a bit then the 101 transition. Fly over to the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge (direct or over Alcatraz; either way is very nice), turn southbound over the bridge then direct downtown SF. Once south of the bridge, advise that you want the 101 transition; most of the time they'll say "cleared into Bravo airspace, remain north and west of the Bayshore Freeway." That's the 101; if you're not familiar with the Bay Area, fly it first with an instructor. They'll hand you off to SF Tower. Approaching the hills to the east of SFO, they'll tell you to overfly SFO midfield; if they don't, ASK "do you still want us east of 101?" or you'll have a very large airplane taking off straight at you. Exiting Bravo they'll tell you "you are leaving bravo in 2 miles, contact San Carlos Tower." I think you can fly over their airspace and under Bravo, but why bother? DON'T turn over the Bay at this point, or your workload will spike and you might bust Bravo. Fly south to Palo Alto, being sure to request an airspace transition from Palo Alto Tower, before turning left over the Bay to return to Oakland. Contact Norcal approach for the approach into Oakland. The entire flight is probably 1 hour Hobbes (0.8 tach) in a 172.
When you're in Bravo, if there are ANY questions about what you want, ask them to suggest you a heading. If you mess up substantially, they'll point you at Japan ("Fly heading 270") until you're clear of Bravo, then they'll terminate you ("Radar services terminated, squawk VFR, frequency change approved"). Never had that happen to me, and I hope it remains that way ;D
Flight schools: I used the Alameda Aero Club out of Oakland. Its Part 91, with the advantages and disadvantages inherent in that approach. Had I known, I would have waited and done a Part 141 when my job situation was more stable (I'm doing my instrument Part 141, and my flight instruction is free 8) thanks to work).
