LAX Class Bravo Transitions - the GPS guide

N1120A

N1120A

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N1120A
I've done a bunch of transitions through the LAX Class B, due to training and being from around CMA, working in Los Angeles and living in San Diego. As such, the VFR transitions are pretty common to my mission. As some might know, the Mini Route has been suffering a bunch of closures at VFR times lately for reasons only known to the LAX controllers (some are saying they are doing it cause staffing is tight).

Anyway, most people know that the Mini Route is SMO to VPLSR at 2500'. The rest of the routes don't have great explanations of the GPS points for their entry/exits, so I've studied this to maintain as much accuracy and safety as possible. While VOR tracking is something we all must, and should, know, using GPS coordinates is a more accurate way of handling these routes and makes it safer for all of us. I hope this key helps everyone. Indeed, the TAC charts don't do a great job explaining some of the GPS points they use. For example, they use "abeam VPLVT" for the coastal route. If you plug in VPLVT (the Vincent Thomas Bridge), you'll be on the LAX 132, not 123. You are much better plugging in the WILMA intersection.

Mini Route South - 2500', SMO Direct to VPLSR (SMO128 Radial)

Mini Route North - VPLSR Direct to SMO (SMO128 Radial)

SFRA South - 3500' - SMO Direct to PIJIN (SMO132 Radial)

SFRA North - 4500' - PIJIN Direct to SMO (SMO132 Radial)

Coastal Route South 5500' - CANOG to LAX to WILMA (LAX323 LAX LAX123)

Coastal Route North 6500' - WILMA to LAX to CANOG (LAX123 LAX LAX323) (you will turn before
CANOG, but nice to have something to point at).

Coliseum Route South 8500-9500' (assigned) - VNY to STABO to SLI to MIDDS (VNY125/SLI306 to SLI120)

Coliseum Route North 8500-9500' (assigned) - MIDDS to SLI to STABO to VNY (SLI120 to VNY125/SLI306)

Hollywood Park Route South 8500-9500' (assigned) VNY to VPLHF to DRIFY (VNY140 to between VPLQM and FERMY)

Hollywood Park Route North 8500-9500' (assigned) DRIFY to VPLHF to VNY (VNY140 from between VPLQM And FERMY)

I hope this helps. I've seen GPS explanations of these routes to be pretty poor online, except for the Mini Route and the southern part of the Coastal (there is no more Getty Center GPS point, which is weird).
 
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I built and saved all the routes in Foreflight as well as a Bravo avoidance route in Favorites to be able to recall at a moments notice.
 
What really helped build these routes is the really nice VFR alternative map in Garmin Pilot. You can test the various waypoints on different headings and see what matches up.

Shawn said:
I built and saved all the routes in Foreflight as well as a Bravo avoidance route in Favorites to be able to recall at a moments notice.
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Bravo avoidance is reasonably easy, but is pretty inconvenient unless winds are favorable and you are going to an inland airport. I've avoided the Bravo to go to SEE before, but that was with some really nice winds. If you are coming down from Santa Barbara/Ventura Counties, flying BUR/POM/PDZ will give you up to about 7500 feet and still avoid the LAX bravo arrival shelves.
 
Nice job. Thanks for this. One point, though. My digital copy of the Los Angeles TAC Supplement has a page for the Mini Route that says it should be flown on the SMO128 Radial. Your chart says the SMO123 Radial. Is 123 a typo, or is my TAC Supplement now out-of-date?
 
Lon33 said:
Nice job. Thanks for this. One point, though. My digital copy of the Los Angeles TAC Supplement has a page for the Mini Route that says it should be flown on the SMO128 Radial. Your chart says the SMO123 Radial. Is 123 a typo, or is my TAC Supplement now out-of-date?
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Typo and fixed. Thanks
 
N1120A said:
Coastal Route South 5500' - CANOG to LAX to WILMA (LAX323 LAX LAX123)

Coastal Route North 6500' - WILMA to LAX to CANOG (LAX123 LAX LAX323) (you will turn before
CANOG, but nice to have something to point at).
Click to expand...

I flew this route a couple days ago and it looks like the CHATY waypoint might track the LAX323 radial a little better than CANOG. It is a pretty minor difference and CHATY is slightly further north, but as you noted you will turn before getting to it in either case.

mDT9eo9.jpg
 
Chris805 said:
I flew this route a couple days ago and it looks like the CHATY waypoint might track the LAX323 radial a little better than CANOG. It is a pretty minor difference and CHATY is slightly further north, but as you noted you will turn before getting to it in either case.

mDT9eo9.jpg
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I agree. IPIHO is also 323, but closer
 
asicer said:
Does your GPS not take a radial/distance waypoint? What's the make/model?
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The plane I usually fly has a Garmin 430. I believe there is a method to create custom waypoints based on a radial/distance from an defined navigation point, but honestly it's much easier to just enter a 5 letter identifier than to go through the process of estimating the correct distance from the VOR to an appropriate point outside the Bravo and creating a custom waypoint based on that. I would probably take the time to create custom waypoints if I owned the aircraft, but it is a rental so I'd have to go through the process of creating those custom waypoints before every flight.
 
Very nice write up. This will come in handy. Ill tell you that on July 3rd I was flying my wife from San Diego to Harris Ranch in Central California. I told her Ill get a clearance we can fly straight over Disneyland at 3500'. I must have been dreaming because we were over San Clemente and on FF when Socal asked how I planned on transitioning LA Airspace. I said I would like a clearance straight through the BRAVO. He laughed and said no and then cancelled my FF. We flew the SFRA North at 4500' but it had been a very long time since I had done that before and I was sweating the entire time because I thought maybe there was something I was forgetting.
 
jd21476 said:
I said I would like a clearance straight through the BRAVO. He laughed and said no and then cancelled my FF.
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Wow, he denied your Bravo clearance AND cancelled your flight following? Harsh! I guess they really dislike people not requesting one of the standard transition routes through the Bravo!
 
Well, it was also July 3rd and I have never seen so much air traffic running through LA. It was insane.
 
Chris805 said:
Wow, he denied your Bravo clearance AND cancelled your flight following? Harsh! I guess they really dislike people not requesting one of the standard transition routes through the Bravo!
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I have heard a few folks denied entry into the LAX Bravo airspace. Depending on the time of day, you can get some rapid fire instructions to the tune of "Cessna3ninner5cleardlaclassbravoviacoastalroutmaintain4thousand5hunderedremianmyfrequencybreak" followed by "Cessna3ninner5radarserviceterminatedcontactsocalapproace134.2break" guess this is why they have these canned routes set up.
 
jd21476 said:
Socal asked how I planned on transitioning LA Airspace. I said I would like a clearance straight through the BRAVO. He laughed and said no and then cancelled my FF.
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Yeah...if you are not prepared and understand the Bravo Transitions you will get shooed away. There is virtually no VFR free flying in LAX Bravo outside those routes. All it takes is a confident "Request Coastal Transition" [or transition of choice] and your are in...but you better know and understand it cuz that is the last instruction they will give you after your clearance.

Not that it was your case but I have heard pilots fumbling on the frequency with Bravo requests get denied LAX entry then I came right behind them with a clearance cuz I had my act together needing only those three words.
 
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Exactly. Make a plan and execute it. Don't rely on a single transition either (unless the SFRA) - sometimes winds or last minute illness can make a normally open route be unavailable.
 
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