Ryan Parry Posted August 18, 2018 at 04:37 PM Posted August 18, 2018 at 04:37 PM Pilots - On August 16, 2018 the San Francisco Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] Bravo airspace under went a major rework. This means, the Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] 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 Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] 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 cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] 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 cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] 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 Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] B? Yes. Previously, we'd issue instructions to fly to a landmark, follow a highway, etc. Now we have defined routes that will be [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned. 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 [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned Flyway called the Bay Flyway. This is ATC [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned 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 [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign 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 [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned 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 Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] C airspace has been slightly modified. The San Jose Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] C didn't change, however San Jose airport no longer sits under the Bravo, only a portion of the cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] 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 [email protected] Ryan Parry - 965346 www.pilotcentral.org | www.oakartcc.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Warren Posted August 20, 2018 at 02:49 AM Posted August 20, 2018 at 02:49 AM Nice write up RP! Hopefully we get some enthusiastic GA'ers out there taking advantage. Here is a youtube I watched the other day. The NE to SW flyway before it was officially the flyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charan Kumar Posted August 31, 2018 at 06:58 AM Posted August 31, 2018 at 06:58 AM Granted this wasn't out the day I did my BFR, but even he couldn't have done a better job. Excellent RP, I think I can risk a bay tour now When is your next Flight||VATSIM HitSquad Member, ZOA/ZAK/GANDER/P1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Kaminsky 1373807 Posted January 19, 2019 at 06:18 AM Posted January 19, 2019 at 06:18 AM Great info and post. Note: I use FSX. I enjoy VFR flying but have stayed away from NorCal area since the change. I've updated to 1901 with Navigraph and AeroSors with no luck of the new waypoints appearing in the database it seems. Also, the native GPS in FSX still shows old Bravo. Do you have any additional resources to update FSX to show the new Bravo. Thanks, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Warren Posted January 20, 2019 at 05:02 PM Posted January 20, 2019 at 05:02 PM Great info and post. Note: I use FSX. I enjoy VFR flying but have stayed away from NorCal area since the change. I've updated to 1901 with Navigraph and AeroSors with no luck of the new waypoints appearing in the database it seems. Also, the native GPS in FSX still shows old Bravo. Do you have any additional resources to update FSX to show the new Bravo. Thanks, Jason Jason, Sadly, I don't believe anyone has cracked the mystery of updating the default GPS to reflect current airspaces. That said, you have a few options. http://www.aero.sors.fr/index.html will allow you to update the default waypoints inherent in FSX. The waypoint/fix updates here basically create scenery files which FSX will read and incorporate once added so while the new Bravo airspace may not be accurately reflected, you should at least have the waypoints. Other options include buying a third party GPS. There are a few choices from a few different vendors. Do some research, as the different products are updated by different means that may or may not be available to you. I use the Flight1 GTN 650/750 series, but note that it is not updatable by Navigraph. One I have no experience with, but appears to utilize Navigraph is https://www.fsaerodata.com/ . Below is a screenshot from the GTN750. ***Edit*** I see you already have done the Aero.Sors update, so I apologize for overlapping that suggestion. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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