KRAL KSNA question

[falopz]

Hi

flying from kral to ksna, 2400 feet as i see in the chart class c from ksna that affects me goes from 33 to 44 extending to the santiago peak aprox....(ref point) im confused about who i have to talk in atc....if i stay below those 3300ft do i need to conctact socal app or i can go direct to tower....

if im flying below that c airspace do i need to call socal?

thanks

Luis

[Keith Smith]

Luis,

You can do this flight 3 ways:
1) You can coordinate flight following with ATC while on the ground at RAL while calling for taxi, or
2) You can call Socal Approach after departing RAL to obtain flight following to SNA, or
3) You can call John Wayne tower directly if you're below the outer shelf of the Charlie, prior to reaching the surface-based Charlie airspace. If you call too far away, though, they're like to send you to Socal Approach.

[Anthony Santanastaso]

Louis, I have found that you would typically call Approach regardless of altitude for radar identification and sequencing.

Here by me, we have a special circumstance that provides some insight about why this is the case. HPN is classified as a Class D airport; however, VFR aircraft are told to contact NY Approach for a squawk before speaking with HPN Tower. I think it can be surmised that HPN is too busy to accept cold calls without any coordination and therefore request NY Approach to obtain the necessary info and hand off the aircraft. It absolutely can be just a unique oddity but I think one thing to acknowledge and/or appreciate is the division of responsibility and how we can justify it at a more complex airspace like Class C.

It has been my experience (which I am certain is trumped by the many hours of experienced folks in this community) that you would contact the Class C Approach controller prior to entering the airspace, whether it be laterally or vertically.

Clearly, though from Keith's reply, there are more ways to approach this situation.

[Keith Smith]

Reading, PA is another example of a Class D that insists on having you call TRACON for sequencing...I've never understood why they do that there, but I certainly do for HPN, that place is a zoo.

SNA is blessed with parallel runways, with one being small enough that it's really only useful for GA. My guess is that tower won't have a hard time with cold calling there. My only direct experience, though, is with San Jose, KSJC, which also has parallel runways, including a GA-oriented runway. I was doing multiple Class D transitions from SQL leading up to SJC, where I was taught to contact the tower directly (for transitions to RHV, or if landing at SJC).

Generally speaking, I'd say that if circumstances prevent you from calling the approach controller in a timely fashion (such as the KSQL to KSJC example where you transition KPAO and KNUQ airspace while talking to those towers), then calling the tower directly will _probably_ be ok, especially if you're not arriving straight in, which might otherwise conflict with previously-sequenced arrivals.

If anyone else has experience with arriving VFR at a Class C airport where they have cold called the tower directly, please post with details of how it unfolded, it would be interesting to hear!

[falopz]

regarding keith options, i took numer 3 :3) You can call John Wayne tower directly if you're below the outer shelf of the Charlie, prior to reaching the surface-based Charlie airspace. If you call too far away, though, they're like to send you to Socal Approach

i did that 10 miles away,,,,althought i told controller it was a long final.....

but he said,,,you had to contact socal before approaching ksna....

thanks for the answers

[jtek]

When flying from KSMO to KBUR I always contact Burbank tower directly. Once I tried to do the "right thing" and call So Cal first, and they just waved me off and told me to contact tower.

[Ryan B]

We have inbounds call approach at our (barely) level 6.... You might want to call the tower 6 out but you're going to tie with three flights of F-16's exiting the MOA lol!