EFD - Houston Ellington

[TexasAviation]

I'm thinking about flying to Ellington Field in Houston this weekend. I'd be taking my wife for a getaway and visit at NASA, which I haven't done in years.

This would be my second time in the Houston Class B. My first trip was to Bush Intercontinental a couple of months ago, which was really fun to land with the big boys

I've seen a few new things in my flight planning that I'm curious about:

1. There's a "radar" frequency of 134.1 listed in Foreflight. I haven't run across a radar frequency before and couldn't see anything about it in the A/FD listing. What's it mean?

2. The traffic pattern at Ellington is 600 AGL. I've never flown a pattern that low before. Anything I should be aware of when doing it for the first time? I'm thinking I'll take off and fly a couple of 600 AGL patterns at my home field so I'll be more comfortable with it if needed in Houston.

3. What are the chances I'll be cleared to transition the Houston Bravo on a Saturday morning? I'll be coming from the north, and Ellington is underneath the south half of the Bravo. Was no trouble for me on a weekday, but this time I'm not actually landing at a Class B airport. Didn't know if it would make a difference. I'll have a plan to descend and stay out of the Bravo if they don't clear me.

 

[AggieMike88]

I'm curious why it's 600AGL. Maybe the proximity to Hobby?

Turbine TPA is 1600AGL.

I'd be calling the tower to get their take on it.

 

[Clark1961]

EFD has to be the most laid-back tower in the lower 48.

The Bravo clearance depends entirely on the approach controllers read of you. Be a pro. I've had the southern tour, the over downtown route and the arc around to the east. Houston approach is really great and seems to do all they can to accomodate you. Show some inexperience and they'll be careful with you. Can't blame them a bit.

Pattern altitude? never an issue for me. Watch out for the ANG guys on the parallel runway...see comment at the start, the traffic may or may not be announced...

 

[mkosmo]

Houston hands out clearances like candy. Depending on ops, if you stay East of lake Houston, they'll probably take you straight through.

 

[TexasAviation]

I'm curious why it's 600AGL. Maybe the proximity to Hobby?

Turbine TPA is 1600AGL.

That's what I was thinking. The Bravo shelf is at 2,000 feet, so I figured the low TPAs are there to comfortably squeeze both piston and turbine aircraft underneath the Bravo.

But what is the radar freq. for? I'm not familiar with what that means.

 

[35 AoA]

I'm curious why it's 600AGL. Maybe the proximity to Hobby?

Turbine TPA is 1600AGL.

I'd be calling the tower to get their take on it.

Lotta Navy guys in the Astronaut Corps historically…….our baseline pattern (in the USN) is 600 AGL, though often much higher based on noise abatement procedures at certain airfields/runways. Maybe just a coincidence or for other reasons, but I wouldn't be surprised if that were the reason. It's a good altitude for high performance jets that want to fly a 3 degree-ish glideslope and not be required to kill 1000 feet of excess altitude in the process, not as much for single engine GA planes that might be worried about losing an engine and making the runway.

As an aside, the EFD military lounge is pretty nice…….I don't know if you can go there if you don't arrive in a mil aircraft, but if you can go, it is a neat place. Kitchen stocked with all kinds of trimmings for late night dinner/snacks, soda, beer, a full (smallish) theater, as well as the normal FBO lounge types of things. The FBO also had a pretty awesome 1990's T-top firebird as a loaner last time I was there (probably 6-7 years ago now) that you could take out into town if needed.