San Francisco Bay Tour in a Bonanza

[@ccchhhrrriiisss100]

Great flight -- and fantastic views! I live on the Bay Area peninsula (in Palo Alto). You had some great flybys of our favorite hiking and picnic areas. In particular, we hike up to the top of Mount San Bruno (12:31) and its trails quite often. We also like to hike Angel Island (8:29), around the old batteries atop the Marin Headlands (7:18) that are just northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge, and cycle around the San Francisco Bay Trail (17:54) along the bay past Google, Shoreline Amphitheatre, NASA Ames Research Center/Moffat Field to Levi's Stadium. I'm not a pilot (although I do fly this route using the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024's "Discovery Flight" of San Francisco), but it is always nice to see it from above!

[@martinpauly]

No doubt, there's a lot to do in that area. I wish we had a bit more of that here in Iowa. - Martin

[@ccchhhrrriiisss100]

@@martinpauly My niece is attending school at Grinnell College. She really loves Iowa!

[@martinpauly]

@@ccchhhrrriiisss100Don’t get me wrong - I enjoy living in Iowa (admittedly less so in the winter than in the summer), but it’s not full of natural attractions.

[@tdkeyes1]

It's always nice to watch videos of flights over my hometown. @30:20 your nose is pointed straight towards my house. The localizer is about a 1/2 mile to the southwest of me.

[@martinpauly]

Glad I could show you an aerial view of your house! - Martin

[@AlphaKilo.Warrior]

Love that ATIS, KILO ❤

[@martinpauly]

Reminds me of ATC Memes - #sayNOtoKILO 🤣 - Martin

[@oregontrails]

Nice job with your videos! Entertaining and I learn a lot! Thanks!

[@martinpauly]

Glad you are enjoying the videos, and thanks for coming along on our Bay Tour! - Martin

[@williamk5998]

Great supplemental traffic overlays Martin. Thanks for another great video

[@martinpauly]

I'm glad you like those visualizations from FlySto. It's been a very useful tool for me to revisit my flights. - Martin

[@williamk5998]

I used to do the Bay Tour out of Hayward commonly when I was a student/ low time pilot in my 152. So beautiful but you really need to know where you are relative to the airspace. This was before GPS so sectional on my lap, finger on my position, eyes outside. Wonderful days.

[@martinpauly]

I can see how before GPS this was much different. At the same time, there are so many prominent landmarks that with practice and experience I bet it was quite possible to stay aware of your position. For a first-timer, though... intimidating! - Martin

[@cmurphy3748]

“Lots of traaaafiiiiic………..on the road”. 💀😂

[@martinpauly]

Yes! 😅 - Martin

[@BrandonPetty-v3x]

What an awesome video!! I fly in and out of Oakland and San Jose but never get the time to soak it all in. Keep those videos coming.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Brandon! Yes, it's busy airspace, which leaves little time to "soak it all in" as you said. Good thing I have the cameras going, so at least I can enjoy the views after the flight. Regards, Martin

[@williamludwig9460]

Martin, you've had some excellent vids, but you hit a grand slam with this one. Your calm and precision should be a goal of all GA. WELL DONE !!!

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Willie. I'm very pleased with how this one turned out; the scenery is stunningly beautiful and I was hoping that would come across in the video. - Martin

[@Noircogi]

The hills are all green around the bay now thanks to the December rains. I love flying in this area. I learned to fly at SQL and did most of my instrument rating there. It really prepares you for almost anything.

[@martinpauly]

I bet the landscape looks nice in green - and I can certainly see how learning to fly in the Bay Area sets you up well for later in your (flying) life! - Martin

[@Qrail]

My old stomping grounds. I was a passenger with one of the local radio traffic reporters once. We went up out of SQL in a Lancer, and did the Bay Area tour. He probably invented it in the late 1950’s. Hap Harper at KSFO 560 AM. Thanks Martin. I hope you have fun.

[@atcpilot4life]

Fantastic, happy new year!

[@martinpauly]

Thanks - you, too! - Martin

[@deanomite]

Also reminds me of Fleet Week in the bay. Amazing to see all the boats, aircraft carrier, and of course the mighty Blue Angels!

[@martinpauly]

Fleet Week would be great to see! I've not been there yet. - Martin

[@BigDougJeeps]

Nice video! I love the Bay Tour, its my go to move when taking someone up for a ride (out of LVK). I go South to North through the Bravo direct the Golden Gate Bridge. Really impresses the passengers. Cheer!

[@martinpauly]

I bet your passengers loved those tours! The closest I can do from my home base in Iowa is the Chicago skyline from over Lake Michigan - that's always a highlight. - Martin

[@deanomite]

Done many bay tours back in the days when I lived in the South Bay (RHV and SJC). Psyched you did so, Martin!

[@ik04]

V107 to Avenal. That's my old stomping grounds! I flew that route many times for IFR departures and training. You flew almost exactly over the house where I grew up.

[@martinpauly]

Small world, Kevin! - Martin

[@davestarr7112]

Great video Martin. All the best to you and yours for 2025.

[@martinpauly]

Thank you, Dave - happy new year! - Martin

[@jameswebb2856]

Great video! It was nice seeing new scenery. I never flew to San Francisco but I did a flight or two to San Jose and numerous flights in and out of LAX. When you get to LAX look for the "Eagles Nest." It is the remote terminal for American Eagle. It is east of the terminal on the south side.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, James. That LAX flight already happened in October, so it'll be a while before I can look into the "Eagles Nest". - Martin

[@mrsaskriders]

What an amazing video Martin. Your professionalism shines. Love the great graphics, which really help me understand all the nuisances of very dense traffic. I'm just a big personal sim guy, but use AI ATC and communicate by voice. You have to be really on your game with the constant instructions. 😊

[@martinpauly]

Thank you for the kind words. Yes, in that airspace, there isn't too much time to relax and enjoy the view. Good thing I have the cameras so I can replay it all later! - Martin

[@davidcole333]

I have flown the bay tour many times. My favorite element is flying adjacent to SFO, I enjoy seeing the heavies going in and out of there. It was a treat to see Moffett Field, home of the blimp hangars. It was an active Naval Air Station for decades during the cold war years. The US Navy flew squadrons of P-3C Orion's and NASA had a significant presence at the field as well, operating the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, focusing on wind tunnel testing and development of the heat shield tiles for the space shuttles. Moffett Field used to have annual airshows with the Blue Angels flying their A-4 Skyhawk's. NASA also had a few U2's permanently on loan from the Air Force that they utilized for high altitude research. They would fly one of those U2's every year at the airshow, which was just amazing to see. The show organizers would always put a hot air balloon inside of the big hangar on the west side (opened in 1933) and give $5 hot air balloon rides from the ground to the top of the hangar and then back down. Another historical fact about Moffett Field, in 1973 there was a fatal crash between a Navy P-3C Orion and a NASA Convair 990, killing 16. They were flying parallel approaches and collided, both of them crashing into a golf course beneath the final approach path. Just a bit further south of Moffett is RHV, which has trained thousands of bay area pilots over the decades. I learned to fly there in 1987 taking lessons from a retired 747 captain. $10 an hour for the instructor, $26 an hour for the aircraft rental. I sorely miss those days. His flight school is long gone, but several of his old Cessna 152's were sold to other schools and are still active at RHV. Thanks for a fantastic video, the bay area is my favorite place in the world to fly and it was a real joy to see it through your eyes.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks for sharing those memories, David. I was at Moffett Field once during an aerospace conference in San Francisco, I think it was in 2000 - we got a tour of the NASA facilities there as part of the conference program. Very nice! I, too, enjoy flying alongside SFO. I guess their runway layout and utilization makes it feasible for VFR traffic to get so close during the transit without causing problems. U2 - I've seen it fly in Oshkosh a few times. That plane is LOUD!!! Best regards, Martin

[@beyforghani7962]

Nice job Martin! I fly out of khwd and do Bay tour often. Lucky to call the Bay area home!

[@martinpauly]

Thanks - you sure live in a very scenic part of the country! - Martin

[@johnfitzpatrick2469]

Happy new year Martin from Sydney Australia. That was busy air traffic, dang the verbal ATC instructions are getting fast? Good thinking flying above the highway 101 for the just in case factors. 🌏🇦🇺

[@martinpauly]

Happy new year to you as well, John! - Martin

[@Timo_Czi]

Frohes Neue Jahr Martin. What a video to start the new year. Have been a lot to Bay Area and Southern California myself. Great to see it from above. Me as a PPL Greenhorn those busy airspaces and big airports are really intimidating. Thanks for sharing. Greeting from Germany.

[@martinpauly]

Hallo Timo, ein frohes neues Jahr! Luftraum und Flugplätze mit viel Verkehr sind mit etwas Übung gut zu meistern. Das schaffst Du auch! - Martin

[@deanomite]

My favorite approaches and intersections are around STS - Charles Schulz lived there, and has a bunch of Peanuts intersections :-).

[@martinpauly]

Yes, I noticed the many references in town, at the airport, and even in the airspace! - Martin

[@paulbrunner1818]

Good job Martin. I live in the area and you gotta be on your A-game flying the Bay Tour. Plenty of ATC recordings from San Carlos and Palo Alto with Controllers barking at pilots!

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Paul. Glad I wasn’t one of those pilots getting barked at that day! - Martin

[@ahmadster]

Impressive video editing. Hat’s off to you sir. Well done. 👍

[@martinpauly]

I appreciate the kind feedback. A lot of work went into this one... and I'm pleased with how it turned out. - Martin

[@Richard.Hybels]

Agree smazing how he inserts all the names, arrows and such

[@martinpauly]

@@Richard.Hybels Thanks, Richard. I figure adding the captions (for ATC radio transmissions) and labels makes these videos easier to follow along for a lot of viewers. - Martin

[@Richard.Hybels]

@@martinpauly I’m about to set off on the PPL journey and the radio usage is alarming really as it goes so fast. My first thought is to stick around Napa, Santa Rosa and North. Way more open fields and less traffic.

[@martinpauly]

@@Richard.Hybels That's a good plan, Richard. Also, your instructor will help a lot with the radios at first and gradually transfer that responsibility to you as you become more familiar and comfortable with everything. Best of luck for your flight training! - Martin

[@charleslawson6824]

Lovely video, Martin. Thanks very much for sharing. Great way to start s Saturday here!

[@martinpauly]

Thank you, Charles - enjoy the weekend! - Martin

[@ericmundsinger6]

Awesome video Martain ! Thanks for sharing!

[@martinpauly]

Glad you enjoyed it, Eric! - Martin

[@harryhellerman474]

Thanks for the tour! I used to live in the area… couldn’t spot my house though!😀

[@martinpauly]

Sorry I missed your house, Harry! 🤣 - Martin

[@GregFlies]

Nice video. I like that Aspen 2500 PFD/MFD a lot, seems very customizable.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Greg. Yes, I do like the three-screen Aspen setup. Took me a while to zero in on a configuration, but now I have everything I need always in front of me, without having to switch between modes/formats. - Martin

[@GregFlies]

@@martinpauly I am looking into that setup, if I move forward I might have to hit you back up for some pointers on how you did yours, looks perfect to me, love then timer window. In the Nav Map can it display a vfr sectional map as well?

[@martinpauly]

@@GregFlies Greg, it's not exactly a sectional map, but you can select between an IFR- or VFR-style navigation map on the Aspens. VFR will have more features, but not the full level of detail of a sectional map. - Martin

[@GregFlies]

@@martinpauly Gotcha, thanks again!

[@lenseofanomad]

this is so cool, wish i could do this

[@martinpauly]

You probably can! - Martin

[@cmurphy3748]

Having done these bay tours dozens of times, this is the first time I’ve heard “contact woodside on 135.65”. Usually it’s just contact NorCal. Cool.

[@martinpauly]

I think the controller made a small mistake here. It's the Woodside sector, yes, but the station is still called NorCal Approach. I didn't know any better, so I called them "Woodside Approach" when I checked in... - Martin

[@doncharleslundell]

Looking forward to this. (I fly a Cessna 180 out of KPAO).

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Don. It was a great trip with wonderful view! - Martin

[@kenstevenson4133]

Good job flying in a complex airspace. You sure have to be on your A game. I lost count of the frequency changes. Thanks for sharing.

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, Ken. Yes, lots of frequency changes, and lots of interaction with ATC. It's the price of admission for flying in that beautiful part of the country, I guess. - Martin

[@kenstevenson4133]

@@martinpauly yes some very dramatic views.

[@zacharynorman397]

My home airport is Justin few miles south of KSTS (KDVO). Wish I had known you were up here.

[@martinpauly]

We passed just a few miles east of KDVO. Beautiful area! - Martin

[@mishmish1968]

Awsome video , thanks so much for sharing this flight , i should wish you and your fabulous family a very happy New Year , all the best . Ahmed

[@martinpauly]

Thank you, Ahmed. Happy New Year to you and your family as well! - Martin

[@mishmish1968]

Thanks a lot Martin 🙏❤

[@azcharlie2009]

You two are getting to be real globe trotters, traveling all over the country! I lived out there with my sister when I was a young man looking for work. I can't even imagine trying to fly around in that air space like you did. I'd be shaking like a leaf! Did you arrange for that in advance? I was there long before I started to fly. It's a beautiful place. Or, used to be anyway. Hope to see you this summer.

[@martinpauly]

No prior arrangement for this flight, Rick. It's busy airspace, but the controllers are very accommodating, as I've found to be the case is most of the US national airspace. - Martin

[@RussLindberg]

Great video, I love your work. Help me understand what I missed here - at 11:14 ATC instructs you to change to NorCal approach at 135.65. When you ask them to repeat the frequency they send you to tower 120.5. Did ATC not understand that you wanted a repeat or did the instructions need to actually change during that short (seconds) timeframe, as you were on with SFO tower for some time? Thx.

[@mrwaterbearer4261]

At 23:00 and 30:31, what type of attachment(s) are you using from the suction cup mount to the bottom prongs at the base of your GoPro's? I've spoken with GoPro support and B&H Electronics and they keep sending me the 3-pronged buckle accessory (I have four now), and each of them are too wide to slide into the buckle (GoPro terminology). Perhaps a swivel mount so I can turn the angle of the camera? Thanks!

[@martinpauly]

I use standard suction cups from GoPro, purchased at Best Buy and B&H. The only exception is the camera recording the Aspen screens; that one has a clamp mount. Regards, Martin

[@steini6771]

Happy New Year Martin -

[@martinpauly]

Thanks - you, too! - Martin

[@stevespra1]

Nice video, Martin. The scenery is beautiful. Is that a mini starlink on the panel?

[@martinpauly]

Thank you, Steve! Yes, that's a Starlink Mini. I'm working on a video summarizing my experience with it in flying. - Martin

[@stevespra1]

@@martinpauly Great! I look forward to it. I've been kicking the idea around for a while.

[@martinpauly]

@@stevespra1 It works amazingly well - still not cheap (at this time) at $250/month, but I believe we are just at the very beginning of this journey.

[@georgestuart2483]

Great video as always Martin! Beautiful scenery. Curiosity question- When ATC asked for best rate down to 4000’ I believe, you dialed in 900 fpm. Is that as aggressive as you get, or were you going easy on Becky’s ears? When I’m alone and asked for best rate, I usually go 1500 fpm

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, George. Regarding your question: "best rate" is not a defined term. Convention suggests that "normal rate" in a piston is 500 feet per minute, so almost doubling it seemed like it should answer the mail. But there is no way of knowing if the controller meant something even faster or not. In jets (or other pressurized airplanes), higher vertical speeds are typical. Regards, Martin

[@ahmadsamadzai8255]

Nice video. I love flying in SoCal. Keeps you busy and occupied. What altitudes do you usually put the oxygen on?

[@martinpauly]

Since we got the Inogen G5 oxygen concentrator, we use oxygen very frequently - say anytime at 8,000' or above. With no bottle to refill, the oxygen supply is endless, so there is no downside to using it anymore. It's great! - Martin

[@dtsh4451]

A more scenic route STS->San Pablo Bay -> North of bay Bridge -> Alcatraz-> Golden Gate Bridge-> west coast of San Francisco(bay tour route)-> half moon bay -> Monterey 🤓

[@martinpauly]

Thank you for this suggestion! - Martin

[@daviddefelice6997]

Nice job, Martin. That's some crazy busy airspace. Worse than here in Florida. Are you going to the ABS seminar at Embry Riddle this year?

[@martinpauly]

Thanks, David. I won't be at the ABS seminar at Embry Riddle; unfortunately we are spending this winter in Iowa instead of Florida. - Martin

[@josbren8943]

Great video Martin! What were the fees at KSTS and KLGB?

[@martinpauly]

I do not remember for STS. There were FBO fees for parking. Atlantic at LGB charged $30/night, plus a $10 security fee. Waived the handling fee with a fuel purchase. Fuel was expensive everywhere we went in California. - Martin

[@tedsaylor6016]

Martin, (and this is ONLY an alternative, not the best one) I might have (once abeam Torrance and obvious LGB was going to be VFR) asked SoCal to cancel IFR and descend (very rapidly) over land to LGB, landing VFR. Just too much IFR traffic in your area to not get routed over the water. And LGB still has alot of training/GA ops so it would prob not been a big deal for them. Or, you could have chided them and said your destination was not Catalina ;-)

[@martinpauly]

Thank you for that suggestion, Ted. Local knowledge like this can be so helpful; at the same time, given my unfamiliarity with the SoCal airspace, it felt best to just remain IFR in for this arrival. - Martin

[@tedsaylor6016]

@@martinpauly Totally understand, you would have been scrambling if SoCal totally dumped you with a Sqwauk 1200 and remain clear of the Bravo (as they WOULD have done here in Phoenix - PHX APP simply does not work VFR traffic-usually). Oh, and mentioning PHX you might want to try your hand at "The Stack" a un-controlled (but very busy) ILS at Casa Grande. You may want to ping your Patreon folks before you make a new unfamiliar trip and try to get the "local scoop".

[@1shARyn3]

On takeoff on FlySto, yours shows two aircraft departing after you. My FlySto just shows diamonds, not representations (icons) of aircraft shapes. (I'm jealous)

[@martinpauly]

I wonder if it's dependent on the graphics performance of your computer, or on the browser you use. (I used Safari on a Mac for this video.) FlySto is a web-based application, so in theory it should yield the same results for anyone using it at a given time. - Martin

[@1shARyn3]

@@martinpauly Thanks. I'm browsing settings, but don't see anything. My browser if Firefox on Linux, so that could very well be the issue. (still jealous ;-) )