PilotEdge Forums

1. Burbank tower would be the ATC authority for the Class C - correct?

Correct. The ins and outs of who owns what can be complicated but as it's the Burbank Class C airspace it makes sense for BUR tower to be a controlling authority.

2. I'd say that technically the pilot busted the Charlie before this was completed because they entered the 48-SFC section of the cake before the radar contact was done.

Radar contact isn't required to enter the charlie, only "2 way radio communication". If the pilot called BUR tower and BUR tower replied to the pilot (without a statement to not enter and with the planes callsign) then you are good to enter.

I am pretty sure I would have made the same mistake, and I would sure want to be busted for it on PE before learning the hard way in the RW!

I think VFR with or without Flight Following is so much harder from a communication and permission perspective than IFR.

Zero doubt that VFR in the Socal basin is considerably more work than an IFR flight. Once you get out of the basin towards SBA, SBP, BFL, etc, or SNA towards the southeast, it lightens up...right up until the Double Bravo (SAN/NKX) at which point it's a cluster again

I thought I'd take a nice gentle PA38 (Piper Tomahawk) VFR ride for this one. Used to fly these RW, but haven't for some time. Weather in California was glorious, so no problems. Departed Van Nuys to the NW, cleared the Class C (even though Socal had told me I could enter it if I wanted), and made my turn NE when I hit the 233 radial off Palmdale. Just used the good old ADF to get to KWJF. Nice to fly with no A/P, no DME, just one VOR and the mark one eyeball.

The Tomahawk sounds pretty cool. I was thinking of doing these in a Piper Cub for fun and nav practice....