Landmarks and VFR Checkpoints

When you fly by sight, you find your way with landmarks. The sectional marks the ones you can see from the air. A short word next to a small black symbol names a landmark. Near Spreckels, it says silos. Near Watsonville, it says railroad yard. Tall obstacles make good landmarks too. The Moss Landing stacks stand 500 feet above the ground.

A black line with cross ticks is a railroad. A double gray line is a divided highway, here U.S. 101. Both run down the Salinas Valley. Magenta flags mark VFR checkpoints. The underlined name is the proper name of the checkpoint.

Around Salinas, you can find six: Salinas, Spreckels, Marina Muni, Moss Landing, Carmel Valley Vintage and Los Padres Dam. A checkpoint can be a town, an airport or a dam. Carmel Valley Vintage shows a circle with an X. That symbol marks an abandoned paved airport with landmark value.

ATC uses these checkpoints. When you report your position, use the underlined name. Before you fly, pick the landmarks and checkpoints along your route. Then tick them off as you pass each one.