VFR: Confused between contacting tower or approach.

[pv892c]

I'm running through the pilot edge VFR certs, and one thing confuses me: during a cross country flight when approaching the desired destination airport (or any other airspace for that matter), should I contact tower or approach? Similarly, if I wanted to pass through a class B airspace VFR, should I contact the tower or approach?

I just did a cross country into a class D airport and directly contacted tower for arrival. I'm not sure if I did the right thing.

Apologies if this has been answered before.

[pv892c]

So, after taking a closer look a the charts, I have a couple of theories:

(1) Class B & C airports have a note to "Contact XXX Approach within 20nm" in the charts. I suppose this is the cue to contact approach and not tower.
(2) No approach contact needed for class D airports.

This leaves more questions:
- Will B/C airports always hand you off to departure after takeoff? I took off from class C KSBA and was not handed off to departure, but continued to fly in the extremities of the class C airspace. Is this normal? Should I have contacted departure?
- If I'm VFR and fly below the class B/C airspace extremities, can I bypass approach and contact tower just prior to entering the "XXX / SFC" inner airspace?

[Colin Payette]

You are correct on both those points. You contact approach to enter the Class B or Class C, but not Class D. Contact tower in that case.

In the case of Class B, you must hear the specific clearance "cleared into the class bravo airspace" before entering. With Class C & D, you're cleared into it once they read back your tail number (approach for C, tower for D).

For your second questions, here is my understanding: You need specific clearance to enter the Class B, so just taking off from a Class B airport VFR you'll contact clearance first. You will tell them either your destination, or a destination outside the bravo (could be a VOR). They'll hand you to departure to get you out of their airspace. If you've requested flight following all the way,you'll get it.If not you'll be told you're "leaving the B airspace, resume own nav and sqawk vfr".

Class C airport departures - I've had different experiences so I'm not going to try to explain this one - I'm still learning it. I've had to contact clearance at KSNA just to get out of there, and when I took off KSBA the other day I was handed off to departure pretty quickly.

[fmmike]

In regards to contacting tower or approach for clearance to enter class D. I'm not sure if there are any in California or not and I'm not sure if either one of you are RW pilots and might fly somewhere else. But I fly in MN and Rochester Airport is a Class D and it does have an approach controller. So that is a case where there is a Class D airport with Approach control that you would contact before the tower. So I would say if there is a Class D airport in CA that has an approach control, you would contact them first before you enter the Class D and approach will hand you off to tower.

Mike

[Colin Payette]

We do have a lot of Class D airports, but I've only flown to 4 or 5. I'd be curious to know why you have to contact approach to enter the D (assuming you're talking about KRST). I am a pilot, but just barely breaking 100 hours still.

[fmmike]

Colin

I know there are alot of Class D airports in CA. What I meant is I wasn't sure how many had there own approach contol. KRST is a Class D airport. However it is an international airport that gets alot of airline traffic. So since it has an appoach control, I think you have to contact them before entering the Class D airport. Everytime I have flown into there I have contacted approach first. Then they hand me off to tower. I would assume there are other Class D airports in the country that have there own appoach control. By the way, I'm not talking about Class D airports that are under Class B airspace. KRST is no where near the MSP Class B airspace. If there is anyone else with a simular experiance with a Class D airport please reply.

Thanks
Mike

[Colin Payette]

Hmm, this kind of stuff worries me because I'm afraid I'll fly into it and get in trouble. I assume our Palomar airport is similar (KCRQ - a D that has airline traffic) but when I read the AF/D for both KCRQ, and KRST I can't find anything telling me I'd have to contact approach.

I believe you. I'm just worried that there's some other source of this information that I wasn't taught to look into

[fmmike]

Colin

I'm not 100% sure you HAVE to contact approach before you contact the tower. But the reason I do is because there is an approach control freq. for KRST. I looked at the airport info for KCRQ at AirNav.com and there isn't an approach freq. specificly for KCRQ. For example if you were flying into a Class B airport under VFR you would contact that airports approach controller before entering the Class B airspace. If there is an instructor out there reading this and have info please reply. I will ask the CFI at my club tomorrrow about this and post it.

Mike

[Tim Krajcar]

I'm not sure if there are any in California or not

There is indeed! KBFL - Meadows Field, Bakersfield is a Delta tower with approach control.

[Ryan Geckler]

KRST is a Class D airport.

Correct. Therefore, FAR 91.129 applies.

(a) General. Unless otherwise authorized or required by the ATC facility having jurisdiction over the Class D airspace area, each person operating an aircraft in Class D airspace must comply with the applicable provisions of this section. In addition, each person must comply with §§91.126 and 91.127. For the purpose of this section, the primary airport is the airport for which the Class D airspace area is designated. A satellite airport is any other airport within the Class D airspace area.
(b) Deviations. An operator may deviate from any provision of this section under the provisions of an ATC authorization issued by the ATC facility having jurisdiction over the airspace concerned. ATC may authorize a deviation on a continuing basis or for an individual flight, as appropriate.

(c) Communications. Each person operating an aircraft in Class D airspace must meet the following two-way radio communications requirements:

(1) Arrival or through flight. Each person must establish two-way radio communications with the ATC facility (including foreign ATC in the case of foreign airspace designated in the United States) providing air traffic services prior to entering that airspace and thereafter maintain those communications while within that airspace.

(2) Departing flight. Each person—

(i) From the primary airport or satellite airport with an operating control tower must establish and maintain two-way radio communications with the control tower, and thereafter as instructed by ATC while operating in the Class D airspace area; or

(ii) From a satellite airport without an operating control tower, must establish and maintain two-way radio communications with the ATC facility having jurisdiction over the Class D airspace area as soon as practicable after departing.

As long as you make contact with the tower and they SAY YOUR CALLSIGN/TAIL NUMBER (that's the key), you are free to enter.

However it is an international airport that gets alot of airline traffic. So since it has an appoach control, I think you have to contact them before entering the Class D airport.

Just because it has an approach control overlying it does NOT mean you have to call them up. You are VFR; stay out of B/C/D (without clearance) and you are fine.

Everytime I have flown into there I have contacted approach first.

Not a bad thing, but unnecessary.