First published 7/2025.
Updated 11/2025 to reflect more common use of FMS Bridge Visual 28R.
Updated 11/2025 to reflect more common use of FMS Bridge Visual 28R.
introduction
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a class B airport with closely-spaced parallel crossing runways in a busy chunk of airspace in the Bay Area. Getting in and out of there can be a bit tricky, especially if you’re new to the operation. This guide is a collection of tribal knowledge to help you anticipate curveballs and be prepared to swing at them. Key areas covered:
- Geography and layout: where is everything?
- Weather: sea breezes and storms
- West Flow and associated procedures/threats
- Southeast Flow and associated procedures/threats
- Conclusions
Geography
SFO is just south of the City by the Bay on the eastern side of the Peninsula with water to the north and east. To the south are the Coastal Mountains, and to the northwest is San Bruno Mountain. Between those is “the slot,” through which the wind and fog comes in from Daly City (we used to call it “Grayly City” because it’s socked in a lot). A few miles to the west, on the other side of the Peninsula, is the Pacific Ocean.
A note on California geography and naming: in the Bay Area, many landmarks are known simply as “the [Noun]” (“the City, “the Valley, “the Bay,” etc.), except freeway names. If you call it “the 101”, they’ll send you to SoCal.
A note on California geography and naming: in the Bay Area, many landmarks are known simply as “the [Noun]” (“the City, “the Valley, “the Bay,” etc.), except freeway names. If you call it “the 101”, they’ll send you to SoCal.
SFO Geography from TAC Chart
Airport Layout
Most of SFO is built on fill in the Bay. There are two pairs of crossing runways, the 28/10s and the 1/19s. The airline terminals A-G are all in the southwest corner, while GA, cargo, and maintenance are on the northwest corner. The other two corners are bay.
Image from ForeFlight with annotations
weather
Fog coming through the slot towards SFO
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A drizzly December day at SFO
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Sea breeze and temperature chart around SFO
There are two main weather patterns at SFO: sea breeze and stormy.
Sea Breeze
The predominant weather pattern is the sea breeze, seen the vast majority of the time. The currents in the Pacific flow south just off the coast, bringing cold water down from Alaska. Near the coast, it upwells, cooling the humid air, often to its dewpoint. This is the source of the banks of advection fog you frequently see in the area. Meanwhile, the land heats up inland in the San Joaquin Valley and the South Bay, leading to rising air and a lifting low-pressure area. This allows the cooler sea air and advection fog to travel inland over the city, through the slot, and further inland. In the summer, the land heats up more, leading to stronger sea breeze (20+ knots), especially in the afternoons (local sailors call this the “two-o’clock twenties”). This means cooler temperatures and fog near the water. The normal setup in this weather is landing on the 28s, and launching on the 1s, with some heavies launching 28s if they need more runway. A strong sea breeze may cause issues if it becomes too southwesterly: when the tailwind components off the 1s starts to get close to 10 knots, that will shut them down and make it a 28s-only day. Pay close attention to the dewpoint spread on clear days: if it’s close, you may get a building breeze and fog or low clouds over the field, which will lead to reduced arrival rates and flow times. Have a Plan B, like SJC or SMF. In the winter, the temperature gradient is smaller, thus the sea breeze is weaker, so you tend not to get as much advection fog. You do occasionally get fog on still nights, so if it’s supposed to be dead calm overnight with a tight dewpoint spread, prepare as well. The outflow from the sea breeze is often a few thousand feet up: keep an eye on the gradients and be prepared to reverse your crab angle departing from the 1s.
Stormy
Most often seen between October and March, stormy weather consists of blustery winds and rain coming in from either the south/southeast or south over the mountains. Typically, this lasts a few days, then returns to sea breeze weather. This usually results in flow delays.
Sea Breeze
The predominant weather pattern is the sea breeze, seen the vast majority of the time. The currents in the Pacific flow south just off the coast, bringing cold water down from Alaska. Near the coast, it upwells, cooling the humid air, often to its dewpoint. This is the source of the banks of advection fog you frequently see in the area. Meanwhile, the land heats up inland in the San Joaquin Valley and the South Bay, leading to rising air and a lifting low-pressure area. This allows the cooler sea air and advection fog to travel inland over the city, through the slot, and further inland. In the summer, the land heats up more, leading to stronger sea breeze (20+ knots), especially in the afternoons (local sailors call this the “two-o’clock twenties”). This means cooler temperatures and fog near the water. The normal setup in this weather is landing on the 28s, and launching on the 1s, with some heavies launching 28s if they need more runway. A strong sea breeze may cause issues if it becomes too southwesterly: when the tailwind components off the 1s starts to get close to 10 knots, that will shut them down and make it a 28s-only day. Pay close attention to the dewpoint spread on clear days: if it’s close, you may get a building breeze and fog or low clouds over the field, which will lead to reduced arrival rates and flow times. Have a Plan B, like SJC or SMF. In the winter, the temperature gradient is smaller, thus the sea breeze is weaker, so you tend not to get as much advection fog. You do occasionally get fog on still nights, so if it’s supposed to be dead calm overnight with a tight dewpoint spread, prepare as well. The outflow from the sea breeze is often a few thousand feet up: keep an eye on the gradients and be prepared to reverse your crab angle departing from the 1s.
Stormy
Most often seen between October and March, stormy weather consists of blustery winds and rain coming in from either the south/southeast or south over the mountains. Typically, this lasts a few days, then returns to sea breeze weather. This usually results in flow delays.
west flow (the norm)
Back in 2010, the airport put out a wonderful document that explains the high-level flow setup and how it interacts with the nearby Oakland and San Jose traffic. Here’s the most common flavor:
Fly SFO Drawing with my annotations of common SIDs and STARs
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Normal crossing runway ops at SFO
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Soupy weather leads to offset ILS approaches and flow delays
As a default, the airport likes to land on the 28s and launch off the 1s. To maximize throughput, they pair up traffic on the visuals and launching in diverging directions from the 1s. Because this works the majority of the time, that’s the capacity that airlines plan for. There’s an old joke that the 1-2-3 rule at SFO means “One cloud below 2000, 3 hours of flow.” Any time they need to deviate from the typical setup, expect delays.
Arrivals to the 28s
During normal operations, you can expect to arrive on the BDEGA (north/northwest), DYAMD (east), or SERFR (southeast). Due to the setup of these, the typical flow is DYAMD to 28R, SERFR to 28L, and BDEGA is a wildcard. I like to keep my MFD on 25 or 12.5 miles further out, and look for traffic on the other arrivals. In low cloudy weather, they run parallel offset ILS approaches. This makes spacing easier for pilots in arriving aircraft, but reduces the gaps to launch on the 1s, and hence causes flow delays.
Arrivals to the 28s
During normal operations, you can expect to arrive on the BDEGA (north/northwest), DYAMD (east), or SERFR (southeast). Due to the setup of these, the typical flow is DYAMD to 28R, SERFR to 28L, and BDEGA is a wildcard. I like to keep my MFD on 25 or 12.5 miles further out, and look for traffic on the other arrivals. In low cloudy weather, they run parallel offset ILS approaches. This makes spacing easier for pilots in arriving aircraft, but reduces the gaps to launch on the 1s, and hence causes flow delays.
If the weather’s nice, expect to get paired up with your “dance partner” about 10-15 miles out. A great way to help the approach controller is to say “Airline 123 has the pairing traffic in sight and will maintain visual separation.” If you merely tell the controller that you see the traffic, they’ll ask you to maintain vis sep within a few seconds, so save the extra chatter if you can. A few particulars with each arrival:
BDEGA: expect either side
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SERFR: if you get slowed early, expect delay vectors up the Peninsula
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Tipp Toe: SIDBY at 5 will give you a steeper approach
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TA/RA mitigation plans at SFO
- BDEGA: here you need to guess the runway. I usually like to plan 28L from ROKME and then add a secondary flight plan leaving CORKK/095 and FMS Bridge Visual 28R (the most common alternative). If they tell you to “expect visual 28R,” clarify if they want FMS or straight in. Sometimes the first controller will give you the FMS, then the second might say “Intercept the localizer” or “Cleared visual 28R.” Clarify if you get this to make sure everyone’s on the same page. As of November 2025, the FMS Bridge Visual has become more common, I suspect to reduce RAs. On 28R they often keep you high above the SSTIK and TRUKN departures (usually 11000), then slam dunk you into a hole. Check your TCAS for inbounds on the DYAMD and try to figure out how fast you need to hustle down. Occasionally you’ll get sent on a left downwind “the long way around” for 28R. In that case, I leave the initial FPL and then have the PM load 28R once they give us a heading. If they need to slow you down for spacing, I like to request high on the arrival to avoid getting too low and wasting fuel.
- SERFR: plan the Tipp Toe 28L. If you cross SIDBY at 5000, you will need to descend more steeply after that. If they need to gain time on you, expect speed 210 and then vectors (usually heading 300) up the Peninsula before turning you back to the northeast for a base.
- DYAMD: usually the most straightforward. Plan 28R, ILS in IMC or FMS Visual or Quiet Bridge in VMC and be on the lookout for TAs from SJC LOUPE and SPTNS traffic.
Threats on the 28s
Traffic/Resolution Advisories (TA/RA)
TA/RA events are fairly common as you converge with your dance partner, especially if you’re on opposite bases, since the runway centerlines are only 750 feet apart. NorCal Approach likes to stagger traffic just a bit to mitigate it, but sometimes slightly different Vrefs or just the nature of the spacing will mean a gradual convergence. There are a couple ways I like to mitigate the RA threat to reduce go-arounds:
- E175-specific: if backing up the visual with an ILS, leave the FMS in LNAV so that it starts the turn to final further out in pink needles, instead of arming APP where it will capture the localizer more aggressively and sometimes overshoot a bit. If your airplane captures the localizer aggressively or overshoots, try using LNAV or backing up the visual with an RNAV approach that has a wider arc for joining, or another appropriate mitigation plan.
- Request the FMS Bridge Visual if assigned 28R: it will keep you further to the north and then merge you in about 3 miles out. NorCal has been assigning this more frequently as of November 2025, I suspect in order to reduce RAs from overshoot joins.
- Hand fly a half dot to the outside of the localizer course, then gradually shimmy over to the middle when you’re 4-5 miles out. The more gradual convergence will be less likely to trigger an alert. This can help if you get a TA because your dance partner overshot their turn.
- If you get a TA, don’t wait for the RA that often follows. Disconnect and hand fly further out to shallow the convergence.
- Plan what an RA-into-go-around would look like. Brief how you plan to respond to a descend or climb RA and how you plan to transition into a go-around maneuver. Chair flying will make it easier when you have to do it for real.
Reading the water will help you make wind adjustments on short final
Wind shifts and puffs
With a strong sea breeze, you may get a 20-40 degree shift in the last 300 feet, so you’ll need to re-crab. Fortunately, you can read the ripples and puffs on the water and plan for the shift before you get there. Look to either side to gauge the wind direction, guesstimate the crosswind component and consequent ∆WCA, and be ready for the appropriate aileron and rudder input and make sure your dance partner catches it too. Don’t get fooled by glassy water just shy of the thresholds: the short fetch means that the breeze hasn’t settled down yet. If you only see 10 knots on the nose aloft and whitecaps on the water, expect a performance gain in the last 200 feet and be ready to lower the nose and ease some throttle.
Wake
Sometimes NorCal likes to put you close behind a heavy, or behind a heavy to the parallel. In such cases, pay attention to the wind direction: there’s a decent chance that the wake gets blown into your lane, either aloft or on short final if there’s a windshift. Flying a dot high and then aiming at the 1500-footers on short final (if your book allows this) should put you 25 feet above their path and still give you enough touchdown zone to play with.
With a strong sea breeze, you may get a 20-40 degree shift in the last 300 feet, so you’ll need to re-crab. Fortunately, you can read the ripples and puffs on the water and plan for the shift before you get there. Look to either side to gauge the wind direction, guesstimate the crosswind component and consequent ∆WCA, and be ready for the appropriate aileron and rudder input and make sure your dance partner catches it too. Don’t get fooled by glassy water just shy of the thresholds: the short fetch means that the breeze hasn’t settled down yet. If you only see 10 knots on the nose aloft and whitecaps on the water, expect a performance gain in the last 200 feet and be ready to lower the nose and ease some throttle.
Wake
Sometimes NorCal likes to put you close behind a heavy, or behind a heavy to the parallel. In such cases, pay attention to the wind direction: there’s a decent chance that the wake gets blown into your lane, either aloft or on short final if there’s a windshift. Flying a dot high and then aiming at the 1500-footers on short final (if your book allows this) should put you 25 feet above their path and still give you enough touchdown zone to play with.
Beware of activating vectors and then dialing in 2 pinks and a lower on long final
Late runway change
If you’re on your own and they’re launching heavies off the 28s, they may give you a late runway change, often in the form of “At the [San Mateo] bridge, sidestep to 28R/L.” A great technique for this in the E175 is to have the loc freq for the other side in the nav standby, then go green needles and flip it over while hand-flying the transition. Something to brief in VMC is the last point at which you’re comfortable accepting the sidestep. Make sure your crew is on the same page before you get there.
Bravo shelves
Sometimes NorCal will give you “Descend 3000” on a base or join leg when you’re further out, then “Cleared visual.” If, like the E175, your airplane defaults to pink FLCH when you arm LNAV and VNAV off the side of your course, you risk ducking out of the Bravo if you dial in the bottom altitude (1800 at DUYET or AXMUL). You want to avoid this because everyone in a GA single crossing from San Carlos or Palo Alto out to the practice areas wants to stay as high above the water as possible and hug the bridges in case their engine quits. If you duck below the shelf, you’ll a) be in their crossing corridor and b) might be doing 200+ under the shelf. I like to use FPA and keep it on or slightly above the path or GS until I’m on lateral and vertical before arming VNAV to mitigate this.
If you’re on your own and they’re launching heavies off the 28s, they may give you a late runway change, often in the form of “At the [San Mateo] bridge, sidestep to 28R/L.” A great technique for this in the E175 is to have the loc freq for the other side in the nav standby, then go green needles and flip it over while hand-flying the transition. Something to brief in VMC is the last point at which you’re comfortable accepting the sidestep. Make sure your crew is on the same page before you get there.
Bravo shelves
Sometimes NorCal will give you “Descend 3000” on a base or join leg when you’re further out, then “Cleared visual.” If, like the E175, your airplane defaults to pink FLCH when you arm LNAV and VNAV off the side of your course, you risk ducking out of the Bravo if you dial in the bottom altitude (1800 at DUYET or AXMUL). You want to avoid this because everyone in a GA single crossing from San Carlos or Palo Alto out to the practice areas wants to stay as high above the water as possible and hug the bridges in case their engine quits. If you duck below the shelf, you’ll a) be in their crossing corridor and b) might be doing 200+ under the shelf. I like to use FPA and keep it on or slightly above the path or GS until I’m on lateral and vertical before arming VNAV to mitigate this.
Rollout and exit
If you’re going to Gates A-D, plan to roll to the 1s, then start braking more assertively to exit at Echo. If you’re going to Gates E-G, plan a downfield exit and tell Tower that when you check in, e.g. “Airline 123 bridge 28L planning Tango.” Ground usually has traffic taxiing eastbound and southbound on Alpha, sometimes also Bravo (e.g. Bravo Fox 28L for heavies), so exiting Echo and going west may block traffic. Occasionally, they’ll send heavies Bravo Echo Charlie 28R and hold them in the middle, so if you’re landing 28R be sure to check that Echo is clear and keep rolling if it isn’t.
If you’re going to Gates A-D, plan to roll to the 1s, then start braking more assertively to exit at Echo. If you’re going to Gates E-G, plan a downfield exit and tell Tower that when you check in, e.g. “Airline 123 bridge 28L planning Tango.” Ground usually has traffic taxiing eastbound and southbound on Alpha, sometimes also Bravo (e.g. Bravo Fox 28L for heavies), so exiting Echo and going west may block traffic. Occasionally, they’ll send heavies Bravo Echo Charlie 28R and hold them in the middle, so if you’re landing 28R be sure to check that Echo is clear and keep rolling if it isn’t.
Plan your exit based on your destination
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Check Echo and skip it if someone else is already there
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Sometimes Tower will tell you something else, like “Plan Echo” or “Roll it to Quebec.” Within reason, you want to clear the 1s promptly so that they can launch the next pair of departures. I’ve heard Tower tell crews to “Expedite through the 1s and exit Echo.” Echo dumps you in a pretty busy area, so switch to Ground promptly. If you exit 28L and your dance partner on 28R got a crossing clearance from Tower, plan to move out of the way quickly. Ground is usually pretty good about giving you an instruction quickly so that you don’t block traffic.
Left heading shortcut off the SSTIK
Departures
Departing off the 1s, you typically get the SSTIK off 1L going south and the TRUKN 1R going north and east. In any case, it’s a good idea to grab numbers for both runways. In the E175 in light winds and low weights, I like to plan 1L/M in case they offer a shortcut (sometimes the #1 aircraft at M1 has a flow time). Be careful doing this when heavy or in a quartering tailwind, as the shorter distance available can then get you a Flaps 4 configuration and more things to reconfigure if they give you 1R.
Some things to look for on the departures:
SSTIK:
Named after Candlestick Park, this one has a sharp left to go south. I like to keep a set speed through the turn, usually 200. The E175 draws the turn at whatever speed you enter, so if you’re just past your acceleration height and you’re speeding up, you will be wide on the radius. In any event, there’s no point in going fast in the wrong direction, so plan to accelerate as you exit the turn. If you see someone launching on the 28s right after you, expect an early turn heading 190, then 160, and up to FL190. This it to get you above, and out of the way of the 28 traffic that’s usually restricted at 3000. I assume they assign 160/190 in that order to ensure that people fly the left chicken jibe instead of punching in heading 160 and then turning right into their launch partner on the TRUKN.
TRUKN
This one’s usually pretty straightforward. Watch for traffic in and out of Oakland, and expect your left crosswind to switch to a right crosswind as you get to the sea breeze outflow.
Departing off the 1s, you typically get the SSTIK off 1L going south and the TRUKN 1R going north and east. In any case, it’s a good idea to grab numbers for both runways. In the E175 in light winds and low weights, I like to plan 1L/M in case they offer a shortcut (sometimes the #1 aircraft at M1 has a flow time). Be careful doing this when heavy or in a quartering tailwind, as the shorter distance available can then get you a Flaps 4 configuration and more things to reconfigure if they give you 1R.
Some things to look for on the departures:
SSTIK:
Named after Candlestick Park, this one has a sharp left to go south. I like to keep a set speed through the turn, usually 200. The E175 draws the turn at whatever speed you enter, so if you’re just past your acceleration height and you’re speeding up, you will be wide on the radius. In any event, there’s no point in going fast in the wrong direction, so plan to accelerate as you exit the turn. If you see someone launching on the 28s right after you, expect an early turn heading 190, then 160, and up to FL190. This it to get you above, and out of the way of the 28 traffic that’s usually restricted at 3000. I assume they assign 160/190 in that order to ensure that people fly the left chicken jibe instead of punching in heading 160 and then turning right into their launch partner on the TRUKN.
TRUKN
This one’s usually pretty straightforward. Watch for traffic in and out of Oakland, and expect your left crosswind to switch to a right crosswind as you get to the sea breeze outflow.
Crosswind increase past the terminals
Threats off the 1s
Crosswinds
In a typical sea-breeze scenario, you’ll have a left crosswind. Starting out in the lee of the terminal buildings, you get a weak crosswind at first. As you pass the terminals and you’ve eased out most of your crosswind input, you get the full breeze, so be prepared to add more left aileron and right rudder promptly to hold centerline. There’s a windsock near Mike and a second one in the Fox/Fox 1 infield. Those should give you a helpful clue as to the expected magnitude of the wind change.
Launch partner
You typically launch right next to someone on the parallel. Usually they clear 1R to go first because a) it’s clear of 28 landing traffic earlier and b) the left crosswind blows the wake clear of 1L so it won’t affect the launch partner if 1R is ahead. Keep your partner in sight and confirm you’re diverging on climbout.
Engine-out procedures
If your engine-out bail out has you make a turn up or down the bay, plan carefully how that will work with your launch partner and arrivals. If you need to cross your launch partner, do you need to duck them? What about their wake? Will you end up near arrivals? Think a few steps downrange and plan to tell ATC quickly so that they can clear everyone else out of the way.
Crosswinds
In a typical sea-breeze scenario, you’ll have a left crosswind. Starting out in the lee of the terminal buildings, you get a weak crosswind at first. As you pass the terminals and you’ve eased out most of your crosswind input, you get the full breeze, so be prepared to add more left aileron and right rudder promptly to hold centerline. There’s a windsock near Mike and a second one in the Fox/Fox 1 infield. Those should give you a helpful clue as to the expected magnitude of the wind change.
Launch partner
You typically launch right next to someone on the parallel. Usually they clear 1R to go first because a) it’s clear of 28 landing traffic earlier and b) the left crosswind blows the wake clear of 1L so it won’t affect the launch partner if 1R is ahead. Keep your partner in sight and confirm you’re diverging on climbout.
Engine-out procedures
If your engine-out bail out has you make a turn up or down the bay, plan carefully how that will work with your launch partner and arrivals. If you need to cross your launch partner, do you need to duck them? What about their wake? Will you end up near arrivals? Think a few steps downrange and plan to tell ATC quickly so that they can clear everyone else out of the way.
Making trees on landing traffic
Traffic landing 28s
As you start the roll on the 1s, there’s a good chance that there’s someone inbound on the 28s. I like to have a common understanding with the other pilot of how close either of us is willing to accept a takeoff clearance, so brief that ahead of time. One additional trick I like to use on the roll is to look over around the thousand-footers or before the 80-knot check to see if we’re “making trees” on the inbounds. You should be making trees by the thousand footers. If you’re not, call attention to it and consider an RTO. If you do need to make an RTO for any other reason, try not to block the 28s, you'll be a sitting duck there.
As you start the roll on the 1s, there’s a good chance that there’s someone inbound on the 28s. I like to have a common understanding with the other pilot of how close either of us is willing to accept a takeoff clearance, so brief that ahead of time. One additional trick I like to use on the roll is to look over around the thousand-footers or before the 80-knot check to see if we’re “making trees” on the inbounds. You should be making trees by the thousand footers. If you’re not, call attention to it and consider an RTO. If you do need to make an RTO for any other reason, try not to block the 28s, you'll be a sitting duck there.
Be ready to bail out onto F2 or C2
Launching 28s
When the westerly picks up or has enough of a southwesterly component that it starts to exceed tailwind limits, SFO switches to a 28s only operation. This obviously reduces the throughput, so the controllers need to get creative about pushing as much tin as they can with what they’ve got. Help them out by being ready for the common curveballs:
When the westerly picks up or has enough of a southwesterly component that it starts to exceed tailwind limits, SFO switches to a 28s only operation. This obviously reduces the throughput, so the controllers need to get creative about pushing as much tin as they can with what they’ve got. Help them out by being ready for the common curveballs:
- Consider the effects of wake from heavies getting blown into your face by 20-30-knot breeze.
- Plan both 28L and 28R (great SEC FPL use case), and if your airplane has the performance, 28L/F2 and 28R/C2. You may occasionally get cut in line if you have a flow time to hit or the full-length traffic needs more time.
- Expect them to switch your runway assignment even if you’re #1 on the hold short. This is why it’s good to be able to swap your flight plan for either side, because you may need to do it a couple times.
- Be alert for traffic on final and if they tell you to line up and wait, be ready to exit F2 or C2 and rejoin the lineup again if the spacing doesn’t work out. It’s usually less disruptive for them to put you back in the conga line than to send an arrival around and re-sequence them.
- Make sure your engine-out plan considers San Bruno Mountain.
Ground ops
Ground ops at SFO are usually pretty straightforward on sea breeze days. If you’re about ready to taxi and see someone clearing on Echo, let them talk first to clear that busy intersection. You can expect the following, with some variation:
- Arriving 28s for Terminals A-D: Echo Alpha or occasionally Echo Bravo then a jog to Alpha.
- Arriving 28s for Terminals E-G: either exit downfield and straight across, or west on Bravo and double back (e.g. Bravo Kilo Alpha to the E gates).
- Departing 1L: plan Alpha Fox 1 Bravo and be ready for them to keep you on Alpha longer if someone exits at Echo.
- Departing 1R: Alpha Alpha 1.
- Departing 28s from Terminals A-C: usually Alpha Lima Fox unless it’s 28s only, then it could be Hotel Lima Fox.
- Departing 28s from Terminals D-G: Alpha then cut to Bravo Fox.
Taxi ops are usually the straightforward part of the SFO adventure
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The gate numbering at SFO is a hot mess
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southeast flow (Stormy weather days)
When bad weather moves in (which in California means temps <15C and any precipitation), the winds usually shift to the south or southeast. Because this results in a sub-optimal setup, they’ll try to keep you in the normal 28s/1s flow operating with crosswinds until it hits the limits. Once that happens, the whole flow gets redone and you get delays. If the TAF shows something like 13015G20 during your arrival window and they’re still doing west flow for now, plan extra fuel and an alternate, even if the ceilings don’t yet demand it.
Fly SFO’s wonderful drawing with some common SIDs and STARs annotated
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Ground ops in Southeast Flow setup
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Arrivals
If your flight plan doesn't yet have it, you'll need to change the STAR:
Departures
Plan 10L/R heading 080 if you’re going north or northeast, and 10R/R heading 100 if you’re going southeast. Be ready for a late change. Expect to taxi Alpha, Bravo, Zulu, Sierra between the runways, and be ready for some shuffling or intersections if you or someone near you has a flow time. If it’s really howling out of the south, expect 19R. If you need 19L for performance, tell them early and expect long delays while they build you a hole in the arrivals queue.
If your flight plan doesn't yet have it, you'll need to change the STAR:
- BDEGA -> STLER
- SERFR -> WWAVS
- DYAMD -> WWAVS
Departures
Plan 10L/R heading 080 if you’re going north or northeast, and 10R/R heading 100 if you’re going southeast. Be ready for a late change. Expect to taxi Alpha, Bravo, Zulu, Sierra between the runways, and be ready for some shuffling or intersections if you or someone near you has a flow time. If it’s really howling out of the south, expect 19R. If you need 19L for performance, tell them early and expect long delays while they build you a hole in the arrivals queue.
conclusions
SFO has a number of unique threats and quirks that can increase your workload if you don’t expect them:
Get in touch with any other feedback or gotchas you may have found, or any other references I should link to make this a better resource.
- Closely-spaced crossing runways result in paired launching and landing with tight spacing. Know where your partner and the crossing traffic should be and have a plan to avoid them.
- Late runway changes: plan and brief the common flavors (wildcard on the BDEGA and “switch at the bridge.”)
- Wind shifts due to the sea breeze: learn how to read the water to anticipate shifts and stay in your lane.
- Complex intersection at Echo/Bravo: let exiting traffic go first and expect modified taxi clearances if there’s a few of you going south on Bravo and Alpha.
- Cloudy/stormy weather: expect flow delays, reduced throughput, and less-common arrival and departure setups. Plan an alternate and extra fuel.
Get in touch with any other feedback or gotchas you may have found, or any other references I should link to make this a better resource.