Class B with two major airports - KHOU KIAH

[MadseasoN]

I'll be a student pilot soon and I have a few questions about Houston Class B. KIAH and KHOU seem to share Class B shelves.

KIAH AP Comm:
CLASS B: 119.7 NORTH 123.8 WEST 133.6 EAST 134.45 SOUTH

KHOU AP Comm:
CLASS B: 119.7 NORTH 123.8 WEST 134.45 SOUTH

1. By "North & South" do they mean North/South of BOTH airports?

2. If you were in between both airports headed west (near VPTDN on the Houston TAC) and wanted Class B clearance which freq would you use?

3. Why doesn't KHOU have a freq for EAST? EFD's Class D is there but only reaches 2,000. If I'm at 3,000 approaching HOU from the EAST would I just call up 133.6 (KIAH EAST) for clearance?

Great forum, BTW. I've learned quite a bit just from reading through threads here. ~MADSEASON

 

[EdFred]

North or south of the entire Bravo.

Probably not enough traffic east of HOU to worry about setting up a sector, yes, just call IAH. Worst they do is tell you to switch over to another frequency.

If I am at VPDTN, I have been talking to APP long before I got there.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Pick whichever one makes the most sense, and call on it. If it's the wrong one, they'll give you the right one. It might even be different depending on the time of day, what day of the week, etc. as multiple sectors might be combined. So don't worry about it too much, just pick the one that sounds right and call 'em up!

 

[EdFred]

Pick whichever one makes the most sense, and call on it. If it's the wrong one, they'll give you the right one. It might even be different depending on the time of day, what day of the week, etc. as multiple sectors might be combined. So don't worry about it too much, just pick the one that sounds right and call 'em up!

I get that all the time around CLE

 

[bobmrg]

You can be sure that there is a Letter of Agreement between the two facilities that addresses the "which one?" question. You don't have access to these letters, unfortunately, but you could call either one, talk to a quality assurance person, and get the straight scoop.

Here in the Seattle area we have THREE airports close enough so that if you drew a 4.4 nm circle centered on each airport you would find it possible to be in all three tower's airspace simultaneously....but if you stay outside of SeaTac's Class B surface area and east of the freeway, calling Boeing tower works for everyone.

Bob Gardner

 

[Doggtyred]

I'll be a student pilot soon and I have a few questions about Houston Class B. KIAH and KHOU seem to share Class B shelves.

KIAH AP Comm:
CLASS B: 119.7 NORTH 123.8 WEST 133.6 EAST 134.45 SOUTH

KHOU AP Comm:
CLASS B: 119.7 NORTH 123.8 WEST 134.45 SOUTH

1. By "North & South" do they mean North/South of BOTH airports?

As stated by another, the freqs refer to the entire airspace complex. If you are near Conroe, use the north freq. If you are near Galveston, use 134.45, the south frequency, for approach control services.

2. If you were in between both airports headed west (near VPTDN on the Houston TAC) and wanted Class B clearance which freq would you use?

I dont have my chart in front of me, but IF I wanted class B airspace clearance and I was on the east side, I'd use the east side frequency, if I was on the west, I'd use the west side frequency for initial call up.

Keep in mind, actual operating practice is not to clear transiting aircraft THROUGH the class B but either around or UNDER. If you are an east to west transiting aircraft you will 99% of the time be instructed to remain below 2000 feet, and follow I-10.

As long as you stay north of I-10 and south of the northern portion of 610 loop, and below 2000 feet you are outside of the Class B airspace and are in Class E. Class G is below 700 feet, but it is a congested area so you will need to remain above 1000 feet while in the "corridor" as its called.

3. Why doesn't KHOU have a freq for EAST? EFD's Class D is there but only reaches 2,000. If I'm at 3,000 approaching HOU from the EAST would I just call up 133.6 (KIAH EAST) for clearance?

You could. The East sector essentially overlies Ellington and then out east. When theres a lot of military or NASA ops going on, they will staff it as a separate sector. 133.6 isn't always staffed. You dont have any way of knowing this. You can call on either freq (133.6 or 134.45), report your location, they will assign you a squawk code for your transponder, and you will be instructed to ident (makes your data square flash bright).

If they have things consolidated during certain times due to workload once they have you identified, they will move you to the freq that is convenient for them. There have been times I've been on 4 freqs going south to north, and there have been times I've only been on 2.. just depends what time and how busy it is.

What part of town are you in, and have you selected an instructor or flight school?

And not to discount ANY of what you have taken the initiative to learn so far, but some of what you are asking is exactly the sort of local knowledge a local flight instructor would demonstrate in the later portions of your lessons.

Dave
KEFD

 

[MadseasoN]

As stated by another, the freqs refer to the entire airspace complex. If you are near Conroe, use the north freq. If you are near Galveston, use 134.45, the south frequency, for approach control services.


I dont have my chart in front of me, but IF I wanted class B airspace clearance and I was on the east side, I'd use the east side frequency, if I was on the west, I'd use the west side frequency for initial call up.

Keep in mind, actual operating practice is not to clear transiting aircraft THROUGH the class B but either around or UNDER. If you are an east to west transiting aircraft you will 99% of the time be instructed to remain below 2000 feet, and follow I-10.

As long as you stay north of I-10 and south of the northern portion of 610 loop, and below 2000 feet you are outside of the Class B airspace and are in Class E. Class G is below 700 feet, but it is a congested area so you will need to remain above 1000 feet while in the "corridor" as its called.



You could. The East sector essentially overlies Ellington and then out east. When theres a lot of military or NASA ops going on, they will staff it as a separate sector. 133.6 isn't always staffed. You dont have any way of knowing this. You can call on either freq (133.6 or 134.45), report your location, they will assign you a squawk code for your transponder, and you will be instructed to ident (makes your data square flash bright).

If they have things consolidated during certain times due to workload once they have you identified, they will move you to the freq that is convenient for them. There have been times I've been on 4 freqs going south to north, and there have been times I've only been on 2.. just depends what time and how busy it is.

What part of town are you in, and have you selected an instructor or flight school?

And not to discount ANY of what you have taken the initiative to learn so far, but some of what you are asking is exactly the sort of local knowledge a local flight instructor would demonstrate in the later portions of your lessons.

Dave
KEFD

Thanks, Dave. That makes perfect sense.

I'm 0 hours but I've already started reading everything I can get my hands on. Not due to start any lessons for about a week or so. PM Sent.

 

[NelsonMinar]

I'm a student pilot too. If you don't know about it yet, read up on FAR 61.95. Basically student pilots can't fly solo in Class B unless they have a specific endorsement for that Bravo airspace.

My home airport KSQL is tucked right under KSFO's Bravo and my CFI and I agreed I won't be getting the endorsement. It's no big deal: I just don't fly north. I'm still getting a good workout between avoiding SFO's space and talking to the controllers at the nearby C and D airspaces. But you might want to ask potential CFIs in your area about how they handle it with their students.

Welcome to learning to fly! It's been a lot of fun for me.

 

[bobmrg]

Dave's advice might be good insofar as the Houston area is concerned, but many Class B airports have VFR transit routes published on the back of the Terminal Area Chart (Seattle is one). When using such a VFR transit route you do not need an instructor's sign-off.

Here in Seattle the chart gives a specific frequency to be used by transiting pilots, but I know that there are other VFR transit routes around the country in which you don't talk to ATC at all but monitor a common frequency.

You're not always going to be a student pilot, and chances are that you will be flying in other areas of the country...my point is to alert you to the fact that what works in one area will not necessarily work in all areas.

Bob Gardner