Eight SVFR Clearances at CCR
1. Enter/out of/through
Cleared (to enter /out of/through) the Concord Delta surface area (direction) of Concord airport, maintain SVFR conditions at or below
1500 while in the Delta surface area.
Report:
a. Entering the Delta Surface area
b. Leaving the Delta surface area or reaching VFR conditions, which ever occurs first.
2. Overhead Arrivals
Descend in SVFR conditions at or below 1500 in (right/left) traffic (runway) report leaving 1500.
3. Overhead Departures
Climb in SVFR conditions in (right/left) traffic (runway) until reaching VFR conditions. If not in VFR conditions by 1500, maintain SVFR conditions at or below 1500 and advise.
4. Local operations
Local SVFR operations in the immediate vicinity of Concord airport are authorized until (time). Maintain SVFR conditions at or below 1500. When arriving and making a SVFR clearance request, you may be directed to report at a specific point where a clearance will be issued.
#1. Departure Callup:
Concord Ground Cessna 1234X base of tower with ALPHA request SVFR eastbound ready to copy Clearance:
Cessna 1234X is cleared out of the Class Delta airspace to the east. Maintain SVFR while in the Class Delta Airspace at or below 1500'. Report clear of the Class Delta footprint or VFR whichever occurs first. Taxi to 1 right advise tower SVFR eastbound
Copy: _____ ____ C 1234X C^(D)> E SVFR in D 1500 rpt C/VFR
Readback: Clearance is read back verbatim. BE SURE TO REPORT CLEAR OF CZ OR VFR ON DEPARTURE
Arrival Callup:
Concord Tower Cessna 1234X Benicia at 900 with ALPHA request SVFR ready to copy
Tower:
Cessna 1234X is cleared into the Class Delta airspace from the North West. Maintain SVFR while in the Class Delta airspace at or below 1500. Report entering the Class Delta airspace; report left downwind 1 left.
Copy: _____ ____
C 1234X C>(D)> NW SVFR in (D) 1500 rpt > lft dnwd 1
Readback: Clearance is read back verbatim
#2. Another Departure Call-up
Concord Ground Cessna 1234X base of tower with ALPHA request SVFR eastbound ready to copy
Clearance:
Cessna 1234X is cleared out of the Class D surface area east. Maintain SVFR while in the Class D surface area at or below 1500'. Report clear of the Class D surface area or VFR whichever occurs first. Taxi to 1 right advise tower SVFR eastbound
Copy: _____ ____
C 1234X CcDsa E MSVFR in cDsa 1500 rpt C/VFR
Readback:
Clearance is read back verbatim
BE SURE TO REPORT CLEAR OF CLASS D SURFACE AREA OR VFR ON DEPARTURE
#3. Another Arrival Callup:
Concord Tower Cessna 1234X Benicia at 900 with ALPHA (request SVFR ready to copy
Clearance:
Cessna 1234X is cleared into the Class D surface area from the northwest maintain SVFR while in the surface area at or below 1500 report entering the surface area; report left downwind 1 left.
Copy: _____ ____
C 1234X C> cDsa MSVFR in cD SA 1500 rpt > lft dnwd 1
Readback:
Clearance is read back verbatim
ALWAYS MAKE ANY REPORT REQUIRED AS PART OF THE CLEARANCE
Another SVFR Arrival
Several months ago, I flew to LVK. ASOS said, or I heard, no clouds below 12000. Anyway, we launched from CCR where it was clear. But LVK ATIS said the ceiling was 700' and vis 7 miles. Hmmmm... maybe I "heard" what I wanted to hear on the telephone ASOS before I left? Or the clouds just rolled in over the Hayward hills. Nonetheless, I had decisions to make.
I flew to the 680/580 intersection. At this point I was over the clouds at 2400'. The cloud tops were at 1300' so I was legal. I asked to transition the Class D west to east "more or less following the highway," which I couldn't see. I could see the Altamont pass area so I could guess where the highway was. The fellow in the tower told me to report abeam the tower, a clever trick since he was under solid overcast.
There were patchy areas out northeast of the airport in the Los Positas College area and also over the towns of Pleasanton and Livermore. I chose the first because there were no houses underneath. At 7:45am on Sunday, I'm sure people didn't want to hear an airplane low overhead!
I called for and received my first SVFR clearance ever. A crying shame, you know, but there you have it--my first. I circled down between clouds and hills and then flew a fairly normal right base to 25R and landed. That's not the funny part.
While I was still positioning after receiving my clearance, a fellow in a Cessna called in from the Altamont area. "Cessna 12345 Altamont, uh, I'd like to land at Livermore." "345, Livermore is below basic VFR, remain clear of the Class D airspace and state your intentions."
"Uh, Cessna 345, I'm flying up toward the Byron area, and, uh, I'd like to land behind the lady in the Cherokee." "345, remain clear of the Class D and state your intentions."
"Cessna 345, I'd like a clearance like hers?" "345, remain clear of the class D airspace and state your intentions." (At this point, I'm cracking up with laughter.
"Uh... Cessna 345 here. Uh, I'd like... uh... a... uh... special VFR into the Livermore airport?" "345, cleared into the Livermore Class D, maintain... (etc)" The controller heard the fellow's readback then gently reminded him that the pilot had to request the
SVFR, and he'd been waiting for him to do so.
I suspect it was also that fellow's first SVFR, and I suspect he had a lot more hours than I did. The thin layer burned off in the next 30 minutes.
From the internet.
My personal feeling is that any pilot who has a license without being taught and exposed to actual SVFR has been cheated. Any pilot reading the previous sentence who does not feel competent in performing SVFR flight should immediately get some instruction in actual SVFR conditions.
SVFR Clearance Readback.
I have never been able to get a SVFR clearance approved until I have read back all of its elements.
SVFR Clearances include:
--Aircraft identification
--Identification of the airspace
--Direction to leave/enter airspace footprint
--A required reporting point leaving or entering
--A runway assignment
--Instruction to maintain SVFR inside airspace
--An altitude restriction may include reporting VFR conditions.
Example: (arrival)
Cessna 561DE is cleared into the Concord Class Delta airspace from the northeast. Report entering the Concord Class Delta airspace. Maintain SVFR inside the Class Delta airspace at or below 1500 feet. (Readback is correct) Report 2-mile left base for 19R.
Example: (departure)
Cessna 561DE is cleared out of the Concord Class Delta airspace to the Northeast. Maintain SVFR inside the Class Delta at or below 1500 feet. Report leaving Class Delta or VFR whichever occurs first. (Readback is correct) cleared for takeoff 32R.
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