Our Class B in this country is DEN..only tried to fly through their airspace once and they wouldn't let me (Stapleton days). I fly all around the DEN Class B to land at other strips including COS which is a Class C. I really try to stay out of controlled airspace if at all possible but once in a while I need to land there.
HC

I've transitioned thru Denver Class B many times flying from Albuquerque to Longmont to visit family. They have always been very helpful and I get to fly over the city and the football stadium which are great sights from above. Only once have they asked me to divert to avoid a C130 flying towards me at the same altitude. Wonder what would have happened if I said unable.

My first Angel Flight was from Centennial, just south under the Denver B, to Salt Lake, in my P172D. It was really quite easy, on an IFR flight plan although in severe clear VMC. Straight in to 17, tower offered for me to land long (Million Air is at the south end of 17), so I waited to touch down until just before K4 taxiway, which saved about 1 1/2 miles of taxiing.

Whether there would have been any landing fees otherwise, I don't know, but I bought 40 gallons and received a discount, since it was an Angel Flight. Then I borrowed a "crew car" to go get some lunch--a brand new (800 miles on the odometer) S class Jag. Only at Million Air, right?

Cary

been in slc and las vegas...no need to stress...just call 'em up and tell 'em you are comin'...have your ducks in a row and get it all out in the first go round, and they will clear u in to class B, stay at the altitude they want u at, and listen...

While I agree that landing at a Class B airport is not what I want to do on a regular basis, I have as much right to land there as a Quantas A380, or Delta 777.

As in all other endeavors when common sense and sensitivity to the rights and needs of others is applied, things go pretty well all the way around.

TD

I've flown through the Charlotte NC and Washington Dulles Class Bravo airspace several times and they've been very accommodating even for photo shoots near the airport. That said, anytime you have a low speed aircraft to sequence in with much higher speed aircraft at a busy airport it presents the controllers with a problem. Expect to get vectored around a lot if you intend to land at a busy time. Don't go there on minimum fuel.

Really haven't had issues flying through Class B air. I just quit chatting with passengers since I have been barked at a few times for not hearing my tail number the first time through when it gets busy.

I still feel like a hayseed when arriving at a new towered airport for some reason.

My favorite story is of a pilot of a light single holding for clearance to land at SFO during a busy time. After hearing the tower issue numerous clearances to jets to "land and hold short of X" our pilot (call him 12B) waits for a break and then volunteers "12 Bravo can land and hold short of anything." To which the Tower replies "Roger 12 Bravo. Land at San Carlos; hold short San Francisco."

San Carlos is only 7 miles south of SFO, so it's almost certainly faster to land there and take a cab than it is to get into SFO at any time other than the dead of night. Not to mention $127.00 cheaper.

CAVU

I've taken my Super Cub into both Dallas Addison (ADD) and Love Field (DAL)... ater the first time into Addison I called the tower on the land line and asked if there was a better way (for them than approach bringing me in on a 20 mile final) and they asked that either I not report in untill closer and position myself to enter on base then reprot. I've done it both ways and the last time I just called in from normal reporting distance and asked to approach on base... works much better than having big boys go over you head

As one of those current "jet jockies" but also, one of those back country bumpkins that gets his kicks from landing on everything other than pavement, my first and primary question would be why? Ego? Just to say you did it? Besides the fact that you must have an operable transponder and get cleared "into"class B airspace, the real reason still remains....why. If your based there, that's an easy one. What you need to realize is that large aircraft go into large airports for primarily one reason. That being that it has the capacity to handle them at relative speed and safety thru like aircraft and piloting skill(meaning speed, performance, navigational equipment and pilot training being equal). It's a safe place for us to be when operating at 250kts which is common within class Bravo airspace. Think about the closure rate of two aircraft, one at 250kts and one at 100kts opposite direction, close to the same altitude, one descending IFR and the other just below the clouds VFR. Maybe one has TCAS, the other doesn't. Now lets also say that your on final in your supercub doing 70 miles per hour and that same jet is slowing to his first slat/flap speed of somewhere in the neighborhood of >200kts. As he slows as he's approaching an outer marker approximately 5-6 miles from the field, he's dropping gear and more flaps and configuring for landing which may be in the neighborhood of 170-140kts. Oh, and btw, the crew is running checklists, notifying flight attendants, etc. To say that we're a bit busy at that moment would be an understatement, but to be there just to satisfy a goal, might not be such a good thing. The other side of that sword is hustling down final being told to keep your speed up as best you can and at some point, that power has to come back, way back......what have you just done to your engine? Shock cooled it? I'm not about to say that you should never go in, just that you need to realize what is going on when you get there. I haven't even gotten into the wingtip vortices your likely to encounter. I've almost been rolled inverted in a jet by another airbus, I promise, our tube and fabric planes will!! I would strongly suggest getting very comfortable with class D and C first, then and only then enter B and brief the snot out of the approaches and taxiways so when you do land, you can get to where you need to go fairly expeditiously. Also, remember, jet blast can hit you in excess of 1/4 mile, so when told to "line up and wait", take your time!

wings2water wrote:As one of those current "jet jockies" but also, one of those back country bumpkins that gets his kicks from landing on everything other than pavement, my first and primary question would be why? Ego? Just to say you did it? Besides the fact that you must have an operable transponder and get cleared "into"class B airspace, the real reason still remains....why. If your based there, that's an easy one. What you need to realize is that large aircraft go into large airports for primarily one reason. That being that it has the capacity to handle them at relative speed and safety thru like aircraft and piloting skill(meaning speed, performance, navigational equipment and pilot training being equal). It's a safe place for us to be when operating at 250kts which is common within class Bravo airspace. Think about the closure rate of two aircraft, one at 250kts and one at 100kts opposite direction, close to the same altitude, one descending IFR and the other just below the clouds VFR. Maybe one has TCAS, the other doesn't. Now lets also say that your on final in your supercub doing 70 miles per hour and that same jet is slowing to his first slat/flap speed of somewhere in the neighborhood of >200kts. As he slows as he's approaching an outer marker approximately 5-6 miles from the field, he's dropping gear and more flaps and configuring for landing which may be in the neighborhood of 170-140kts. Oh, and btw, the crew is running checklists, notifying flight attendants, etc. To say that we're a bit busy at that moment would be an understatement, but to be there just to satisfy a goal, might not be such a good thing. The other side of that sword is hustling down final being told to keep your speed up as best you can and at some point, that power has to come back, way back......what have you just done to your engine? Shock cooled it? I'm not about to say that you should never go in, just that you need to realize what is going on when you get there. I haven't even gotten into the wingtip vortices your likely to encounter. I've almost been rolled inverted in a jet by another airbus, I promise, our tube and fabric planes will!! I would strongly suggest getting very comfortable with class D and C first, then and only then enter B and brief the snot out of the approaches and taxiways so when you do land, you can get to where you need to go fairly expeditiously. Also, remember, jet blast can hit you in excess of 1/4 mile, so when told to "line up and wait", take your time!

Thanks for everybody's replies, info, and great stories so far. I truly enjoyed reading each and every one. But yeah, Why??? Good question that I'm starting to realize may not be all that fun at an airport like LAX after all. About the only reason to go to LAX is to log it and every other public airport on the LA Terminal Chart as a challenge and adventure for myself (I grew up in Fullerton and always dreamed of flying in the SoCal area and a bit of inspiration from Bumper since he has landed at all public airports in CA.). Like mentioned before (I think my first post), I would only consider flying in/out of LAX between midnight and 4am. But, now I'm thinking that's not so great since that might be prime time for freighters and good chance of getting very lost on the complex taxiways in the dark.

Ether it be flying or driving, I always seem to come up with some crazy adventure that some people just may not understand.