Quality downloads for your Flight SimulatorsQUALITY FILES FOR FLIGHT SIMULATORS
Log in
Login into your account
Register
Or login with

All plansHistoric flight plans
Historic flight plan

1930-1933: Air Ferries, seaplanes across San Francisco Bay

A Michel Lagneau historic route presented as a clear cockpit briefing, ready to help you prepare the simulator, follow each stopover and enjoy the journey.

Period1930AuthorMichel LagneauReading3 min
12Waypoints~ 290 kmDistance2Segments

Interactive route, leg by leg, with animated playback.

Real route map

Approximate track based on the article waypoints and available aeronautical coordinates.

01Tourist landmarks02Operational loop
Coordinates: OurAirports + historical points
Pre-flight briefing

Air Ferries, seaplanes across San Francisco Bay

01

Understand the mission

Start with the historic context: it sets the atmosphere, aircraft choice and overall logic of the journey.

02

Prepare the simulator

Check scenery, recommended aircraft, fuel and weather before launching the first leg.

03

Follow the legs

Use the airport codes, flying times and route notes to build your navigation leg by leg.

04

Enjoy the journey

Let the route shape the experience: adjust lighting, document waypoints and take time to rediscover the story.

Historic flight plan

Michel Lagneau route notebook

Settle into the cockpit, prepare your aircraft and follow the journey as a proper historic crossing.

Michel Lagneau

The shortest and most scenic air ferry

From 1930, Air Ferries Ltd operated amphibious seaplane links between San Francisco, Oakland and Vallejo. The concept feels surprisingly modern: use water as natural infrastructure and bring passengers into the city center.

The route recreates San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz, Yerba Buena, the Golden Gate, Angel Island, Tiburon, Richmond, Mare Island and Vallejo, then extends toward Sacramento, Stockton, Oakland and Alameda.

Period1930-1933
AirlineAir Ferries Ltd
Suggested aircraftSikorsky S-43, amphibious Caravan or equivalent
NavigationGPS, coordinates and VFR flying

Setting the scene

  • Here, Golden Gate first means the entrance to the bay: the bridge was built only between 1933 and 1937.
  • Place the seaplane on the water near the San Francisco Ferry Building, gear retracted.
  • The charm is in the rhythm: short takeoff, urban overflight, accurate water landing, then another departure.

Suggested route

Sightseeing references

This chapter sets the logic of the Sightseeing references segment: move step by step without compressing the historical progression.

KSAC → Q87 → NAS → NGZ

Operational loop

This chapter structures the Operational loop segment with regular legs and distances to monitor in the navigation block.

Navigation steps

  1. Sightseeing referencesSan Francisco Ferry Building → Alcatraz → Yerba Buena → Oakland terminal bay overflights
    San Francisco → Golden Gate → Angel Island → Belvedere → Tiburon → San Quentin → Vallejo scenic route
  2. Operational loopSan Francisco / water area 37 47 48 N, 122 23 37 W → Vallejo 44 NM
    Vallejo → Sacramento Executive KSAC 30 NM
    Sacramento KSAC → Stockton / Lost Isle Q87 41 NM
    Stockton Q87 → Oakland / water area 3 NM
    Oakland → Alameda NAS NGZ → San Francisco 3 NM then return

© Michel Lagneau 2018