It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and nobody was flying. My open-cockpit biplane, a Great Lakes 2T-1A-1, was just the answer for a relaxing start to the day. It’s a great airplane for sightseeing. It flies low and slow, and turns on a dime. I departed Montgomery Airport (KMYF) in San Diego and put down at nearby Gillespie Field (KSEE) for a delicious cheese omelet. When I departed, it was still a ghost town; the Gillespie controller even offered an intersection departure on the perpendicular runway, just for fun. I departed into the clear, gorgeous empty sky. What could possibly go wrong?
An Alpha Male Flirts with Bravo Airspace on a Sightseeing Excursion
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot, confident in his navigation technology, flew legally under Class Bravo airspace near a major airport's approach path without communicating with Air Traffic Control (ATC).
- Despite remaining technically legal, his unannounced proximity to the busy airspace led ATC to divert an inbound commercial airliner as a precautionary measure.
- The incident taught the pilot that flying legally near sensitive airspace is not enough; communicating intentions with ATC is crucial to prevent disruptions, ensure safety, and avoid causing significant delays and costs.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
