L.A. Special Flight Rules Area Video

Excellent video. You have a film director nestled inside your pilot self.

A question: why do you like to do a downwind Van Nuys transition departure to the Special Flight Rules Area? When I depart Whiteman for the SFRA, I do a Four Stacks departure through Burbank airspace, and the KBUR tower clears me direct to SMO as soon as Burbank traffic permits. Van Nuys airspace and the Sepulveda Pass seem to me to be busier than Burbank.

Again, great video — substance and presentation.
 
Love the SFRA route. From Cable, I just take the 91 to the 405 and connect the dots from the refinery to SMO. Pax get a kick out of flying directly over LAX.
 
Lon33 said:
Excellent video. You have a film director nestled inside your pilot self.

A question: why do you like to do a downwind Van Nuys transition departure to the Special Flight Rules Area? When I depart Whiteman for the SFRA, I do a Four Stacks departure through Burbank airspace, and the KBUR tower clears me direct to SMO as soon as Burbank traffic permits. Van Nuys airspace and the Sepulveda Pass seem to me to be busier than Burbank.

Again, great video — substance and presentation.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the kind feedback. I am actually a professional cinematographer and it has been super fun creating my own videos as I normally in my job do not edit, do graphics, choose music etc.

I have thought about flying the four stacks departure, transitioning Burbank and then heading to Santa Monica. By what point are you able to make the turn westbound- are you on the south side of Griffith Park. It’s funny how we usually continue to do things the way we were taught- my CFI always did it van nuys way so I guess that’s why I do it. But also, one reason I usually go the van Nuys route is because i feel like there are no good emergency landing options south of Griffith park over Hollywood. I do not like the no mans land of airspace over Hollywood. Lots of helicopters and no designated frequency for that area under the Bravo that most people are on- some on Burbank, some on Santa Monica, and others not on frequency at all. I have flown it several times doing sightseeing around downtown, dodger stadium and the Hollywood sign and occasionally go that way to get back to whiteman on the way back from Catalina or anywhere south of Santa Monica. Let me know your route and I will definitely try it again.
 
FlyingMonkey said:
I am actually a professional cinematographer
Click to expand...
So that's why your videos are so good. :)
I normally in my job do not edit, do graphics, choose music etc.
Click to expand...
Actually, the graphics were one of the biggest things I was digging in this latest video. I liked how you highlighted the freeway on the tail camera shot.
 
asicer said:
So that's why your videos are so good. :)

Actually, the graphics were one of the biggest things I was digging in this latest video. I liked how you highlighted the freeway on the tail camera shot.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. When there is more opportunity for that in the future I will definitely incorporate it! I have a LOT of ideas for videos I want to do which means more excuses to fly! Haha.
 
I dislike flying the SFRA, mainly because I like getting traffic advisories and you get a lot of folks who don't like talking and violate the well defined rules about reporting. It's also a pain to get stuck behind a 172 doing 95 knots. It's also not fun coming out of it for KSMO. I do appreciate the utility though, and I use it for every departure home to KMYF from KSMO if I can get out that way, since the Mini Route has been closed for almost 2 years and it takes forever to get out of KSMO IFR most days.
 
N1120A said:
It's also a pain to get stuck behind a 172 doing 95 knots.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's possible to get stuck in the conga line, but I figure I'm out sightseeing anyway so I don't mind slowing down to "loitering speed." ADS-B In with a nice big display of targets is your friend here!
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
Yeah, it's possible to get stuck in the conga line, but I figure I'm out sightseeing anyway so I don't mind slowing down to "loitering speed." ADS-B In with a nice big display of targets is your friend here!
Click to expand...

ADS-B In is definitely a huge help in the SFRA, especially when someone isn't making the reports they need. I don't use the SFRA for sightseeing - I use it to get across the Bravo.
 
SoCal RV Flyer said:
Yeah, it's possible to get stuck in the conga line, but I figure I'm out sightseeing anyway so I don't mind slowing down to "loitering speed." ADS-B In with a nice big display of targets is your friend here!
Click to expand...

And you know you are going to see everyone since you are in a Mode C veil and almost ALL aircraft has to have mode C transponders (soon to be adsb) and with adsb in/out you will receive the rebroadcast of observed mode c traffic. I have only been stuck behind a 172 once or twice and it is just for a few minutes. You ARE allowed to pass slower aircraft as per the chart as long as you comply with 91.13f which describes overtaking slower aircraft (they have the right of way and you pass on the right at a safe distance). Chart says to stay between the shoreline and the 405.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.113
 
FlyingMonkey said:
And you know you are going to see everyone since you are in a Mode C veil and almost ALL aircraft has to have mode C transponders (soon to be adsb) and with adsb in/out you will receive the rebroadcast of observed mode c traffic. I have only been stuck behind a 172 once or twice and it is just for a few minutes. You ARE allowed to pass slower aircraft as per the chart as long as you comply with 91.13f which describes overtaking slower aircraft (they have the right of way and you pass on the right at a safe distance). Chart says to stay between the shoreline and the 405.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/91.113
Click to expand...

That note about passing is interesting. It suggests the old rules are still in place that you can basically stay within that SFRA box and fly it.
 
FlyingMonkey said:
I have thought about flying the four stacks departure, transitioning Burbank and then heading to Santa Monica. By what point are you able to make the turn westbound- are you on the south side of Griffith Park.
Click to expand...

The Burbank Tower usually clears me direct to SMO just before I reach the north side of the airport, or when I'm directly overhead. It depends on whether or not a plane is inbound for landing on Runway 08. I'm north of Griffith Park, at that point. It means that I cross the hill east of the Sepulveda Pass and don't have to fly in it, and I can see out my right window if other planes are in the pass. My flights are simply for pleasure, so I'd actually prefer to fly southeast from Whiteman, over the top of Burbank and DARTS intersection and then around Dodger Stadium towards the Hollywood sign, because the sightseeing is great that way. But the Burbank Tower rarely lets me do that. It asks where I'm going, and when I say the LASFRA, the tower turns me to the southwest. I guess it wants to get me out of its airspace as soon as possible.
 
My friend who is also based at WHP does the Four Stacks transition to the SFRA as well. I checked the distance and time and it is nearly identical in time to just cut over to V186 and then turn down toward DANAH from PIRRO (this allows you to stay at 5500') and get V23 from there (I am based at MYF). That way, you keep advisories the entire way and are at a better altitude if anything goes wrong.
 
N1120A said:
My friend who is also based at WHP does the Four Stacks transition to the SFRA as well. I checked the distance and time and it is nearly identical in time to just cut over to V186 and then turn down toward DANAH from PIRRO (this allows you to stay at 5500') and get V23 from there (I am based at MYF). That way, you keep advisories the entire way and are at a better altitude if anything goes wrong.
Click to expand...
Yeah but you are missing out on flying down the coast! I would maybe disagree with the emergency landing options since the Sfra has Santa Monica, lax, Hawthorne, Torrance, Long Beach and Santa Ana all very close. (Not to mention all the beaches) Once near Torrance I’m climbing to 5500 anyway just staying under the Bravo shelf and continuing to 5500 when clear. I’d rather do the coastal route at 5500 or 6500 on the way back as it is a nicer view if i want to be on with ATC all the time. That’s what I did on the way back from San Diego. They actually descended me early like right over lax from 6500 on the coastal route and I had a nice descent in to whiteman over Van Nuys. I think my favorite way to go is probably coastal route unless I have to depart Santa Monica or a very close in airport. Good discussion!
 
FlyingMonkey said:
Yeah but you are missing out on flying down the coast! I would maybe disagree with the emergency landing options since the Sfra has Santa Monica, lax, Hawthorne, Torrance, Long Beach and Santa Ana all very close. (Not to mention all the beaches) Once near Torrance I’m climbing to 5500 anyway just staying under the Bravo shelf and continuing to 5500 when clear. I’d rather do the coastal route at 5500 or 6500 on the way back as it is a nicer view if i want to be on with ATC all the time. That’s what I did on the way back from San Diego. They actually descended me early like right over lax from 6500 on the coastal route and I had a nice descent in to whiteman over Van Nuys. I think my favorite way to go is probably coastal route unless I have to depart Santa Monica or a very close in airport. Good discussion!
Click to expand...

I get the coast from DANAH onward. Plenty of emergency landing options using V186 at 5500. BUR, EMT, POC, FUL, SNA. You get to keep FF the whole way this way.

I also like the Coastal Route. One of my "always fly IFR" exceptions is flying CMA-MYF. The TEC route takes you a much longer way around than grabbing the Coastal. That's not practical out of KSMO.

They do descend you after the LAX VOR Northwest bound. Usually to 6000. If there is no one on the route southbound, they will give you 4500, which is useful when an A380 is crossing SMO at 7000.
 
FlyingMonkey said:
Thank you for the kind feedback. I am actually a professional cinematographer and it has been super fun creating my own videos as I normally in my job do not edit, do graphics, choose music etc.

I
Click to expand...

Oh great. A professional cinematographer. No wonder your videos look like they do. I’m going to hang up my video cameras now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top