ADMIT that you BUSTED Bravo and explain to help others.

ksandrew

Pre-takeoff checklist
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ksandrew
I will admit that I busted Class Bravo back in 2009, after others do the same I will be willing to share my story and the circumstance (and outcome) I think that this could be educational for all instead of just demeaning those that have done it.
We are always learning and so often from others mistakes.

Life is a barrel of fun.

Ken
 
I busted Bravo twice. I caught it both times and got down. Both times, maybe 30-60 seconds. Nothing ever came of it.
Not suggesting it isn't a big deal. I trained under the DFW bravo and essentially nicked it twice.

Both instances were ~7 years ago. Since, I have been pretty good about situational awareness.
 
I busted Bravo twice. I caught it both times and got down. Both times, maybe 30-60 seconds. Nothing ever came of it.

Did you file a NASA/ASRS Reporting Form?

How about any others that have busted the Bravo?

Curious ...
 
I busted the DFW class B many years ago, before the magenta line and GPS maps existed and you just had to know where you were on the sectional. I was coming back to ADS (Addison) from the North on one of my first flights after getting checked out there and was unfamiliar with the airspace. At the time, there were a couple of steps where the B was lower just to NW, and was a mile or so from where I thought I was, which would have been just under the shelf. On my initial call to tower, the controller told me to descend immediately as I was in the B. I did. That was it. The worst part was that my passenger was a girl I was trying to impress. But she had no idea, and was suitably impressed. :cool:
 
I accidentally clipped the last quarter mile of a Charlie by 50-odd feet once. That's all I got.
 
DEN a few years ago. Took off out of what is now CFO and kept climbing right into the Bravo. Once I realized what I had done I fessed up on the radio and descended immediately.

Now if you want to talk about going right through the middle of a restricted area without talking to anyone, I will have to sign back in as anonymous....
 
Never busted an airspace, but I came close to busting a restricted area. Called flight following, got identified, and the controller told me to turn 60 degrees to the right, then he said "do it quickly, you are 1/4 mile from the restricted area". Saved my bacon, Boston controllers, great people.
 
:needpics:

If you don't have some YouTube, it didn't happen.

Oh, except for the time in 1964 when I buzzed LAX tower. They didn't really mind all that much since it was my first solo into the Bravo in a Cirrus SR-22. They complemented me on the violet parachute I deployed to land at Hawthorne. Elon was really impressed too.
 
I have about 1000 hours GA, and I never busted any airspace...But since this seems to be a confessional thread: my one and only "transgression", if you will, was when I was a student pilot many years ago, and I read back a hold short instruction from the Class D tower. But for some reason, even though I read it back, my brain heard "clear for take-off". I got about 20 feet across the hold short line, when the tower started yelling "STOP! STOP! STOP!" over the radio. I braked, immediately realized my mistake, requested a taxi back to the flight school, and called them on the phone to apologize (they didn't give me a number to call, I did it on my own). They were cool about it, and basically told me politely to get my head out of my ass.
 
I busted a class d years ago. Student pilot at the time. Long xc. Was a bumpy ass day I was sloppy. Eventually called up confessed took down the number. Called when I got back and said isn't it aviate navigate communicate? Yeah that's what I was doing took me a while to get to communicate. He laughed my cfii didn't. Nothing more but class d is slot different then a b
 
I busted the LAX Bravo once. I tuned the VOR into a victor airway that I knew would keep me clear. The problem with that was that it never captured. Learned the hard way that the VOR in that plane was INOP. Luckily I was on flight following and ATC gave me a heading to get out. I was harder on myself about it than they were. ForeFlight has been a great aid in preventing that from happening again.
 
I've made plenty of aviation mistakes but busting bravo is not one of them. Between:
  • Flyways
  • VFR transition routes
  • VFR corridors
  • IFR flight plan
...combined with GPS, I've managed to avoid the dreaded bravo bust.

Plus, I enjoy playing "where could I go" on SkyVector more than watching TV so I'm a bit abnormal to begin with.
 
:needpics:

If you don't have some YouTube, it didn't happen.

Oh, except for the time in 1964 when I buzzed LAX tower. They didn't really mind all that much since it was my first solo into the Bravo in a Cirrus SR-22. They complemented me on the violet parachute I deployed to land at Hawthorne. Elon was really impressed too.

Maybe this is a good strategy if you are in a Cirrus. If you bust the Bravo immediately pull the chute then you are not flying but parachuting. :)

No Bravo busts but since we are confessing. I learned to fly at a small rural airport. I flew in controlled space very rarely and still don't often. When I was a student pilot on my long cross country I was going into a class D airport and approaching from the North on an East West runway they were landing to the West. The controller probably said to enter a right downwind. I of course used to always flying left at home thought it would be appropriate to fly across the active runway and try to enter a left downwind. The controller yelled at me over the air before I crossed over the runway that had aircraft taking off. I apologized profusely. One of those times I think saying upfront I was a STUDENT pilot saved my bacon. Of course that was 32 years ago and I have not made another mistake since. :)
 
Not me never. I have led a peerless life of utter and complete compliance with all the rules and regulation from all entities official and otherwise.

Unless we blindly conform to our leaders orders we can never truly be free.
-Frank Burns
 
Nope, never, that I remember... class A, class D, probably class E! Wrong airport (in my defense I was flying wing, but shoulda caught it), wrong runway, wrong taxi way... assigned speed, fixes, you name it. Got most, imagine I’ll get the rest eventually.

Those that have, those that will. NEVER “just got by with it”, ALWAYS fessed up, made immediate corrections but mostly did the SAFEST thing immediately. That seems to be the key to “surviving” it administratively.

Anon, uh, posted for “a friend”
 
Nope, never, that I remember... class A, class D, probably class E! Wrong airport (in my defense I was flying wing, but shoulda caught it), wrong runway, wrong taxi way... assigned speed, fixes, you name it
To me, seems that there's a lot more tools that help with avoiding a B bust than there is for everything else as noted in post #16. I think I might have clipped a D while waiting for tower to acknowledge my call-up (it was sandwiched between a B, a C, another D and E). But I very much expect a B to be the last on my list of busts.
 
I can’t say as I have, but since the intent is to help others, I was at a seminar a number of years ago where a controller told us that Class B busts were almost invariably by pilots whose instructors told them to “avoid class b” rather than training them in and around class B.
 
I busted the Philly Bravo years back. I'd have to see if I can find the report I submitted. I forget the exact details of why, but I was VFR, talking to the controller, and he kept trying to vector me into clouds, me repeating unable, and he wouldn't let me down. Ended with me cancelling radar services telling him he better move the other guy and descending through the the 3000-7000 shelf (I was at 9500 eastbound, but not over the top of the bravo yet.)
 
Busted a Charlie shortly after I started flying trips on my own. Had plotted my route above it, went lower due to clouds, was tired and didn't think about it being in my way. This was before foreflight / gps. ATC tracked my 1200 blip to the (uncontrolled) point of landing and had the airport manager person walk out to my plane to give me the number to call. Called and was very apologetic, and the controller was understanding. Said "if we had had any traffic on approach at the time, we would have had to move them." No other action. I forget whether I filed ASRS.
 
I don't have to worry about it now. They literally won't let me (my plane) within 30 miles of the place. :)
 
Did you file a NASA/ASRS Reporting Form?

How about any others that have busted the Bravo?

Curious ...

I did both times. I was a terrified student or new pilot at the time, thinking I might get a fine or lose my cert.
Knowing what I know now, if I clipped it, I'd probably do nothing and if they contact me, I'd just have the conversation.
 
I did both times. I was a terrified student or new pilot at the time, thinking I might get a fine or lose my cert.
Knowing what I know now, if I clipped it, I'd probably do nothing and if they contact me, I'd just have the conversation.

Two more punches in your card. :)
 
I did both times. I was a terrified student or new pilot at the time, thinking I might get a fine or lose my cert.
Knowing what I know now, if I clipped it, I'd probably do nothing and if they contact me, I'd just have the conversation.

I thought you filed those ahead of time?

 
I bust echo all the time. What’s the big deal?
Well if you were enjoying the 1sm/clear-of-clouds VFR minimums in class G and bust into 1.5sm visibility class E then that's a problem.
 
Well if you were enjoying the 1sm/clear-of-clouds VFR minimums in class G and bust into 1.5sm visibility class E then that's a problem.
Takes a special kind of person to not get busted for doing that.
 
I did both times. I was a terrified student or new pilot at the time, thinking I might get a fine or lose my cert.
Knowing what I know now, if I clipped it, I'd probably do nothing and if they contact me, I'd just have the conversation.
Why not file the report AND have the conversation?
It’s free insurance.
 
Never busted Bravo, but many years ago I worked at the Naval Air Engineering Center in Lakehurst, NJ and occasionally had to visit the Naval Air Development Center in Warminster north of Philly. It was about an hour drive, and probably longer by plane, considering pickup time at a nearby small airport... but it was more fun to fly and an engineer at NADC was always willing to pick me up. Anyway, I'd made the trip in my NORDO T-Craft several times before, but this time the visibility was kinda bad... in fact it was positively icky. Stupid, of course, but I was twentysomething and immortal then.

So I was scud running along way down low, probably around 500' AGL if that, not at all clear where I was, couldn't see much of anything except straight down... when what I did see directly below me was the end of a giant runway. Yup, flew right into NADC's control zone (this was before letter class airspaces) and over the runway below 500'. Turned around and got the hell out of there, but at least I then knew exactly where I was and landed at my destination field shortly thereafter. Nothing ever came of it. I doubt anybody in the tower could see me, and I have no idea if anybody saw me on radar.

Fortunately the weather improved for the return flight.
 
I busted a Delta a few months ago while circling over my son’s house. Filed an ASRS when I landed. Haven’t heard a thing. It was stupid on my part for sure.
 
Busting controlled airspace is a little like masturbation. 5% do it, the other 95% just lie about it.
Well if you would leave your joy stick alone you wouldn’t be so distracted and wonder in.
 
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