AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 16

PROFICIENT PILOT

In the thick of it

BY BARRY SCHIFF

Buzzing around in Class B's beehive
BETWEEN COMMENTS about my flat feet and a need
for orthotic inserts in my shoes, my podiatrist, Dr. Jon
Williams, began mumbling about his wanting to fly a
Cessna 172 VFR into Los Angeles International Airport.
"Why do you want to do that?" I asked.
"I'm a 300-hour private pilot and fly out of Santa
Paula [a nontowered airport northwest of Los Angeles].
My radio skills aren't what they could be, and I figure
that if I could learn to get in and out of LAX without killing myself, that it would give me the confidence needed
to get along elsewhere."
"Interesting concept," I said as I stuffed my aching
feet into my shoes. "You're not planning to do this on
your own, are you?"
"No, I'm not," he said. "That's where you come in."
I got the picture and agreed to ride shotgun for Jon's
introductory flight into one of the world's busiest airports. First, though, we spent time reviewing detailed

Santa Paula and LAX are only 40 miles apart,
yet worlds apart procedurally.

BARRY SCHIFF

is a former
TWA captain
who lives in
Southern California.

16 | AOPA PILOT July 2014

information about LAX listed in the Airport/Facility
Directory. We also pored over a taxi diagram of the airport and reviewed critical airport signage and markings,
of which there are absolutely none at his home airport.
We departed Santa Paula the next day. After clearing
the traffic pattern, I suggested to him that we contact SoCal Approach Control as soon as practical and
request flight following to Los Angeles. "It's important,"
I advised him, "to get into the system early in the flight
so that ATC knows your intentions as you point the nose
toward the beehive of Class B airspace."
We were given a few simple clearances, a few
vectors, and thankfully no holding before receiving permission to enter Class Bravo. Approaching the airport
from the northeast, we were handed over to the tower
and cleared to land on Runway 24R following a Boeing
737 on final. This was bad news and good news. The bad
news was that landing on the north side of the airport
would necessitate significant and complex taxiing to get
to Atlantic Aviation on the south side of the airport. The
good news was that this would throw Jon into the thick
of things and give him the experience he wanted.
After landing on 24R, we were instructed to hold
short of Runway 24L on the high-speed taxiway

between the parallel runways. Holding short was a
good thing. A Boeing 777 soon roared by and lifted off
in front of us. The Cessna rocked somewhat in response,
a nudging reminder that manmade tornadoes and hurricane-like winds threaten those who do not operate
small airplanes cautiously at such airports.
Finally cleared to cross 24L, we were eventually
southbound on Taxiway Sierra only to see that we were
heading toward an opposite-direction Airbus A380, a
perfect setup for a game of chicken that had only one
possible winner. The Airbus turned sharply right and
stopped at its gate, its jet blast cleaning our taxiway of
dust. "How do we know when it is safe to taxi behind
him?" Jon asked. "Just wait for his rotating beacon to be
turned off," I instructed. "This signals that his engines
have been shut down. In the meantime, don't look
behind us. There's a 747 following closely, very closely,
waiting for us to proceed."
After changing to the ground-control frequency
for the airport's south side and being cleared through
a maze of taxiways and additional runways, we eventually arrived at Atlantic Aviation and parked amid the
heavy iron populating the ramp. We were the only single-engine airplane there, and the only aircraft with a
propeller. Don't ask for avgas at LAX because there is
none. The ramp fee can be as much as $100 for a single-
but you do get free cookies and bottled water.
After returning to Santa Paula, Jon said that he benefitted greatly from the experience, but added that it
had been stressful. He also felt that the LAX controllers had been impatient with his apparent lack of radio
experience. "Don't take it personally, Jon," I consoled.
"You're just not accustomed to the frenetic pace of such
an operation. Believe me, O'Hare and Kennedy can be
much worse. You get used to it."
Jon added that there was no way he could have
prepared himself not to get rattled-an interesting comment from a combat veteran with three Purple Hearts.
Santa Paula and LAX are only 40 miles apart, yet
worlds apart procedurally. The Hobbs meter recorded
2.0 hours that day, most of it spent on the ground.
The story of Jon's adventure apparently has spread.
Other pilots have called me about making the flight. I
just hope that the patient controllers at Los Angeles will
continue to endure these training trips.
AOPA
WEB

www.barryschiff.com


http://www.barryschiff.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014

AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014
Contents
President’s Position
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Safety Pilot
License to Learn
Fly Well
Guest Editorial
Aviation shines at Endeavor Awards
Events
Airport Stories
Solo Flight 2013
Test Pilot
Aerial Adventures
News
Flying Clubs
Pilot Products
AOPA Fly-Ins
Fly-Outs
Debonair on Deck
Craftsmanship: Yellow Marvel
Pleasant Surprises
Only in Wisconsin
Opportunity Knocking
Technique
Wx Watch
Technology
Dogfight
Never Again
AOPA Action
State and Local Action
Member Services
AOPA Foundation
Insurance Services
Fly by Wire
Tips from PIC
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Safety Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Guest Editorial
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Aviation shines at Endeavor Awards
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Events
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Airport Stories
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Solo Flight 2013
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Test Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Aerial Adventures
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - News
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Flying Clubs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Pilot Products
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - AOPA Fly-Ins
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Fly-Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - R-1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - R-2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - R-3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - R-4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Debonair on Deck
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Craftsmanship: Yellow Marvel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Pleasant Surprises
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Only in Wisconsin
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Opportunity Knocking
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Technique
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Wx Watch
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Technology
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Dogfight
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - State and Local Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Member Services
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - AOPA Foundation
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Insurance Services
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 107
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Fly by Wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Tips from PIC
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2014 - Cover4
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