Flying the San Francisco Bay Area

Introduction Airspace Weather Airports Attractions Sights Destinations

Photo by Ross Oliver, January 5, 2009

The San Francisco Bay Area offers some of the most challenging and rewarding flying in the USA. With scenic coasts, bays, and mountains, fabulous weather and 23 airports home to nearly 15,000 general aviation aircraft.

We have better weather than Seattle, less haze than Southern California, more interesting scenery than Florida, friendlier air traffic controllers than New York, and hardly any tornados or thunderstorms. Snow and below-freezing weather are conveniently confined to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, over 100 miles to the east.

This section of The Air Affair is devoted to helping pilots become familiar with the Bay Area for a more enjoyable visit or transition, and perhaps inspire local pilots to find a new spot to visit or revisit.

1. Airspace: the ABC's of navigating the B, C, D and G
2. Weather
3. Airports
4. Attractions: restaurants, museums, golf
5. Sights: what to see from the air
6. Destinations: places to fly