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Flying into KSNA

jneves

Well Known Member
Taking a trip this week, (tomorrow evening) VFR to Irvine and planning to stage at SNA for a couple evenings. Based on some info online and in Foreflight, I'm planning to park at ACI. Does anyone have any tips, info, helpful hints navigating SNA.

I'm very familiar with the LA area airspace and my paths in and out. I've been into a few class C airports as well so not the first time at all (this might be the busiest one though. I'll have flight following so I'll be in contact with ATC on approach into SNA.
 
Lots of GA at SNA, so nothing to worry about. The longer of the parallel runways is pretty much commercial jet traffic, so when you get near the airport the tower will want you to angle your final and upwind legs away from that runway. Flight following is a must in the area and SoCal Approach will want you talking to them.
 
Lots of GA at SNA, so nothing to worry about. The longer of the parallel runways is pretty much commercial jet traffic, so when you get near the airport the tower will want you to angle your final and upwind legs away from that runway. Flight following is a must in the area and SoCal Approach will want you talking to them.

Thank Bruce, good to hear that there is a lot of GA at SNA. I'm not too stress since I know the airspace well, I'm down in the LA area often, usually TOA or LGB. Appreciate the tips you gave, I've made notes of them in my prep file.
 
Clay Lacy

I had a friend fly into SNA to pick me up and do a quick trip to Catalina and back. ACI wanted to charge a $300 per handing fee. I explained that it’s just a little light sport plane, I’ll hop in and go, no need to park, we’ll be on the ramp for a few seconds, he doesn’t even need to shut down, and we’ll full up with their overpriced fuel when he comes back to drop me off in a few hours. Didn’t matter to ACI.. they wanted $300 per operation ($600 total) due to the Super Bowl weekend. I called Clay Lacy, and they let us use the ramp for free, and we fueled it after the second landing. No Super Bowl surcharge.. I will NEVER use ACI, and I’m happy to be able to share this story with others.
 
I'll have flight following so I'll be in contact with ATC on approach into SNA.

I suggest Using the Hollywood Park route through the LAX Bravo airspace. If you use the Special Flight Rules transition you will have to pick up flight following again on the South side. With the Hollywood Park route you'll get a Bravo clearance at 9500 feet and it's seamless.

-Marc
 
Thank you everyone for the inputs. I'm going to give ACI a call again today and confirm the pricing that is in foreflight's FBO data tab.

My usually route into LA no longer involves the LAX transitions. I fly south down the valley, cross over at the Gorman VOR and stay to the North East of Burbank airport. Then cross above El Monte airport and below the 4K foot Bravo, over Fullerton Airport, then the army base and finally turn toward SNA staying outside of the Disney TFR. I've found this to be an easier, "quieter" ride when using flight following. This will be something like my 30th trip to the LA area, first to SNA. I've done all the LAX transitions, but it got to the point that the ATC instruction to turn, climb, decent, climb, turn, etc... just became too much to handle. On the suggestion of a local pilot, I've changed to this route to enter and usually, 80% of the time, it's a lot less busy when it comes to ATC instructions.

Again I appreciate all the feedback! This is why I love VAF and visit daily.
 
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