Reid-Hillview (RHV) of Santa Clara County, is a small, primarily general aviation airport located on the southeast side of the city of San Jose, California. It is less than 5 miles southeast of the larger Norman Y Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), with a similar runway configuration. These two airports are so close that they are often mistaken for one another, even with the considerable difference in size. Reid-Hillview has its own Class Delta airspace that is adjacent to and underneath the Class Charlie airspace at San Jose. Two large freeways depicted on the Terminal Area Chart define this boundary. On the rare occasion that RHV is landing on runway 13 left and right, pilots need to be aware of the close proximity of the SJC Class Charlie airspace, and expect specific pattern entry instructions - especially when inbound from the south. A complete understanding of the requirements to operate in these different types of airspace is essential in avoiding inadvertent airspace violations.
1:40 - The traffic mix
2:06 - The airport configuration consists of two closely space parallel runways with full length parallel taxiways: runways 13 left and right, and 31 left and right.
2:45 - The most common wrong surface surface risk at RHV occurs at night. Details on why this occurs and mitigation strategies.
3:51 - To address wrong surface events where an aircraft lines up to or lands on the incorrect runway, taxiway, or airport, the FAA released Arrival Alert Notices (AAN) at various airports with a history of misalignment risk. View the RHV Arrival Alert Notice here: www.faa.gov/airports/runway_s...
4:44 - Short distances between hold short lines at RHV and the signage is on the right side of the taxiway instead of the standard left.
5:46 - Hot spot 1 is located at the intersection of taxiways Delta, Zulu, and Yankee.
6:09 - Hot Spot 2 is another congested area located at the intersection of taxiways, Yankee, Zulu, Alpha, and the runway 31 right run-up area. There is also a risk of wrong surface departure.
6:48 - Hot Spot 3 highlights a potential hazard when approaching or departing from runway 13L, or it's reciprocal runway, 31R.
7:45 - An additional area of concern that is common at many airports, is the fact that taxiways Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo provide direct access from ramp areas to the runways.
8:26 - Take note of the taxiway Charlie turn-off from runway 13 left, 31 right. It is a large area of concrete with several different lead-off lines.
The FAA's From the Flight Deck video series uses aircraft-mounted cameras to capture runway and taxiway footage and combines them with diagrams and visual graphics to clearly identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive items. Learn more at www.faa.gov/FromTheFlightDeck
This video is informational only and does not replace the pilot’s responsibility to conduct required pre-flight planning in accordance with FAR 91.103.