Reid Hillview

Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose (RHV) is my home base. It is very conveniently located, about 5 miles East of the city center, right next to the large Eastridge Mall. On the photo below the Mall is the set of white buildings surrounded by trees in the middle of the picture. From Eastridge, buses go anywhere in the City and many other places in Silicon Valley. Also close is Lake Cunningham Park - the lake in the picture - with its Raging Waters aquatic theme, and just East of the lake the Pleasant Hills municipal golf course. So you can fly in, have a game of golf, splash around at Raging Waters, shop at the mall and eat at one of the eateries there, all within walking distance. Mirassou Winery is a few miles further away but worth the visit if you have wheels.

RHV is a tower controlled airport and has its own Class D airspace truncated on the West by San Jose's Class Charlie. The airport has two runways (13L-31R and 13R-31L) about 3000' long. The prevailing winds favor runways 31. The boundary conveniently follows US101 on the SW side and I680 on the NW so it is easy to avoid penetrating the Class C.

RHV does have some interesting peculiarities.

Arriving on short final over the Mall, you can expect sudden turbulence due to the heated air rising off the tarmac of the large parking lot. This will (usually) cease just as suddenly as you pass across Tully Road and over the fence.

Departing VFR from runway 31R, you are expected to execute the Quiet One Departure:- turn right 20° to a heading of 330° after crossing the airport boundary. This avoids a couple of schools and also allows you to miss the corner of Class C airspace directly ahead. You are expected to do this even if remaining in the pattern or departing downwind.

Runway 31L-12R is not lighted at night. While the tower is open (10pm local) it is available on request, if you wish to practice your lights out landings. Despite being surrounded by bright city lights, or maybe because of it, this runway is very hard to see in the dark. The markings start being visible only just about as you reach flare height.

There are two taxiways parallel to the runways, nos 1 and 2, both on the NE side of the twin runways. No 2 is the one nearest Rwy 31R-13L. Occasionally you may be told to taxi via the "inside ramp", which starts by the "old fuel island". The old fuel island is opposite taxiway D, and the inside ramp is the path between the airplanes on the transient parking area and the airport terminal building, and beyond.

There are no longer any eateries on the field. The Red Baron has been closed for many years but the space is still available. Anyone interested in starting a restaurant? The area around the airfield is not overly endowed with good eating places, the airport has got a lot busier, and there has been much housebuilding nearby, so maybe this time round it would succeed. For the hungry, the Airport Shoppe has sandwiches and cold drinks (open every day 10 till 5:30).

Fuel is available 24 hrs from a self service credit card pump, and from tankers during the day.

RHV does not have an instrument approach yet. A GPS approach is supposedly in the works. In the meantime, if the conditions are not too bad, the common practice is to shoot an approach into SJC and divert VFR or SVFR to RHV.

For VFR arrivals, there are a number of "well known" reporting points. Coming in from the North or North-East, you will probably be coming over the Calaveras Reservoir in the hills between Fremont and Livermore. Calaveras is a common reporting point. If instead you are following the I680 freeway, Embassy Suites is an easily distinguishable, large, pinkish, Spanish style building next to the freeway in Milpitas. That is the other common reporting point NE of the field. In both cases expect to be told to report on the 45 for 31R. If there is not much traffic the tower will agree to a downwind entry when requested.

From the South, you will either be paralleling US101 North, in which case close to where freeways 85 and 101 meet there is a set of large flat topped factory buildings - which is the IBM plant on Cottle Rd. Report IBM when calling in. Most arrivals from the South and South East tend to arrive over the low range of hills containing the Anderson reservoir. At the North end of the reservoir is a collection of widely spaced industrual buildings, spread about the hills. This is UTC, and the buildings are spaced so far from each other to prevent an explosion in one from setting off explosions in the others. They make rocket fuel there! UTC is the common reporting point. Whether from IBM or from UTC, expect straight in for 31L, with last minute change to 31R if traffic permits. The controllers try to save you taxi time. You will usually be asked to report 3 mile final. If you are lined up with the runways, around 3 miles from the field, you will notice a conveniently placed round tank just to the left of your path.

You may ask, what if I want to arrive directly from the East. You can, if you are happy to be flying over some very rugged terrain, with few roads, little water, and few places to land. Mount Hamilton is the tallest peak at 4400', with the white domes of the Lick Observatory on top. Since the prevailing winds are from the West or North-West, you will also encounter rough air over the hills. If you insist, report Mt Hamilton and expect right base for 31R.

From the West you would usually be in contact with Bay Approach or San Jose tower prior to being handed over to RHV tower. There is an established procedure for arrivals from San Jose. Presumably you will be low enough to be in the Class C and you will probably have been handed over to San Jose tower, and the same applies if you are taking off from San Jose. As soon as you are East of SJC, you will be told to contact RHV tower and if you had flight following, radar services will be terminated. You will also likely be told to enter RHV class D at or above 1500'.Fly towards the 101/280/680 freeway interchange and report approaching the interchange. On your chart, the interchange is in the corner of the class C airspace directly West of RHV. You will most likely be told to report left downwind for 31L.

Come and visit sometime!