AUS_ATC

I just read a thread in another forum here about the River Approach at DCA and was reminded of the "Bay Tour" out of SFO and OAK. Have any of you ever flown the "Bay Tour"? For the uninitated, it use to go like this:

PILOT: "Bay Departure, SWA1234 with you, climbing to 2,000, requesting the Bay Tour".

ATC: "SWA1234, Bay Departure, RADAR contact. Remain over water at all times, fly over the Golden Gate Bridge, maintain at or below 3,000, depart the bridge heading 210, advise when ready for higher."

The pilot would fly out over the San Francisco Bay... take a turn around Alcatraz (traffic permitting)... overfly the Golden Gate Bridge or the Marin Headlands... then turn south along the San Francisco peninsula and request higher and on-course.

As long as the departure sector wasn't too busy, the Bay Tour was a real cool thing for pilots and passengers alike. It was always interesting to have SFO and OAK departures check-in at the same time, with both aircraft requesting the tour. Visual Separation would be applied, and these two aircraft would head out over the San Francisco Bay for the most beautiful tour that an airline ticket can purchase.

One Sunday morning a UAL B737 checked-in after departing SFO and hearing the "Bay Tour" instructions issued to another aircraft. He said that he'd never heard of the Bay Tour, but he wanted to take it. One thing led to another, and I lost count after 18 departures in a row all asked for the Bay Tour. The TRACON Supervisor finally came over to the departure sector and told me to "cease conducting Bay Tours".

It was fun while it lasted that day... I had a string of commercial airliners departing SFO and OAK, all flying up the Bay, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and eventually down the coast to Southern California. It looked nice from my side of the RADAR scope, but I sure wish that I could have seen it from your vantage point.

Last time I asked my buds at Bay/NORCAL about the Tour, I was told that it was no longer allowed. Next time you are out there, ask the SFO or OAK Departure Controller for the Bay Tour and see what happens. If they let you fly it, you won't be disappointed.

MEM_ATC

aerospacepilot

Last time I did it on a commercial aircraft was a United A320 going from SFO-LAS. When we depart SFO runway 1L, the porte 3 departure is basically a 230 degree climbing left turn. It takes you over the "bay tour region." Basically, instead of doing that departure, you ask for a bay tour, maintain 3,000 over the water (east of downtown SF, over the bay bridge, along the embarcadero, over Alcatraz, over the golden gate bridge, then climb to 10,000 and resume your flight. It was downright spectacular, and I am glad the pilots chose to take that departure that day.

Last time I flew it in a piston aircraft was on a beautiful day. It was so nice that all the jets were asking for it, so I had to fly on the west side of downtown SF. Checkout this video for a recent bay tour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX6pNsQzRy4

SF is spectacular. I love it.

mike734

I used to fly the traffic watch airplane for a local radio station. Boy oh boy have I done the bay tour.

Jetjok

What with the price of jet fuel, and all the airlines striving to save even a gallon of the stuff, I just can't imagine any of todays pilots requesting the Bay Tour. At FedEx, taking even an extra minute of flight time (above and beyond historical predictions) requires a delay code, that the flight crew must fill in, and which is then looked at each and every morning at 9 AM, by some very senior management types. Of course, it's much different with passenger carrying companies as the agreement is to get their customers to their final destination, sometime that day, whereas as UPS and FedEx, if the package is not delivered on time, then it was carried for free. No Bay Tours for us unfortunately.

SikPilot

Back in 1984 I was a pax on a flight into Orlando and the Captain came on the radio and asked us if he could slow the plane down so that we would be able to see the shuttle take off from the left side of the plane. Majority rules and we voted yes. Luckily I was seated at the window on the left side.

mike734

No offense, but THAT is why I would never want to work for FedEx. I've heard UPS is just as anal (or worse). I just can't stand micro management like that. Oh well...I guess I don't have to worry about it. Sure would like the pay check though!

mike734

I routinely deviate from a straight line when flying between ANC and FAI to fly over Mt. McKinley (Denali). It has to be a clear, smooth day but the pax really appreciate it.

aerospacepilot

Here is a shorter video of the Bay Tour. I cut out all the preflight, taxi, takeoff, etc... from the last video. It is 3 minutes long. First minute is a fly-by of busy SFO. The rest is raw footage of the SF Bay Tour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUzFkYat-m0

FDXLAG

Taint micromanagement just common sense with some square filling. In 5 years probably 30% of my flights have had an airborne delay. 95% of those were chalked up (by me) to ATC delay enroute or weather. IMO they use it for the stuff they can control (ie ground handling), no marshaller on block in, fouled gate, MX delay after block out.

I'll bet all profitable airlines (and most unprofitable airlines) out there do the same thing one way or the other.

Ottopilot

Me too (Traffic Central-HWD). That was a good place for traffic watch. Most cities would seem boring by comparision.