A bit off topic, but…
Has anyone used the Hudson River VFR flyway through NYC Class B?
From the charts it looks like you have to maintain below 1100’ MSL to clear the lowest Class B floor along the route.
How does that square with the congested area minimum altitude rules? (1000’ above highest obstacle within 2000’) Looks to me like you can’t really do it legally while keeping to either bank of the river.
Joe
A bit off topic, but…
Has anyone used the Hudson River VFR flyway through NYC Class B?
From the charts it looks like you have to maintain below 1100’ MSL to clear the lowest Class B floor along the route.
How does that square with the congested area minimum altitude rules? (1000’ above highest obstacle within 2000’) Looks to me like you can’t really do it legally while keeping to either bank of the river.
Joe
Joe,
I just used the corridor back on July. You technically meet the minimun altitues because you fly over water, although close to the river’s edge. The only time that we probably don’t meet the minumum is when we fly over the bridges. The uprights are over 500’ tall as I recall. The day we came through, there were 3 fixed wing and 2 coptors in the corridor. It was a great experience and I recommend it highly. Be sure to monitor the frequency and self announce often.
Jim W
Jim
A bit off topic, but…
Has anyone used the Hudson River VFR flyway through NYC Class B?
This past Memorial Day, once the weekend weather had finally cleared on Monday, our family and a neigbor’s daughter flew VFR from MTN (Baltimore)to NYC to pass the Statue of Liberty. We had the New York Class B VFR chart, and I read all the notes. Get the chart, read the notes, and you will have a pleasant flight.
Use the Advisory radio freqs as you would the Unicom at an uncontrolled airport; this will keep you in touch with the professional (mainly helicopter)pilots,and most transients.
By the way, we made our flight in a Cessna 210.
A bit off topic, but…
Has anyone used the Hudson River VFR flyway through NYC Class B?
From the charts it looks like you have to maintain below 1100’ MSL to clear the lowest Class B floor along the route.
How does that square with the congested area minimum altitude rules? (1000’ above highest obstacle within 2000’) Looks to me like you can’t really do it legally while keeping to either bank of the river.
Joe
This is one fabulous trip, and yes, do it at the end of the day for an experience you and your pax will never forget. My favorite timing is to get to the The Lady just a few minutes after the sun drops below the horizon, drag it on down to the Verrazano bridge, then a left 360. Ships in the bay, The Lady, Battery Park, Staten Island ferry boats crossing underneath, World Trade towers, Interpid aircraft carrier and the song “New York, New York” playing on the CD (passengers only). What more could you ask!
I know I,m repeating a couple things already submitted, but in the interest of putting it all in one place may I offer the following.
CTAF 123.05
avoid country.
Common reporting points, north to south are:
Tappanzee Bridge (if you start that far north)
Alpine Tower, New Jersey side, iFollowing the river stay over water at all times.
Newark doesn’t like anyone to be on the West side of the Statue, so if you must circle it keep it tight on that side.
Stay high enough for the helicopters to get under you. Whatever you like between 800 and 1000 will work well.
Below the GW Bridge report your altitude as well as position and direction.
Try Flight Following if you wish but don’t be surprised if you are denied, they have a lot of traffic to handle. This is see, listen, talk and avoid country.
Common reporting points north to south are:
Tappanzee Bridge , if you start that far north.
Alpine Tower, on New Jersey side, on the chart.
GW Bridge
Intrepid (aircraft carrier)
World Trade
Statue
Starting 360 left turn northbound
Have a great flight.
Bob Barker
The details of how to get a VFR tour of NYC have been so interesting that they’ve actually given me a reason to want to get back to the East Coast. I wonder if it’s possible to draw on a related part of collective knowledge here. Does anyone have a similarly detailed step-by-step description of:
The ideal way to get a VFR tour of the LA basin?
The ideal way to get a VFR look at SF? [I have gotten such a look from Kevin Moore, and I suspect many others would be grateful for his step-by-step recipe.]
I would reciprocate with info on the two places I know about – Seattle, and Wash DC – but the first is extremely straightforward (just stay out of the SeaTac class B, which leaves plenty of sightseeing room) and the second is so crammed-up with restricted areas that I’ve never had a good VFR sightseeing flight there. Thanks, JIm F.
Flew it just after noon on Thanksgiving. Great experience except for a banner towing aircraft on the “wrong side of the road” which I missed by <100’. He was headed south along the EAST side of the river at 900! I was at 1000. At least he announced it, but by the time I saw him was passing close under me head on. Very close. Yellow ag type aircraft.
Great experience nevertheless. Perfect weather, great sun angle, etc.
Joe
A bit off topic, but…
Has anyone used the Hudson River VFR flyway through NYC Class B?
From the charts it looks like you have to maintain below 1100’ MSL to clear the lowest Class B floor along the route.
How does that square with the congested area minimum altitude rules? (1000’ above highest obstacle within 2000’) Looks to me like you can’t really do it legally while keeping to either bank of the river.
Joe
From 20nm out recommend work NY APP flight following, advise them your intention to enter HudsonRiver Flyway…
Descend to 1500’msl southbound along river, change frequency to 123.05, turn on Landing Light, and begin SELF announcing as you pass over NJ end of G-W-Bridge at 1100’msl… hold altitude between 800-1100’msl and stay over west edge of river, suggest get slowed down & with some flaps out + well trimmed condition to be able to enjoy the view (pilot can expect to be quite focused on controlling altitude-speed-traffic-Alert)
Most sightseeing helicopter traffic operates from
NYC pier base & runs 500-800’msl… they certainly monitor & announce on 123.05
While holding 800-1100’ make a left 360 around Ms.Liberty & continue south across lower bay to
cross west end of Verranzano Bridge, left turns to then pass east end of Bridge & start northbound to cross Govenors Island & head for
north bound route up Hudson passing over piers on east side of river - you’ll have to look UP to see top floors of World Trade Center, continue
north & exit as you poss over east end of G-W-Bridge
My favorite is within an hour of sunset for strong slant lighting, and there is a 2-3 minute window when all the NYC windows reflect bright red sun glow if you catch just the right angle.
Once experienced - Never forgotten.
From 20nm out recommend work NY APP flight following, advise them your intention to enter HudsonRiver Flyway…
Once experienced - Never forgotten.
I just wanted to add a couple notes based on my flights in the corridor. My contacts with NY Approach seemed to indicate that they didn’t really want to talk with me. I thought one of the reasons the corridor existed was that there wasn’t good radar coverage behind the buildings anyway.
One of the more confusing radio calls I heard were people reporting passing the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels. How can you see the tunnels? They’re underwater! Well, I found out later that they can be seen by the ventilation shafts on each side.
Just stay on the right side of the river and you’ll do fine. I’d recommend avoiding holidays the first time. It can get quite busy. You probably won’t have much time for sightseeing the first time. It’s also a great trip at night.
Paul
- The ideal way to get a VFR tour of the LA basin?
Ah, an open invitation to show off my playground. I feel a story coming on.
Southern CA has several good VFR “Ooh & Aah” routes. Here’s my all-time favorite, starting at the Ventura/LA County line to the North, proceeding south to Orange County. The route & instructions might look complicated the first time you read them, but it really is fairly easy. One important point: You’re best off doing this route between 9:00AM to 11:30AM, or 2:00PM to 4:00PM.
(All points are depicted on the Los Angeles VFR Terminal Area Chart)
Begin in the area of Thousand Oaks, which is just east of Camarillo and just south of Fillmore, at an altitude of 4500.
Fly directly south towards Point Dume, which is an easily spotted landmark. Descend along the down-sloping terrain to reach an altitude below 2000 at the Pacific shoreline so you don’t have to be concerned with the floor of Class B airspace. Turn eastbound over the ocean and remain within 2 miles of the shore.
As you fly eastbound, the view to your left will be breathtaking beaches, canyons, and houses that I’ll never be able to afford. Don’t be afraid to make a 180° turn if you are enjoying the view…just remember to stay within 2 miles of the shoreline (due to Class B airspace).
When you are abeam Malibu Beach (and ready to continue the tour past LAX), begin a climb to reach 3500 feet by the Pacific Palisades (just west of Santa Monica). This is a good time to ruin the audio portion of your tour by contacting SoCal Approach on freq. 134.9 and requesting the shoreline transition at 3500 to “Dana Point”. (ATC insider fact: You won’t really go to Dana Point. You’re just telling them this to avoid the 20-questions routine from a frustrated controller who doesn’t know what to type in your ARTS 3E #1 scratchpad. This will make them happy and get them off your back…trust me on this one.)
ATC will either: (a) Clear you thru the LA Class B airspace via the “Shoreline Route” and assign a VFR altitude (hopefully 3500); or (b) disapprove the Shoreline Route, in which case you’ll simply use the Special Flight Rules (SFR) area. Both are shown in detail on the LA Terminal Area Chart inset. The Shoreline Route is best because it is a rare opportunity to safely watch a Boeing 747 climbing right at you with a scenic background (don’t worry, the tower restricts all departures to 3000 feet). If you get stuck with the SFR area, just join the Santa Monica 132° radial and enjoy the almost-as-good view below. [Remind me to tell the story of how much trouble I got into when I was working the Big Guy and I used the clearance, “airforce one…turn left direct santa MONICA, depart santa MONICA heading 070…”]
From this point on, my suggestion is that you hug the coast around the Palos Verde peninsula at 3500 feet until you reach the tip at Point Fermin. Stay at the coastline, stay at 3500, and you’ll be fine with Class B airspace and all of the Class D’s in the area. If you were on the Shoreline Route, ATC will switch you to 127.2, but if you went via the SFR, you’ll need to contact them on your own if you want further flight following. I suggest you get radar services because you definitely are not the only plane out there. And the insurance on the SR22 I’m waiting for goes up if you have to use that parachute. 
Go circle the Queen Mary, then climb up to 5500 feet to get above the John Wayne Class C and miss the jets doing the famous SNA “climb-quick-then-be-quiet” climb to 5000 feet. You can head out to Catalina Island for a buffalo burger at the Airport In The Sky restaurant, or reverse course and do the whole thing again backwards. Or if you’re feeling guilty for lying to the FAA you can actually go circle Dana Point for soul redemption.
Hope this helps those of you still awake.
Kelly Rudy
SR22 #178
I live across the street from Ronald Regan (Washington National) Airport.
I also flew traffic watch in the DC area. Let me know if you want to see the area at 1300’ MSL. I will be glad to go with you or sit down and show you in a map where to go and where to stay away in the Nations Capital.
Have a great Cirrus Day
Woor
pilot4hire@bigfoot
The details of how to get a VFR tour of NYC have been so interesting that they’ve actually given me a reason to want to get back to the East Coast. I wonder if it’s possible to draw on a related part of collective knowledge here. Does anyone have a similarly detailed step-by-step description of:
- The ideal way to get a VFR tour of the LA basin?
- The ideal way to get a VFR look at SF? [I have gotten such a look from Kevin Moore, and I suspect many others would be grateful for his step-by-step recipe.]
I would reciprocate with info on the two places I know about – Seattle, and Wash DC – but the first is extremely straightforward (just stay out of the SeaTac class B, which leaves plenty of sightseeing room) and the second is so crammed-up with restricted areas that I’ve never had a good VFR sightseeing flight there. Thanks, JIm F.
The Fall 2000 issue of Pilot Getaways has an a description and a map of a Los Angeles Basin Scenic Flight.
The details of how to get a VFR tour of NYC have been so interesting that they’ve actually given me a reason to want to get back to the East Coast. I wonder if it’s possible to draw on a related part of collective knowledge here. Does anyone have a similarly detailed step-by-step description of:
- The ideal way to get a VFR tour of the LA basin?
Here’s my favorite Bay Tour:
Leaving from Oakland in my exceptionally clean and well-maintained UC Flying Club 172 (modesty forbids my identifying the owner-lessor), I tell Ground I want a “Bay Tour.” I take off and follow the Nimitz past the toll plaza at 2,900 (below Bravo), turn towards the Golden Gate Bridge, crossing Treasure Island and Alcatraz, and fly across the middle of the bridge. Then do a 180 and head back along the waterfront, which gives the passengers a great view of the City. Where the waterfront turns to the south, along the Embarcadero, I ask Bay Approach for clearance into Class Bravo along the Bayshore. After obtaining the clearance, I descend to the assigned altitude (usually 1,500) and follow the freeway. After the handoff to the SFO Tower, you may receive a request to cross directly over the airport. Eventually, the Tower will hand you back to Bay. Then I either continue following the string of airports around the south end of the Bay (San Carlos, Palo Alto, Moffett, San Jose, Reid-Hillview) or cut across the Bay at about the Dumbarton Bridge. Bay will instruct you to cross Hayward at or above 2,000 and hand you over to the Oakland Tower for a straight-in to 27R. The long route takes about an hour.
The Bay Tour is breathtaking on a cold, clear night. The electrical grid is one of the wonders of the world. In fact, I seldom fly the Bay Tour except at night.
The details of how to get a VFR tour of NYC have been so interesting that they’ve actually given me a reason to want to get back to the East Coast. I wonder if it’s possible to draw on a related part of collective knowledge here. Does anyone have a similarly detailed step-by-step description of:
- The ideal way to get a VFR tour of the LA basin?
- The ideal way to get a VFR look at SF? [I have gotten such a look from Kevin Moore, and I suspect many others would be grateful for his step-by-step recipe.]
I would reciprocate with info on the two places I know about – Seattle, and Wash DC – but the first is extremely straightforward (just stay out of the SeaTac class B, which leaves plenty of sightseeing room) and the second is so crammed-up with restricted areas that I’ve never had a good VFR sightseeing flight there. Thanks, JIm F.
Joe - the trip down (or up) the Hudson is probably as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. I had the opportunity to do that last year when I got my SR20. What the heck a new SR20 has to be seen … so my bride and I took the plunge and toured the East Coast which included a trip down the Hudson. We went in the middle of the week (not the weekend) and flew by NYC over the Verisonio (sp) bridge into NJ. It was great to look UP at the buildings and fly right by “the LADY”. If you have any pictures post them. It is a great trip and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it.
BTW, I found it a real kick to fly in tightly controlled airspace using the GNS430 and ARNAV display both of which clearly tell you exactly where you are. Everyone should try it when out on the East Coast.
Hi Walt,
It WAS a beautiful trip!
Left Frederick, MD VFR to Pittsburgh, picked up my wife and flew VFR to Glens Falls (just north of Albany) via NYC – about an hour out of the way, but worth it. What a flight! Perfect weather, and the flight up the Hudson was spectacular.
Flew from Pittsburgh (BTP) to just north of the Philly Class B, descended under the NYC Class B and proceeded to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge @ 1500’. Had VFR flight following all the way to the bridge. Asked for a Bravo clearance up the river @ 1500’. Approach tried to work me in but apologized and told me I’d have to use the corridor and gave me a freq to use when I popped up at the north end. Descended quickly to 1000’ and entered the corridor, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island nearby to the west, flew over Governor’s Island, then up the right side of the Hudson. Still at 1000’ looking UP at the World Trade center, etc., then the over the Intrepid with the Empire State Building, Central Park, etc., close aboard to the right. Spectacular! Called aproach back at the Tappan Zee Bridge and resumed flight following all the way to GFL as we sight-saw up the Hudson @ 3500’.
I wasn’t in an SR20, but the panel-mount GX55 and RAM-mount-mounted GPSMAP 295 in my TB20 made it a real snap nevertheless!
Cheers.
Joe
Joe - the trip down (or up) the Hudson is probably as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. I had the opportunity to do that last year when I got my SR20. What the heck a new SR20 has to be seen … so my bride and I took the plunge and toured the East Coast which included a trip down the Hudson. We went in the middle of the week (not the weekend) and flew by NYC over the Verisonio (sp) bridge into NJ. It was great to look UP at the buildings and fly right by “the LADY”. If you have any pictures post them. It is a great trip and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it.
BTW, I found it a real kick to fly in tightly controlled airspace using the GNS430 and ARNAV display both of which clearly tell you exactly where you are. Everyone should try it when out on the East Coast.