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Hollywood Overfly How To?

Vlad

Well Known Member
Question for California locals. If you are on a VFR photo mission near Hollywood Sign how would you voice your request to ATC and where? The airspace seems saturated and terrain pretty high. Can I just talk to Burbank and ask? I've been on the other side of San Gabriel Mountains couple times but never crossed toward LA. The terminal chart looks very New Yorkish wondering if air traffic is that organized. Where else to fly scenic in the Basin?

 
I fly out of EMT and do this all the time when I want to take friends sightseeing! I'll call up SoCal Approach (for me it's on 135.05) and get on flight following. Other than the usual info, I'll say "requesting flight following for sightseeing around the Hollywood sign, returning EMT." Fly it at 2200 MSL to stay under the bravo. For me, I then make a right 180 back toward EMT and follow the freeway back. You'll be in Burbank airspace, but that's what the flight following is for.
 
Vlad:

What Reaver said.

I may have lived in the LA Basin for 30 years and flown my RV out of KCCB for 15-years and could not have said it better. From the east at KCCB, I would contact SoCAL approach on 125.5 for Flight Following. As I approached Burbank, I would get switched to 135.05. You may get switched again to 124.6 but maybe not.

It all depends on what direction you are coming from. Typically it is very difficult if not impossible to get in the the Bravo airspace but the Charlie is easy when they are not too busy.
 
Sounds like a fun loop. Make sure there's no game going on at Dodger Stadium so you don't bust the TFR. You could come in from the East over El Monte, fly over City Hall, then make a big right 180 and see the Hollywood sign and Griffith Park observatory, avoiding the "to surface" portion of Burbank's airspace entirely. You're also avoiding the terrain this way.

2200' is a good altitude. Anybody out there have trouble picking up SoCal approach that low?

If you want to fly along the coast, Laguna Beach and Dana Point are great to see from the air.
 
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Sounds like a fun loop. Make sure there's no game going on at Dodger Stadium so you don't bust the TFR. You could come in from the East over El Monte, fly over City Hall, then make a big right 180 and see the Hollywood sign and Griffith Park observatory, avoiding the "to surface" portion of Burbank's airspace entirely. You're also avoiding the terrain this way.

2200' is a good altitude. Anybody out there have trouble picking up SoCal approach that low?

If you want to fly along the coast, Laguna Beach and Dana Point are great to see from the air.

Departing EMT I usually pick up SoCal at around 1600. 2200 keeps you well within reception range and still safely clear of the Bravo. If they're busy I'll occasionally lose them on decent for EMT, and then just need to go to tower without being told. Even when busy I've never had them prevent me from entering the BUR class C, just sometime you'll get a vector for traffic and a wake turbulence warning.

Vlad: where are you flying in from?
 
Thanks. Looking at the TAC more closely, it seems like you would need to be in the "to surface" circle of Burbank to get close enough to the sign for a decent picture.
 
What's good at KTOA? :)
Absolutely nothing. When I landed there, a weenie with a clipboard ran out and informed me that they knew where I lived and if my plane was too loud on takeoff, they would send me a citation. I'll never go back. The only reason I landed there was to meet a friend. We drove down to the ocean for lunch.
 
Thanks. Looking at the TAC more closely, it seems like you would need to be in the "to surface" circle of Burbank to get close enough to the sign for a decent picture.

Yes, that's right. 95% of the time you'll just stay on with SoCal Approach - they're responsible for coordinating with BUR tower.

Likely coming from the north tracking the shore all the way from Oregon.

In that case I would be on flight following and drop down to 3500 somewhere west of the LA basin, making sure to be south of the 101 freeway (look for Agoura Hills on the left side of your image). Otherwise you're in the way of final for BUR and won't get much help from approach. Then when you feel safe, drop to 2200 before that part of the bravo and advise SoCal of your intentions. Continue eastbound to whatever destination you had planned, or turn around between BUR and EMT.

I met a controller from SoCal TRACON who said that in one year (2015?) there were ~6.2 million flights in their airspace, and ~60% of those were on 1200. Just talking to SoCal makes them happy to help you most of the time, because they'd much rather know what you're doing than have you on 1200 and trying to guess!
 
I actually have different advice not that using socal for flight following is a bad thing! Typically I have done this type of flight by using the LA helicopter chart and communicating my position on the CTAF frequency. Most of the traffic you will encounter are going to be helicopters and they don't use flight following. It does require you to be pretty low and know where you are.
 
Sounds like a fun loop. Make sure there's no game going on at Dodger Stadium so you don't bust the TFR.

If you are on flight following, you meet the requirements of a stadium TFR to fly through it. Some controllers will let you pass without a mention, others acquiesce to the desires of the team and keep you away, not sure what the Dodger's front office likes to have happen.
 
KTOA

Thank you guys much appreciated!


Cool. What's good at KTOA? :)

I am based at KTOA and we have several other RV's there as well. It's not really so bad, but the noise abatement department can be pretty vigilant. As long as you follow their guidelines it's fine.

Skylor
RV-8
 
Real world

If your coming from Burbank and transitioning low level less than 2000'msl they will give you a freq change at cahuenga pass which is where the 101 fwy universal studios and Hollywood bowl all meet. If you try socal they will not make radar contact that low, and you ideally want to be st 1500msl eye level with Hollywood sign. Any lower and you violate the density 1000 agl rule. So the best freq to use is 123.025 which is low level/Heli freq. you can use this freq throughout the la basin outside of any airspace (i.e. KBUR, KSMA, KLAX, KVNY etc).

I know this area well and have been told by some in this forum that I know more than the FAA (I don't think so). But if you have any other questions don't hestitate to contact me, we are all here to help.
 
Where else to fly scenic in the Basin?

Lots of cool stuff to see from the air in LA. Many of the Visual Reporting Points are nice to see:
Griffith Park Observatory
Santa Monica Pier
Marina Del Rey
LA Coliseum
Dodger Stadium
LA City Hall/Downtown
Rose Bowl
Queen Mary
Vincent Thomas Bridge
Disneyland (above the Permanent TFR - which is rather oxymoronic terminology)
Knotts Berry Farm
LA/LB Harbor and Breakwater
Palos Verde Peninsula/Point Vicente/Point Fermin

Just look for the little VPL flags on the Terminal chart for LA.

When's the trip?
 
Where else to fly scenic in the Basin?

Just outside the basin, KAVX is just across the channel. Even if you don't land, a circuit around the island shows you what California used to look like. You might even spot a buffalo!
 
Catalina

Just outside the basin, KAVX is just across the channel. Even if you don't land, a circuit around the island shows you what California used to look like. You might even spot a buffalo!

Catalina has gotten very rough. Good place to go, but be careful on the runway. There normally is a $20 landing fee. I still like going, but be warned.
 
Blackhawk helicopter with ESSS tanks. Circa December 1989.

gx5hHRQh.jpg
 
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