Half Moon Bay [KHAF]

Meliss

Meliss

Pre-takeoff checklist
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San Diego, CA
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goodjoojoo
I'm planning a flight in the near future to Half Moon Bay. My best friend lives in Berkeley so I plan to fly to Oakland to pick her up and then go from KOAK to KHAF.

Has anyone here flown there? What would be the best way to navigate the Bravo out of Oakland? I was thinking to fly around 1,500 and go around north over the Golden Gate Bridge. But then I would have to climb up to 2,000 over that section. It might be easier to try and get a clearance through the Bravo? When I flew in that area last week, they were super cool about clearing me through the Bravo when I departed OAK; I hadn't even requested to or planned to fly through it.

My next question for those familiar with the area - What cool things are there to do in Half Moon Bay? And good places to stay? I've never been up there and neither has she. Any and all suggestions are appreciated. :D
 
I fly there often. Your best chance of getting into HAF this time of year is in the afternoon, due to the coastal stratus, although an IFR GPS and an instrument rating might be able to get you in there in the morning, depending on the ceiling.

If you park on the southeast ramp, you can walk to the marina and seafood restaurants. Within a few blocks there is a walking trail out to Pillar Point.

The thing about class B transitions is that you need to have a plan for circumnavigating it if they can't grant your request for some reason. In that case, flying over the GG Bridge and then down the coast would be the simplest alternative.
 
Out of OAK? Follow Hwy 92 all the way there. That's the San Mateo Bridge. Keep it on your right, and stay below Class B. You'll need to transition SQL Class D.

But the real answer is to file IFR, because conditions there have been terrible lately. Right now, it's OVC003.

WVI is likely to be quite a lot better, but it's further as well, and the food isn't nearly as good (I don't think anything is). For a good alternative $100 burger, how about Petaluma? Fly out of Oakland northbound (to Cal if you want -- your passenger may enjoy that), cross the Bay north of the Bay Bridge, overfly downtown San Francisco and Alcatraz if you want, and follow 101 north.

HAF has some of the best seafood in the region, around the harbor just south of the airport. It's an amazing $100 hamburger site. There is also a good restaurant on the field (30 Cafe), but it pales against Sam's Chowder House.
 
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MAKG1 said:
Out of OAK? Follow Hwy 92 all the way there. That's the San Mateo Bridge. Keep it on your right, and stay below Class B.
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I know someone who got busted for doing that; the bridge goes through the class B surface area. He would need to keep the bridge at least a mile and a half off to his right, to be safe.

But the real answer is to file IFR, because conditions there have been terrible lately. Right now, it's OVC003.
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Right now it's below IFR minimums, even for the WAAS approaches. It was clear Thursday afternoon, although I did have to dodge some clouds coming over the ridge.

HAF has some of the best seafood in the region, around the harbor just south of the airport. It's an amazing $100 hamburger site. There is also a good restaurant on the field (30 Cafe), but it pales against Sam's Chowder House.
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Sam's Chowder House also has a Web Cam. The airport is just out of view on the right side of the lower camera.

http://www.samschowderhouse.com/about-sams/samcam.html

The San Carlos Airport Association has some HAF Web cams about half way down their home page. They look across the runway towards the ocean.

http://www.sancarlosairport.org/

The HAF AWOS is available in real time on line:

http://69.227.253.58/AWOSDisplay.swf
 
I concur that depending on where you're coming from, it's simpler just to underfly the class B from the North or the South rather than getting a Bravo transit. I've done it both ways. You still have to dodge terrain in order to get set up for the pattern, most easily done from the North as 30 is usually the favored runway for the prevailing winds.

Princeton Seafood Company is my favorite restaurant there, although it's become a little pricey for what it is.
 
Palmpilot said:
I know someone who got busted for doing that; the bridge goes through the class B surface area. He would need to keep the bridge at least a mile and a half off to his right, to be safe.
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Yes, there is a small section of the bridge (at the west "high rise" end) that's in the Class B surface area. You can dodge it by flying over SQL midfield, from mid-span of the bridge. Bring a TAC!

The west end of the bridge corresponds to the outer marker on the SFO 28L/R ILS, which are used almost all the time in VFR weather.

Though people try it on occasion when SFO isn't accepting transitions, I wouldn't recommend underflying Class B from the north, as the surface area goes all the way to the coastline north of HAF, and the floor is just 1500 feet offshore. I suppose you could land on the coastal terrace (except near Devil's Slide) in the event of an emergency, but you would have to react very quickly. With 500 feet under Bravo, that puts you at maybe 800 AGL. The beach is very rocky except in a few spots, so that's not an option. And the water is COLD; ditching is not good.
 
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MAKG1 said:
Though people try it on occasion when SFO isn't accepting transitions, I wouldn't recommend underflying Class B from the north, as the surface area goes all the way to the coastline north of HAF, and the floor is just 1500 feet offshore. I suppose you could land on the coastal terrace (except near Devil's Slide) in the event of an emergency, but you would have to react very quickly. With 500 feet under Bravo, that puts you at maybe 800 AGL. The beach is very rocky except in a few spots, so that's not an option. And the water is COLD; ditching is not good.
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I don't worry that much about the 1500 foot part, because it's a short portion of the route and I'm willing to take the risk for a short time.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I concur that depending on where you're coming from, it's simpler just to underfly the class B from the North or the South rather than getting a Bravo transit.
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I think that a class B transition is actually the simplest, *if* you can get it. Just have an alternative planned in case they can't accomodate.
 
MAKG1 said:
Yes, there is a small section of the bridge (at the west "high rise" end) that's in the Class B surface area. You can dodge it by flying over SQL midfield, from mid-span of the bridge. Bring a TAC!

The west end of the bridge corresponds to the outer marker on the SFO 28L/R ILS, which are used almost all the time in VFR weather.

Though people try it on occasion when SFO isn't accepting transitions, I wouldn't recommend underflying Class B from the north, as the surface area goes all the way to the coastline north of HAF, and the floor is just 1500 feet offshore. I suppose you could land on the coastal terrace (except near Devil's Slide) in the event of an emergency, but you would have to react very quickly. With 500 feet under Bravo, that puts you at maybe 800 AGL. The beach is very rocky except in a few spots, so that's not an option. And the water is COLD; ditching is not good.
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Actually only a very short portion off the coastline is 1500 feet. The rest of the inner ring is 2100 feet. People do that route all the time. It's a high traffic corridor. You can do it without being beyond gliding distance to shore.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Actually only a very short portion off the coastline is 1500 feet. The rest of the inner ring is 2100 feet. People do that route all the time. It's a high traffic corridor. You can do it without being beyond gliding distance to shore.
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Not from shore. From the tops of the cliffs. It's only a few hundred feet, but that's a really important few hundred feet.
 
MAKG1 said:
Not from shore. From the tops of the cliffs. It's only a few hundred feet, but that's a really important few hundred feet.
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I see what you're saying, but worrying about a three minute stretch where you could possibly end up in the drink is, in my opinion, limiting.
 
You posted this more than a week ago, not sure if you have already arrived. Send me a PM if you are still coming with more info and maybe I could help you via telephone (we could go over it with a sectional). I have been to that airport a lot.

If you'd like to meet up or fly the Bay Tour or whatever, that would be cool too - it has been HORRIBLY FOGGY here for days, so much so the whole area is fogged in.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
You posted this more than a week ago, not sure if you have already arrived. Send me a PM if you are still coming with more info and maybe I could help you via telephone (we could go over it with a sectional). I have been to that airport a lot.

If you'd like to meet up or fly the Bay Tour or whatever, that would be cool too - it has been HORRIBLY FOGGY here for days, so much so the whole area is fogged in.
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No, I have not been yet. I'm planning to possibly go August 21-22. Hopefully that marine layer will calm down and go away towards the end of august. I can be optimistic :D
 
Meliss said:
No, I have not been yet. I'm planning to possibly go August 21-22. Hopefully that marine layer will calm down and go away towards the end of august. I can be optimistic :D
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You really just have to keep an eye on it on a day to day basis. You can't plan for it that far out. It doesn't really "go away" until around November.
 
It's not completely gone until around Thanksgiving, when the winter rains start. But on the coast, September and October have many more clear days than June, July and August. That's the warmest time of year.
 
Meliss said:
No, I have not been yet. I'm planning to possibly go August 21-22. Hopefully that marine layer will calm down and go away towards the end of august. I can be optimistic :D
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Shoot, those are weekdays and I'm working. Send me a PM with your phone number if you would be interested in meeting and / or flying one of those nights after 6 or 7pm - the earliest I could get somewhere down there. I work in Sausalito until 5pm.
 
MAKG1 said:
You need a seaplane rating so you can use one of those always parked next to US101 by all the houseboats in Marin City. :)

Except they seem to be on the mud at low tide....
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I love driving by that seaport. Any excuse to be able to say "Nice Beaver!"
 
MAKG1 said:
You need a seaplane rating so you can use one of those always parked next to US101 by all the houseboats in Marin City. :)

Except they seem to be on the mud at low tide....
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The houseboats are in Sausalito. Marin City is up the hill and on the other side of highway 101. My boss lives in a house boat.

Those are the 172 on floats and the beaver, they belong to a scenic tours company and are not available for rent. They will give you your sea plane rating but won't let you then go out and solo in them or take friends, kind of lame.
 
Half moon bay mostly cleared up this afternoon. I still had to dodge a few clouds getting in and out. Yesterday it partially cleared up for less than an hour, according to the metars.
 
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