Contact Approach or Tower?

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buildrunfly

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buildrunfly
If I'm flying into Oakland (KOAK, Class C under Bravo) in my pokey Cherokee, do I need to call in through Norcal Approach?

Can I just call into Oakland Tower on the right tower frequency, provided I don't enter airspace until acknowledged by name?
 
I believe I found the answer. Class C requires a call to approach control, then you're handed off to tower...
 
If you look on your sectional, there are little rectangular boxes with the frequency to contact for your sector of arrival. You will note that they aks you to contact them 20 NM out.
 
You: Oakland approach, Pokey 123CC
App: Pokey 123CC
You: Pokey123CC, 20 miles east with Bravo
App: Pokey3CC squawk 4321
Etc
 
The right answer is to contact NorCal using the magenta boxes. But reception SUCKS over the ridge at 2500. I'd recommend contacting from SUNOL or IMPLY intersections if arriving from the east.

Tower has control of the surface area. The game is, which tower? There are two. I generally get handed off directly to South Tower when transiting from Palo Alto.

Contact the wrong one and you'll get handed off instantly.
 
Followup from another newbie. Looking at my New Orleans sections, I see similar information blocks, such as contact Pensacola Approach within 20NM on XXX.XX. Now is that within 20 NM of the class C bubbles, or 20NM of the airport itself?
 
LeeDeep said:
Followup from another newbie. Looking at my New Orleans sections, I see similar information blocks, such as contact Pensacola Approach within 20NM on XXX.XX. Now is that within 20 NM of the class C bubbles, or 20NM of the airport itself?
Click to expand...

20 nm of the airport itself. They don't want to trucking on up the the edge of the charley and then asking to come in. Since the ring extends 10nm out, that gives them more room to get you sequenced. Of course if you took off from an airport just outside, or under the class charley, they don't expect you to turn out before calling.
 
CharlieTango said:
Class D I might simply call the tower but Class C (Oakland) you have to talk to approach prior to entering Class C arispace.
Click to expand...

That's probably the easiest way (aside from just being on flight following for the whole trip), but it's not required.

You must contact the facility providing air traffic services. In the surface area, that's one of the two towers, not Approach. Same deal crossing SFO Class B. You contact SFO Tower if below 2000, Approach if above.

If you contact the wrong one, you'll be handed off. Not a big deal; just allow enough time prior to entering Class C.

If VFR, Oakland is VERY likely to want you to fly below the shelves and enter the surface area directly, either east of Hayward or over the Bay (mid-span San Mateo Bridge), to keep you off the 30 extended centerline.

It wouldn't be a big deal, but it's hard to keep contact with NorCal at low altitude east of the Oakland Hills. And that particularly Class C is not 4000 feet high due to overlying Class B (and there are takeoffs going on normally in that airspace, so don't expect a Class B clearance close to Oakland).
 
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