On 8 Oct 2004 17:08:43 -0700, (Robert M. Gary) wrote
in : :

Larry Dighera wrote in message . ..


That's really too bad. It was a great way to move between the
California central valley and San Diego.

It still is. There are currently several ways to transition the LAX
Class B airspace:

1. The Special Flight Rules Corridor (no ATC clearance required)

2. The Hollywood Park Transition (7,000' to 10,000')

3. The Mini Route (2,500' only)

4. The Shoreline Route (now 5,000' to ?)

The kids always enjoyed
spotting the Queen Mary and other items on the shore.

The Queen Mary is under the 7,000' floor of LAX Class B airspace
sector in that location. There's no difficulty over-flying it below
that altitude.

There is so much [Class B]
airspace around L.A. that there really isn't a good way to move
between the central valley and San Diego without these transitions
s[h]ort of diverting 50 miles East to avoid the whole mess.

If a pilot is willing to over fly the city congestion below 2,000'
feet, s/he need only be 5-6 nm inland from the coast to transition to
the east without ATC clearance, not 50 miles.

Of course, it's always possible to navigate over the top of the LAX
Class B airspace above 10,000', but although no ATC clearance is
required for that, SoCal controllers seem nervous when you do it. The
same thing happens when navigating the airspace between the 5,400' top
of Santa Ana Class C and the 7,000' floor of LAX Class B airspace.

L.A. approach
controllers are certainly the least likely to want to work GA aircraft
of all the airspace I've flown in around this country.

I'd be interested in your experiences that support that view. My
experience has been quite different.

I have found ATC controllers working LAX sectors to be helpful,
accommodating, and thoroughly professional. Even during peak periods
in IMC, when controllers are swamped, I have found them courteous to
those GA pilots who conduct themselves professionally. However, the
clod who is unable to time his transmissions so that s/he doesn't
disrupt communications, or otherwise display his/her ignorance often
hears "unable."