I am so used to talking to ATC on an IFR flight plan (which I do even on nice days) and being automatically cleared through various airports' airspaces, but with a bit of planning it ain't that hard VFR!

A bit more maneuvering to not talk to KLGB, but doable. One could easily fly this route without talking to KEMT or KTOA. While the point to climb before KEMT and calling KEMT were in kind of quick succession (especially in the C182 we were flying flying kind of low power though, 21 'squared,' meaning 21' of manifold pressure and 2100 RPMs), and one dare not get too close to KLGB, really all the visual flying and peeking at Class C smaller airports airspaces on the GPS, but mostly looking out at landmarks and for planes, and the necessary altitude changes to not ' bust Bravo' were surprisingly easy! Then when we turned around the north/west side of the PV, we called Torrance Airport/ KTOA tower, and got cleared to fly over the edge of their airspace, direct to Alondra Park (classic KHHR inbound visual reporting point) and thence home to Hawthorne! So then we flew around the good ol' ' Long Beach Practice Area' at 2,000', flying around the Palos Verde Peninsula. We wanted to fly right over KLGB to get to the harbor, and that tower easily cleared us (I thought it might be more of a hassle). Then we turned south down the 605, and flew over it directly to Long Beach Airport/ KLGB. It was kinda busy around KEMT, but we were just outside the area, and parallel to planes in the pattern. We were also, per our GPS, outside of KEMT's airspace, but we called their tower and got approval to transition anyway - always good to talk to a nearby tower! We were going to circle around El Monte Airport/ KEMT, but ended up going a bit further north, pointed at downtown Pasadena, and then got on the north/mountain side of the 210 Foothills freeway, then turned east. Started out at 1,500', up near the Garvey Reservoir area we could climb to 2,000' MSL/mean sea level (these altitudes are all to stay clear of the 'floors' of LAX's Class Bravo airspace). We departed Hawthorne Airport/ KHHR left downwind, flew to the 105/710 freeways interchange, then flew up the 710, but stayed with the LA River when the freeway branched off. Yesterday, though hot, was super-clear, so a great day to do this fun route, that was not as hard VFR as I feared!

Rick and I both knew this'd be good VFR/visual flight rules practice for me, as I remain such an IFR girl (after the blood, sweat and tears of getting that instrument rating back in 2005!) Yesterday I was scheduled to fly a friend's teenaged son around (he'd taxied with me last year with his younger sibs), but the teenager had a (typical, so I don't feel slighted!) last minute change of plans.īut I went ahead and flew with my most regular CFI (and current f lying club Prez) Rick on the route we'd planned on the ground (Rick was going with me with the kid, to make me feel safer - the dad is mellow).

Airplane localizer