New to Florida Airspace

SkySpy

SkySpy

Pre-Flight
Joined
Dec 23, 2006
Messages
75
Location
Palm Beach, Florida
Display Name
Jerry
Home Airfield
KLNA
From Lantana to Key West, what's the best way to do it VFR going offshore ( altitudes, Flight Following or Minimum radio contact ) ?
 
Yes I use Foreflight and I have seen the flyway chart. I could use flight following but was wondering if anyone has done this trip with minimal radio contact offshore while avoiding busting any airspace. Also how would you use the flyway route?
 
Depart west bound then when over Everglades Direct Key West. Bring your life preserver. Or East to beach then south low altitude till south east of Miami. Follow the Keys south west bound.
 
I’ve flown it with and without FF and also using a hybrid. You’re either climbing above the C and B or flying below them. If you are below, you’ll need a squawk unless you want to be significantly offshore. If you elect to be close to shore in Miami it’s helpful to be on the local pilot-controlled frequency so I usually use the hybrid with FF through the Boca and Pompano Ds and then the FLL C but then I switch to 1200 and talk to pilots south of FLL because it’s very busy and it helps a lot with situational awareness. You could do it all without talking to anyone, I guess.

I’m not sure what flyway would help offshore but the Red Road transition through the MIA B exists on paper but in my experience ATC does not permission it
 
Great suggestions... tks... as per Milage, if I go offshore it seems I can do 2500 until KFLL for the transition, and then back below 1500 - 3000 offshore past Miami Beach and south ... does that sound right? Of course I'd probably do FF all the way the first time.... maybe ....
 
I see FF= Foreflight, what is a hybrid? FF and Garmin Pilot?
 
Luigi said:
I see FF= Foreflight, what is a hybrid? FF and Garmin Pilot?
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FF- Flight Following and I used "hybrid" to mean a combination of speaking to ATC using flight following but then switching to 1200 and speaking to pilots on the common frequency (123.025, aka "Watson Traffic") near Miami Beach. You can use flight following for that segment but then you just have a controller constantly giving you traffic warnings while the pilots on the common frequency are complaining about the guy who is not on the frequency.
 
Mileage said:
FF- Flight Following and I used "hybrid" to mean a combination of speaking to ATC using flight following but then switching to 1200 and speaking to pilots on the common frequency (123.025, aka "Watson Traffic") near Miami Beach. You can use flight following for that segment but then you just have a controller constantly giving you traffic warnings while the pilots on the common frequency are complaining about the guy who is not on the frequency.
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Thanks
 
The plane traffic looks overwhelming when you see it on ForeFlight, but if you zoom in, the traffic isn’t really that bad. Last winter when I flew to Fort Myers’s, I didn’t even use flight following, just ForeFlight and kept my head up, watching for traffic……….
 
Garee said:
The plane traffic looks overwhelming when you see it on ForeFlight, but if you zoom in, the traffic isn’t really that bad. Last winter when I flew to Fort Myers’s, I didn’t even use flight following, just ForeFlight and kept my head up, watching for traffic……….
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100%, but the caveat is that the VFR traffic along miami beach really can be a little intense. Nothing is higher than 1500’, it’s a pretty narrow shoreline corridor, there’s helicopters, seaplanes, banner tows, and the usual assortment of GA aircraft plus traffic is going in both directions and doing a lot of 180s.
 
I'd say "yes" definitely on the Flight Following if you're going VFR. No question about it. Is there some reason that you want to minimize radio comms?
 
write-stuff said:
I'd say "yes" definitely on the Flight Following if you're going VFR. No question about it. Is there some reason that you want to minimize radio comms?
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Excellent question. I was wondering about all the "minimize contact" comments.

Reviewing the Flyway chart, one can see that certain parts of the route along the shoreline have you contact approach; other parts, the frequency is Tower. The controllers are great and will hand you off. Even make suggestions for conflict avoidance since the traffic is 2-way. Its the very narrowness of the corridor (unless you want to go out to sea) and the amount of traffic in it that really makes Flight Following worth its weight in gold.
 
Great ideas... in NY I did the Hudson route many times with self reporting so I am used to that. After the last Northbound fly you could call KLGA for direct KLGA over Central Park climbing to a given altitude right to go right over KLGA before turning East over the LI Sound towards KFRG and numerous other airports.... magic views,,, I do think Flight Following is the way to go here with numerous altitude requirements between the D C and B airspace along the way...
 
SkySpy said:
Great ideas... in NY I did the Hudson route many times with self reporting so I am used to that. After the last Northbound fly you could call KLGA for direct KLGA over Central Park climbing to a given altitude right to go right over KLGA before turning East over the LI Sound towards KFRG and numerous other airports.... magic views,,, I do think Flight Following is the way to go here with numerous altitude requirements between the D C and B airspace along the way...
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I was actually thinking more in terms of the Hudson Skyline route as something roughly equivalent. On the frequency which, despite the need to switch along the way, makes life very, very easy.
 
midlifeflyer said:
I was actually thinking more in terms of the Hudson Skyline route as something roughly equivalent. On the frequency which, despite the need to switch along the way, makes life very, very easy.
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Yes, this is much longer with different airspace but you are right.
 
I've flown KMLB-KMTH twice. Essentially the same as going to EYW. Picked up Flight Following with Palm Beach, and basically flew V3 southbound until PMP, joined the VFR transition southbound, overhead FLL, then the red road transition overhead MIA at 3,500. Once you get close to HST, you can either drop Flight Following outside the Miami Class B, and just follow the keys all the way down, or stay with MIA_APP until they hand you over to CTR. Super easy flight.
 
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