Controlled Airports
I like to think that avoiding airports where you lack competence is a sign of good judgment. I have never flown into SFO. I've never had a reason and haven't looked for one. I have been into Boston's Logan but I did not feel welcome. Meigs field in Chicago was an unhappy experience because of the management. They had me park in a jet tiedown at $60 per night in a C-150 after they delayed giving me fuel until after closing time. All, very deliberate.

The basic rule is that you should not fly into a situation for which you are neither knowledgeable nor trained. Training would teach you to study the airport diagrams, checkpoints for call-up, arrival routes, and post-landing procedures. Frequencies including those of clearance delivery, the most likely unfamiliar procedure, are organized in anticipated order. You may want to rehearse or even write down what you expect to say. Expect to copy some sort of arrival and departure clearance procedure with a read-back for an accuracy check. Your ability to listen is going to be just as important as your talking. Small aircraft are an endangered species around large aircraft.

A week ago, 10-10-98, I flew into Santa Ana's John Wayne Airport in the L.A. Basin. Cloud altitudes and poor visibility and unfamiliarity made the use of ATC assistance very necessary. We found that one one runway
At Santa Ana was in use. The G. A. runway was under repair. IFR would have meant extensive delays and routing.

By opting for a VFR arrival we had more pilot control of our options. Our First choice was to remain on top of the clouds at 4,500 as long as we could. The limiting factor of this decision was the need for an area large enough for a VFR descent below the clouds. We found and used such a hole some 15 miles from the airport. In addition to vectors we used GPS to retain our situational awareness.

As we neared the airport we were told to circle some four miles to the north while awaiting instructions. After two or three turns we were Given a heading and told to fly directly over the airport and tower to make a left downwind to the runway. We were filtered in between two airliners for our landing.

Two days later our departure was arranged quite contrary to our VFR requests. We were told to climb to 8500 and proceed VFR through the Class B airspace on a 310-degree heading. We had requested VFR through the
corridor at 4500. The higher altitude made us fly into stronger headwinds but avoided much heavy traffic both in weight and numbers.

As we departed Class B we descended and turned to get more favorable winds. Several years previously we had been forced to fly completely around the Class B airspace on an IFR flight to the same destination.
Interesting how choices can make such a large difference.

Don't expect a welcome mat if you're flying a C-150. An arrival at a major airport of a C-150 could back up traffic for miles. Coming into Class B airspace requires a clearance, an encoding altimeter and communications equipment. Be sure you know the procedure for making transponder code changes as well as the proper terminology. You are probably VFR so you must remain clear of clouds and have three mile flight visibility. Your greatest aircraft hazard is from behind.

Follow all instructions as precisely as you can. If in doubt, get clarification. When you need help ask for it. Don't loiter. Such instructions as 'hold short' must be read back. As a stranger, it might be wiser to read back everything every time. Expect to hear changes in your instructions. Keep ATC advised of your flight conditions. Allow plenty of room so ATC will have time to make adjustments. Course changes are usually easier for ATC to make than altitude changes.

Towered Procedures
As a local or unfamiliar pilot you must be aware of what is changing, different, and unfamiliar. Local NOTAMS are required reading. Airports are like the weather, always changing. Airports with precision approaches have approach lighting systems of 2,400 to 3,000 feet with red lights to each side of the threshold outside of the white lights. The extended white lights hare a single line of sequenced flashing white lights. (ALSF or SSALR) Non-precision approaches may have MALSR systems with white lights and flashing red centered on the runway. Most lights have variable intensities that are controlled by the tower or by the pilot when the tower closes.

VASI and PAPI lights are guides to the visual approach slope. The more red showing, the lower the aircraft is on the
approach slope. Any flight below the slope is intruding on obstacles and is contrary to FARs. REIL lights are white
strobe lights that show each side of the threshold. Runway edge lights on instrument runways are white, yellow or red
depending on the amount of runway remaining. Blue lights show the edges of taxiways while green show the middle of taxiways. Red stop bar lights across a taxiway centerline are runway hold short indicators. Never cross stop bar lights until they are turned off and an ATC clearance says to proceed.

When taxiing in an unfamiliar situation you should read back all taxi instructions and get directions if any part of an
instruction is unclear. Night taxiing should keep strobes and landing lights off for the benefit of other aircraft until cleared for takeoff. ATC is required to get a 'hold-short clearance read back from you but good practice is to read back every taxi clearance.

Class D Airport Patterns and Procedures
Except for traffic conditions where ATC (Air Traffic Control) has override powers, airport pattern directions, and altitudes are decided by local jurisdictions.

Class-D Airport Departures
From a single runway there are nine standard departures that may be requested if there are no special considerations. If departures can be made from both ends then we have a total of eighteen. If left traffic is standard there are two of these eighteen that need not be requested. They are the two left standard (45 degree) departures, one from each end.

1. If no request is made you are expected to make a left standard departure. The tower may ask for confirmation of as standard departure just to make sure.

At Runway You Can Request...
1. straight out
2. left crosswind
3. left downwind
4. left 270
5. right standard
6. right crosswind
7. right downwind
8. right 270
9-101  On course to any place in the world.

...on course (destination) may be appended to any of these. You can optionally just say request left/right turn on course (destination) The advantage of naming a destination is that other aircraft are given a more specific idea of the flight line you will be flying. A low visibility or weather related departure would be to request a climb in the pattern.

Typical call would be..."Podunk tower Cessna 1234X ready 32 request right 270 on course Lost Hills" No punctuation should be used in talking or writing airplane.

Class-D airport arrivals
To a single runway there are seven standard arrivals. There are two non-standard arrivals that are relatively hazardous. If no special considerations interfere any of the seven may be requested. If the pattern direction is known a 45 degree entry into the pattern need not be requested. However, the tower must be advised that you will report right or left downwind. As a standard procedure, except for the downwind entries, all other arrivals require a two-mile report unless otherwise advised. The purpose of the report is to allow the tower time to locate you and plan a safe sequence for
your arrival.

--straight in
--right base
--right downwind
--right standard (45)
--left base
--left downwind
--left standard (45)
--direct entry to left downwind (not recommended)
--direct entry to right downwind (not recommended)
The arrival of Brite Radar Display has raised the ante...
--ATC may want you to report on the 45 to any arrival runway.
--An additional change in preferred radio is to mention the ATIS in the last two words of your call-ups to both tower and ground.

All of these can be modified by pilot request or ATC suggestion. A modified entry may be at other than a precise number of degrees relative to the runway. I recently heard an aircraft over the airport request and be approved for an overhead arrival. Ask and you may receive.

A typical call might be..."Podunk tower Cessna 1234X the dump at 2100   request right base 32 will report two-mile base with Alpha" Again, no punctuation should be used when writing or talking airplane.

The standard 45 entry has some dimensions that can be used to standardize a landing approach. The ideal towered runway is about 5000', close to a mile. Entering on a 45 and aiming at the runway threshold and turning downwind at mid field would place the aircraft a half-mile from the runway and a half-mile from abeam the numbers. Flying from the numbers to the 'key position would be another half-mile. Base would be a half-mile as would the final. This gives the aircraft a two-mile landing procedure with the first half-mile for pre-landing procedures, the downwind extension for slowing, trimming and configuring the aircraft, the base leg for descent and setting the length of the final approach.

The two-mile reports for the straight in and base arrivals can be segmented much as the standard arrival and used to organize your landing procedures.

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