The San Diego Bay Tour
The San Diego Bay is averages about a half mile wide and wraps around Coronado Island. From the time I started flying and found out you can fly low level through the bay it has been on my list, and I finally checked it off.
Flying the Bay requires coordination with Lindbergh Tower (San Diego International) and North Island Naval Air Station and navigating some tight airspace, but it is very doable. The easiest way to do it is to pick up flight following either on the ground or in the air well before approaching the outer shelfs of the Bravo airspace. It is busy on the radios and it might be difficult picking it up late if you aren’t already talking to ATC.
It should be obvious, but it also requires VFR conditions which you can’t always count on with the frequent marine layer.
Getting Set Up
Everything came together to make the flight. The weather was clear and my wife and I had a small break in our crazy schedules this year. If all went according to plan we had time to fly the bay and land at Gillespie (KSEE) before the restaurant closed for a late lunch.
I asked Fullerton Ground for flight following to Gillespie with plans to ask approach for the Bay Tour when we got closer to San Diego. We took off and Fullerton Tower handed us off to SoCal Departure.
Me: “SoCal Departure, Mooney 1015Echo, just departed Fullerton.”
SoCal: “November 1015Echo, ident, say altitude climbing to.”
Me: “Ident, we can go to 2,500 but would like to go back down to 1,000 once we’re over the coast.”
Normally for a flight to Gillespie I would go up to 3,500′ or 5,500′ but we wanted to fly the Bay on the way there so a flight down the coast at 1,000′ would be picturesque.
SoCal: “15Echo roger, that’s perfect.”
SoCal: “15Echo, radar contact one mile south of Fullerton airport, resume own navigation and altitude your discretion.”
Me: “Resuming own nav, altitude my discretion, 15Echo.”
I had expected him to have me climb and cross over John Wayne to keep me out of the arrivals but it must not have been busy then so I pointed us toward the coast and began a descent back to 1,000′. We crossed the coast just south of the Huntington Beach Pier and turned to the southeast. I told my wife, “When he hands us off I’ll ask the next controller about the bay tour.”
Right after I finished that sentence I heard, “November 1015Echo, contact approach one-two-eight-point-one.”
I switched frequencies and after a short wait to make sure I wasn’t going to step on another transmission I checked in. I hadn’t expected the handoff so soon so rather than request the bay tour I decided to wait until we were closer to San Diego and talking to an approach controller there.
Me: “SoCal Approach, Mooney 1015Echo, one-thousand one-hundred descending one thousand.”
SoCal: “Mooney 1015Echo, SoCal Approach, roger.”
We passed Newport and Balboa, Pelican Hill, Crystal Cove, and Laguna Beach and Dana Point. The water was so blue! We weren’t the only ones out enjoying a flight along the coast as evidenced by the multiple traffic call outs. Approaching San Clemente she started to give us a handoff but wanted to make sure we were aware of the restricted area at Camp Pendleton.
SoCal: “Mooney 15Echo, contact approach on… are you familiar with Restricted area two-five-zero-three Alpha?”
Me: “Affirmative, we’re turning to the west.”
SoCal: “That sounds good, contact approach on one-two-seven point three.”
Me: “One-two-seven point three, 15Echo.”
We were just outside the Mode-C veil for San Diego so it was time to make the request for the Bay Tour.
Me: “SoCal Approach, Mooney 1015Echo, one-thousand and have a request, would like to fly the bay on our way to Gillespie if we can.”
SoCal: “November 1015Echo, SoCal altimeter is three-zero-zero-four at San Diego and roger.”
Me: “Three-zero-zero-four, 15Echo.”
And there you go, he had our request on file and unless something changed we would be flying the bay. We continued on our way along the coast at 1,000′ enjoying the views until we were approaching Oceanside.
SoCal: “Mooney 15Echo, are you able to climb to 3,500′ until you are past Palomar for the departures?”
Me: “3,500, 15Echo.”
SoCal: “15Echo, thank you. Climb maintain 3,500 I’ll have lower once you pass Palomar.”
Me: “Roger, 15Echo.”
In my mind flying at 1,000′ about 4 miles off the departure end of the runway is less in the way of departures than 3,500′ but I’m not the controller. He has some parameters he is working with and we began the climb up to 3,500′. Six minutes later we had passed Palomar and continued on our way south expecting him to send us back down to 1,000′.
SoCal: “15Echo, contact Approach one-one-niner point six.”
Me: “One-one-niner point six, 15Echo.”
I checked in, expecting to be given lower as we were past Palomar.
Me: “SoCal Approach, Mooney 1015Echo, three-thousand five-hundred.”
SoCal: “November 1015Echo, roger.”
As the time ticked by I was watching the distance to Point Loma and the entrance to the Bay dwindle and doing the math in my head of how steep a descent I would need to get there. We were eight miles south of Palomar and I decided to check in and make sure my request for the Bay had been passed along, and that the next transmission from ATC wouldn’t be a request for me to turn east to Gillespie.
Me: “SoCal Approach, Mooney 1015Echo, would like lower if we can get it and if we can would like to fly the bay on our way to Gillespie.”
SoCal: “Yeah, that’s the intention, just give me a second, okay?”
SoCal: “November 15Echo, descend your discretion.”
Me: “Descend my discretion, 15Echo.”
I dialed in 1,000′ and started the descent as we passed the Del Mar Race Track and then Torrey Pines. Approaching La Jolla we were handed of to Lindbergh Tower.
Over to Lindbergh Tower
SoCal: “Mooney 15Echo, contact Lindbergh Tower one-one-eight point three.”
Me: “one-one-eight point three, 15Echo.”
There was a steady stream of transmissions but after a minute there was enough of a break to check in.
Me: “Tower, Mooney 1015Echo, one-thousand four-hundred.”
Tower: “Mooney 1015Echo, Lindbergh Tower, cleared through Bravo airspace, actually stand by.”
She didn’t even let go of the mic before switching to a Centurion that was northbound and she wanted to get him from 1,000′ down to 500′ and stop my descent to keep us separated.
Tower: (To Centurion) “Are you going to 500? I’ll keep him at 1,000.”
Centurion: “Okie-dokie, going to 500, passing 850 right now.”
Tower: “Mooney 15Echo, maintain VFR at 1,000 there’s a Centurion northbound at or below 500 they’ll be descending.”
Me: “Maintain 1,000 looking for traffic, 15Echo.”
My next concern was the fast approaching edge of the Bravo airspace that extends down to the surface. She had “almost” cleared us and then cut that off. Just at the last moment she gave the clearance.
Tower: “Mooney 15Echo, cleared through the Bravo airspace southbound offshore maintain VFR at 1,000 for the Centurion at about a mile southeast of you northbound at 700 descending to 500 report Mission Beach, altimeter three-zero-zero-three.”
Me: “Three-zero-zero-three, cleared through the Bravo at 1,000 looking for traffic, 15Echo.”
We spotted the Centurion at the same time he told Tower he had us in sight. He passed off our left wing, Tower gave him a frequency change and then turned her attention back to us.
Tower: “Mooney 15Echo, you can descend VFR to at or below 500 if you want.”
Me: “At or below 500, 15Echo.”
Down we went to 500′ which is lower than I ever fly with the exception of taking off and landing. It was quite the view looking out at Sunset Cliffs, the tops that were almost level with us.
North Island NAS and the Bay
KSAN Tower: “Mooney 15Echo, leaving San Diego Bravo airspace to the south in a mile, you can squawk VFR, contact North Island Tower one-three-five point one, thanks for your help.
Me: “One-three-five point one, 15Echo.”
Me: “North Island Tower, Mooney 1015Echo, 400.”
Tower: “1015Echo, Island Tower, altimeter three-zero-zero-three, say your request.”
Me: “Three-zero-zero-three, we’d like to fly the bay and depart to the south.”
Tower: “1015Echo, roger, transition approved at or below 1,000, traffic for you rounding the point northbound at 500 is a Cirrus.”
Me: “At or below 1,000 and looking for that traffic 15Echo.”
The Cirrus passed off our left wing and we rounded Point Loma towards the Bay. I’m not really sure what I was expecting when we rounded the point, but whatever I had in mind was blown away by what I saw. There were sailboats EVERYWHERE. I can’t think of anytime I have seen that many all at once.
Tower: “Mooney 15Echo, you’re cleared through the Bravo airspace eastbound via the bay.”
Me: “Cleared through the Bravo over the bay, 15Echo.”
We flew past North Island NAS with FF-18’s on the ramp, then rounded the bend and had the USS Midway and the San Diego skyline on our left and the USS Carl Vinson, a Nimitz class carrier in dock on our right. Up ahead was the Coronado Bridge and a very slow Skyhawk. Even powered back we were overtaking him by about 40mph.
Tower: “Mooney 15Echo, just ahead of you is a Skyhawk they’re going to continue southeast bound for now.”
Me: “We have him in sight, 15Echo.”
Tower: “Roger”
As we approached the bridge my wife commented, “I feel like we’re in Soaring over California.”
We started a climb so we wouldn’t buzz the bridge, keeping an eye on the Skyhawk. He began a turn to the right so we banked slightly to the left to keep some spacing. Heading southwest we flew past Silver Strand Beach and then turned toward Gillespie.
I wasn’t sure if we would make it before the restaurant closed, but figured we would give it a try. We made it just in time, getting there 20 minutes before they closed and enjoyed a great lunch.
Even if we had missed lunch it would have been worth it for the experience flying the Bay. Just like almost everything else, I was asking myself why it took me so long to make that flight.
