Pilots -
On August 16, 2018 the San Francisco Class Bravo airspace under went a major rework. This means, the Class Bravo airspace you may see in your simulator will not match what you might find on a sectional. Additionally, you may receive instructions from NORCAL and San Francisco tower that don't make sense with the old Class B airspace. It is my hope that this post will help you all understand the changes, procedures, and how we plan to handle this going forward.
So what changed, exactly? The entire class B airspace has been changed. They've created the Bravo to give back what is not needed, and take what is needed. Additionally, the Bravo is no longer based on radials and DME, but rather GPS waypoints. Each corner point of the new class Bravo airspace is a GPS waypoint that can be programmed into any FMS or GPS (you will need an AIRAC 1809 update for your FMS, or global FSX/P3D navdata update). The waypoints for each corner can be found on the San Francisco FLY chart, and they start with
VPXXX
Some of these new waypoints have a name, such as VPOYS which is called Oyster Point, and some do not. So, if you say you're flying to Oyster Point, we expect that you are going to VPOYS. In the case of those without a name simply spell it out using the phonetic alphabet. Those with a name are located directly over the landmark they are named after. The FAA has told us there will be a full list and we will publish it when we can.
Does this affect the way I can transition the San Francisco Class B?Yes. Previously, we'd issue instructions to fly to a landmark, follow a highway, etc. Now we have defined routes that will be assigned. These routes use GPS waypoints that can be programmed into any FMS or GPS (AIRAC 1809+). The routes are as follows...
Bayshore Transition 1,500 - 3,500
Pacifica Transition 1,500 - 3,500
Coastline Transition at or above 3,500
When transitioning the Bravo, please state the route and altitude you'd like. You may join these routes at a point, so you do not need to start at the most northern or southern point. For example, a KHAF aircraft may join at Pennisula High school (VPSCS) and transition north or south, but you need to specify you want to join at that point.
In addition to the new VFR transition routes, we've also got an ATC assigned Flyway called the Bay Flyway.
This is ATC assigned only (which means it requires a bravo clearance, and we can and will deny the request if traffic is too heavy in the bay), and ATC will assign the altitude. It is broken into a few different parts. If you're going north you can expect to get either the Northwest Bay Flyway, or Northeast Bay Flyway, and if you're going south you can expect the Southwest Bay Flyway or Southeast Bay Flyway. This flyway is located on the San Francisco FLY chart.
The other flyways are not ATC assigned and no ATC contact is needed to fly them. ATC is only required for the Bay Flyway.
Does this impact other area airports?Yes, a little bit. The Oakland Class C airspace has been slightly modified. The San Jose Class C didn't change, however San Jose airport no longer sits under the Bravo, only a portion of the class C does. Livermore (LVK) is a lot closer to the Bravo, so pilots are encouraged to be prepared for that and plan around it. San Carlos (SQL) had a minor change as well but it isn't something I think most will notice.
What do I do if I have the old Bravo and want to fly in it? How can I get the new airspace?Please mention it to the controller. We realize that not everybody will have the new airspace, but unless we know what you have we can't help you. Since the new airspace is the current, that is what we will be operating off of.
If you fly with Foreflight connected to your sim, you will be able to use the new airspace. Additionally, I am told that
fsAerodata will update FSX and P3D native airspace to have the new Bravo (I have not tested that yet). I doing what I can to inform Lockheed Martin about the airspace so that they will include it in a future update of P3D. Last, I am reading around FSDeveloper trying to figure out how to create it myself so we can distribute it to everybody for free, so far it's been slow.
The GPS waypoints used to create the Bravo and the VFR Transitions routes are available to everybody through your 1809 AIRAC update provided by Navigraph ot Navdata Pro. To update FSX and P3D navigation you can use the
FSX/P3D World Naviads Package (at the time of writing this it is still 1808, but will be 1809 soon).
If you have further questions please feel free to ask, we're happy to help! Email us at management@oakartcc.org
