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USA: California

Skunk Train

Here are some destinations from another post. These look like fun things to do.

"O.K., so if you dont want to do the cruise, fly into Willits CA., and take the Skunk train trip over to the coast to Fort Bragg, B&B there, and train back.

http://www.skunktrain.com/

GREAT trip.

Mike"
 
Furnace Creek

"I know it sounds horrible but how about Death Valley? There is a nice little resort at Furnace Creek. Temps are always nice in the winter."
Scott VanArtsdalen
 
KLSN - Los Banos

Lots of restaurants and cheap gas at Los Banos. Just outside the airport fence and across one street or another is:
  • Ryan's
  • McDonalds
  • Country Waffles
  • Me-N-Ed's Pizza
 
KMCE - Merced

The Hangar Cafe is right on the field next to transient parking right inside (you guessed it) a hangar.
 
1O3 - Lodi Airpark

Lodi Airport Cafe is right on the field. Also a good place to watch nuts falling out of the sky. (skydiving) :)
 
3O7 - Hollister

Ding-a-ling Cafe is right on the field. Also a great airport to just walk around and poke your nose into hangars. Lot's of treasures at this airport. Still has that WWII feel to it.
 
E45 - Pine Mountain Lake / Groveland

The Corsair Cafe is on the field. Beautiful approaches, beautiful community.
 
Harris Ranch

Best steaks in the state. Dedicated runway (long but 30 ft wide) parallel to I-5 and parking ramp next to the restaurant and hotel.

Bob Axsom
 
Death Valley?

How is the flight to Death Valley, is it worth doing as a day trip out of LA? I'm looking for somewhere to take a spam can 172 a week from Sunday and I was thinking Death Valley might be kind of intersting.

If anyone has any suggestions for a good 2 - 3 hour flight out of LA I'd love to hear them.
 
Bishop

Schatt's Bakery in Bishop is absolutely the best bakery I've found anywhere, and I've been to a lot of places and a lot of bakeries. Been around for approaching 100 years, and it's grown into a major attraction from its humble beginnings making Sheepherder Bread. Take all your credit cards and empty the freezer before embarking.

KBIH is an expansive WWII field with lots of concrete, three runways, no waiting; not much activity. You could walk, about 3 miles, but there is a city operated on-demand bus service, and maybe a lucky catch for a ride to town.

The Owens Valley is bordered by 14,000 foot mountains. 25 kt or more winds aloft across the Sierras will toss you around pretty good. There are much lower passes if you want to make a triangular venture for a long day that includes Death Valley to the east. Keep in mind short days and 172 cruise speeds.

Bishop/Schatt's is worth a trip on its own recognizance.

John Siebold
(now of Boise, missing Schatt's and Trader Joe's)
 
svanarts said:
The Corsair Cafe is on the field. Beautiful approaches, beautiful community.

5 ship with reservations on a saturday. Arrived 1/2 hour early, restuarant in process of closing, was told it was a slow day and eveyone wanted to go home. NEVER AGAIN. :mad:
Tom
northern california
 
Oceano, The Great American Melodrama & Vaudville

We have flown into Oceano and San Louis Obispo and rented cars to go to the Christmas show several times at this theater. It has always been a joy. Their website is http://www.americanmelodrama.com. I think you can actually walk there from the Oceano Airport but I never have. The "Holiday Extravaganza" this year runs from Nov. 17 through December 31.

Bob Axsom
 
CA. destinations

Rosamond skypark (L00; Lima-Zero-Zero) has a great Mexican Cantina, good dinner when I stopped there after flying back to Vacaville (CA) from Copperstate fly-in. Descent gas prices also. The restaurant has airplane parking right in front of the restaurant.

From Rosie: I'm based here and totally agree; great place to eat! Please note the restaurant is open only for dinner Monday-Friday, lunch & dinner on Saturday & Sunday with Champagne Brunch Buffet starting at 10am on Sundays.
 
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tin man said:
5 ship with reservations on a saturday. Arrived 1/2 hour early, restuarant in process of closing, was told it was a slow day and eveyone wanted to go home. NEVER AGAIN. :mad:
Tom
northern california

Went there this morning. Great breakfast. Pretty and friendly waitress. I guess everyone's mileage may vary.
 
Saline Valley

Beautiful mountain lake. Cheap fuel. Courtesy bicycles you can ride about a mile into town. Several restaurants. I've only been there once but it was fun!
__________________
 
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Flabob and French Valley Airport for Breakfast

We went to California over the 2006 Holiday week to see my brother in Loma Linda.

We went to two restaurants on this visit for breakfast. On Saturday we went to Flabob and on Sunday we went to French Valley.


I loved Flabob. It is an old "homebuilders" airport with a great Cafe. I thought the breakfast was great at Flabob and the price was unbelievable.
http://www.flabob.org/home.html

The airstrip is 3200 feet with hills on either side that make your base tight.
I will definitely go back to this one.

Here is a shot of the cafe at Flabob.
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Inside of cafe at Flabob.
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Flabob Menu
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If you go during the week the price for french toast is $3.25. You can't beat this breakfast for the money anywhere.

Flabob DC-3
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Flabob and French Valley Airport for Breakfast

French Valley was a larger airport and it had outside dining right next to the airplane parking which made it nice. Again, it was a great food, priced a little higher but the weather was great to sit outside.

There were some neat planes there when we landed. It also seems to be a popular place for Harley riders. There were a few there eating outside with us.

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KHAF Half Moon Bay

This is a terrific fly-in destination. 5000' runway just south of San Francisco, it is within walking distance (short) of the beach and some fabulous restaurants. Some of the biggest surfing in the world is just off shore if you get there at the right time. Whales cruise by twice a year, etc. etc.
 
o05 - Chester

Beautiful mountain lake. Cheap fuel. Courtesy bicycles you can ride about a mile into town. Several restaurants. I've only been there once but it was fun!
 
Short trip out of LA

jtrusso said:
How is the flight to Death Valley, is it worth doing as a day trip out of LA? I'm looking for somewhere to take a spam can 172 a week from Sunday and I was thinking Death Valley might be kind of intersting.

If anyone has any suggestions for a good 2 - 3 hour flight out of LA I'd love to hear them.


I used to live in SoCal. My favorite lunch trip was Laughlin, NV. Actually, you land across the river in Bullhead City, AZ. You take the free water taxi across the river, then walk up to the Flamingo Hotel & Casino for a $1.99 T-Bone steak lunch. Then go back across to the airport and fly home. Don't feed the slots, though, or that $1.99 T-Bone can get very expensive! :)
 
Columbia

Now that I live in NorCal, my favorite lunch spot is Columbia, CA. It's only a 10 minute walk into town with great shops and restaurants.
 
craigvince said:
I used to live in SoCal. My favorite lunch trip was Laughlin, NV. Actually, you land across the river in Bullhead City, AZ. You take the free water taxi across the river, then walk up to the Flamingo Hotel & Casino for a $1.99 T-Bone steak lunch. Then go back across to the airport and fly home. Don't feed the slots, though, or that $1.99 T-Bone can get very expensive! :)
FYI, you can no longer just walk down to the river and take that quick water taxi. Those bastids built a fargin Home Depot right there. Argh!
 
Only in the Winter!

jtrusso said:
How is the flight to Death Valley, is it worth doing as a day trip out of LA? I'm looking for somewhere to take a spam can 172 a week from Sunday and I was thinking Death Valley might be kind of intersting.

If anyone has any suggestions for a good 2 - 3 hour flight out of LA I'd love to hear them.

Death Valley (Furnace Creek http://www.airnav.com/airport/L06 ) is worth the trip, but don't wait till too much later in the spring. The first time I went was the first Sunday in May, and 1pm departure was already 105 F. Get a good altimeter setting from Joshua Approach on the way in and watch the altimeter unwind past zero on final! :cool: The locals say it's comfortable till the snow melts off the Panamint Range to the west.

You might also try Kern Valley. Semi-challenging approach, and great campground and cafe on the field. http://www.airnav.com/airport/l05
 
Columbia

Went to Columbia (O22) last weekend. Grass strip and very clean camp. (They don't offically open till next month but it's so warm out.:p )
Greate location. Just go early, they roll up the streets early in town.
 
GO SEE THE GEM OF CALIFORNIA

DeltaRomeo said:
starting section
How about Yosemite!

Fly into Mariposi, call ahead and Enterprise will have a car for you. (abt $60) will hold six. Drive 35 miles to Yosmite, pay at the entrance PER CAR and with the map they give you, you can see THE BIG STUFF in about 4-5 hours in the valley. Camera is a must. And don't feed the bears!
A good time in a short period of time.


Warren
 
Central Coast flying

I have to second Oceano as a great place to fly (I'm biased since I'm currently based there). It's walking distance from the beach, there are a number of restaurants to choose from near by, there's a campsite right on the field, or some nice hotels just down the road.

If that doesn't suit you, there's a pleasant little restaurant at San Luis Obispo airport a few miles north. KSBP also has car rentals available at the terminal for anybody wanting to hang around. It is also the home for SLOair, which is the company manufacturing the Nemesis NXT kit.

Finally, Paso Robles (another 20ish miles north) has a great restaurant called Matt's. It's more of a fine dining experience, but well worth it. I've heard it's also a favorite fly in destination for Angelina Jolie, if anybody's into that type of Hollywood stuff.

Paul
 
(former) Castle AFB

Ya gotta go to KMER. Former B-52 base. 12000 foot runway. Neat Air Force museum nearby. See the inside of a B-52 cockpit. Nice gift shop.

Geez, I miss flying in California. But I don't miss the driving.

JCB
 
Furnace Creek April 15th

I didn't make it out to Death Valley earlier this year, but I still want to make that flight.

I'm planning on flying out there for brunch on April 15th. It looks like the temps should be in the high 80's/low 90's, (as good as a forecast is 3 weeks out) so if the weather is good I'm heading out. Thanks for the tips Miles.

Since I'm taking a 172 I can't really fly out there with any RV's, but I can meet you there. If anybody here in SoCal needs an excuse to head out how for a day, how about the brunch at the Furnace Creek Inn? From the comments on AirNav it's supposed to be pretty good.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/L06/FURNACE_CREEK_GAS_STATION#c

John
Planning on building an RV...someday
 
John,

If you can make Tehachapi be on your way, maybe we can make it a two-ship (Cessna 170). I've done the route several times through the "Trona Gap" between Edwards AFB and China Lake NAWS restricted areas, so maybe I can keep us out of trouble. (The G-296 doesn't hurt either! :D )

If round trip gas is an issue, I see that Furnace Creek now has fuel ($4.11 a few weeks ago), but as of yesterday, Tehachapi (KTSP) was $3.26.

Miles
 
Miles,

I think I could modify the flight plan and head out via Tehachapi. I've got to admit even with a Garmin 400 in the panel I'm nervous about flying through the "Trona Gap"...that looks to be about 3.5 miles wide. It would be nice to do it with someone who has done it before.

I'm not sure about the weather though...that might scrap the whole thing if this June gloom sticks around. I don't have my IFR ticket yet....but I am studying.
 
Advice for passing through the SFO and LAX

Hi all,

I am planning to fly my RV9A travel machine to visit my brother in Cyprus CA from Victoria, Canada in about 3 weeks.
Could I get some advice how best to pass trough San Fransisco airspace and the LAX airspace. My destination will be Long Beach (Suggestions for a better airport?).
Is there a website where I can find out "Cheap Avgas" airports? This will help me with my budget.

Thanks,

Pete :D
 
RV9798 said:
I am planning to fly my RV9A travel machine to visit my brother in Cyprus CA from Victoria, Canada in about 3 weeks.
Could I get some advice how best to pass trough San Fransisco airspace and the LAX airspace. My destination will be Long Beach (Suggestions for a better airport?).
Is there a website where I can find out "Cheap Avgas" airports? This will help me with my budget.
Pete,

My 2 cents is...

Getting through San Francisco -- get a copy of the San Francisco Terminal Area Chart. Personally, just go around to the east, or if it's clear, scoot around on the west side and fly down the coast.

But if you want to see the sights, contact Oakland Center within say 100nm of San Francisco, and ask for flight following. They'll hand you off to NorCal Approach, and you can ask them for a Class B clearance for the "Bay Tour." Fly down low and check out the Golden Gate bridge, etc.

Getting through LA -- if you're landing at KLGB the easiest way to get through is via the "Special Flight Rules Area". Definitely snag a copy of the LA Terminal Area Chart. See the back for details. http://skyvector.com lets you see what I'm talking about. On the right side, under "Terminal Area Charts" select Los Angeles, and then zoom in on the bottom inset on the left side. It shows the Special Flight Rules Area transition.

It's easy! Fly to Santa Monica VOR (SMO) and fly off the 132 FROM radial at 3500', squawking 1201 and announcing your position/monitoring on 128.55. You fly right over the top of LAX. You don't need a Class B clearance of any sort. Just keep your eyes peeled for other traffic. Use 3500' SEbound, and 4500' NWbound.

As you exit the SFRA, squawk 1200 again and just head to KLGB. Easy!

Have a GREAT trip down. If you want other RV flying company while you're here just holler. I'm over at KCNO.
 
Pete, not sure what transient fees are at either airport, but you might want to consider Fullerton (KFUL). It may be cheaper and not as busy as LGB. Cypress is about in the middle of both.
 
Chino

dan said:
If you want other RV flying company while you're here just holler. I'm over at KCNO.

Dan,

How many RV's in Chino. I have the feeling it an EAA'rs haven. Except visiting you...is there anything else that make it worthwhile visiting Chino??? ;) I see KCNO it is just a jump and a skip from where my brother lives (Cyprus, CA). I will be going the beginning of May.

Thanks for your advice for LAX and SFO.

Pete
 
Route and fuel

A good source for fuel price and FBO information is www.airnav.com.

Regarding the route, a straight line from BC to the LA Basin is way east of San Francisco, actually east of Reno, but you probably don't want to mess with the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Depending on the weather, the coast route can be spectacular or a complete bust. If the coastal stratus is in, consider going inland.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
RV9798 said:
How many RV's in Chino. I have the feeling it an EAA'rs haven. Except visiting you...is there anything else that make it worthwhile visiting Chino??? ;) I see KCNO it is just a jump and a skip from where my brother lives (Cyprus, CA). I will be going the beginning of May.
There are something like 20 RVs and Rockets at Chino. Weekends are the best times to bump into the most RVators.

KCNO is home to the Planes of Fame Museum, which is worth a look-see. http://www.planesoffame.org

Other than that, and maybe Flo's Cafe, there's not much other than dairy cows. :)
 
TOA this weekend?

Is anyone planning on heading over to TOA (Torrance, Zamperini Field) this weekend to check out Aluminum Overcast? The EAA is touring their B-17 Bomber around the west and this Friday through Sunday it's in Torrance. I'm planning on dropping by Saturday afternoon (by car :rolleyes: ), was wondering if I might see some RV's on the ramp.

-John

Planning on building an RV.....someday
 
jtrusso said:
Miles,

I think I could modify the flight plan and head out via Tehachapi. I've got to admit even with a Garmin 400 in the panel I'm nervous about flying through the "Trona Gap"...that looks to be about 3.5 miles wide. It would be nice to do it with someone who has done it before.

Been there done that NOT FUN!! :D
 
Trona Gap

jtrusso said:
I think I could modify the flight plan and head out via Tehachapi. I've got to admit even with a Garmin 400 in the panel I'm nervous about flying through the "Trona Gap"...that looks to be about 3.5 miles wide. It would be nice to do it with someone who has done it before.

I've flown the Trona Gap several times with just a Garmin 295. Piece of cake! If you're nervous about it, take along Flight Following (while it's still free). They're real good at warning you if you get close. Without a GPS, though, I wouldn't try it at all.
 
I did it without a GPS... Made it but i kept looking over my shoulders waiting for some fighters to start doing laps around me.. LOL
 
Auburn

Set KAUN in your GPS dial, and fly in for breakfast or lunch! Wings Cafe is the place to see and be seen by the folks in the know!
 
BIG BEAR!!

Big Bear is a nice a mountain airport. Excellent runway, free parking, friendly staff, and you can take an hourly shuttle (for 1 dollar!) into town for lunch/dinner. Be sure and make a careful check of the weather and your acft performance numbers before heading to this beautiful destination, the elevation is around 6,700'.

Chuck Olsen
RV-7A
TSP
 
Ya gotta go to KMER. Former B-52 base. 12000 foot runway. Neat Air Force museum nearby. See the inside of a B-52 cockpit. Nice gift shop.

Geez, I miss flying in California. But I don't miss the driving.

JCB

Flying into Castle is wild, the runway has it's own micro-climate it's so big! Many of the better fliers here could land ACROSS the runway! (400') Be sure to use a horizon reference when you land there. Every visual cue is messed up by the huge size of the place. The museum is cool, they have a SR-71B (trainer) perhaps the only one. The highlight for me though is the partial B36. What a monster. Only the C5-A is more intimidating.
Bill Jepson
 
New Restruant opened at Bakersfield, CA

A new restruant just opened on the airport at Bakersfield, CA. (L45)

John Harmon just opened a restruant December 1, 2007 at the north end of the airport near the local EAA chapter hangar.

I just heard it opened today (right after lunch), so I haven't had an opportunity to try it out yet.

Jim Ayers
 
Bakersfield Warning and Paso Robles

Be very carefull not to walk from the self serve pumps to the FBO across an empty ramp in front of the "International Wing" as they call it. Completely empty and closed up with no aircraft around - I was practically hauled off to jail for crrossing some line on the tarmac. Don't you feel so much safer knowing they have a guard watching an empty ramp in Bakersfield? :rolleyes:

Had a wonderful lunch at a very nice restaurant in the terminal at Paso Robles on Sunday. Beautiful wine country and they have their own label. Couldn't partake but may stay next time and imbibe. :D
 
Monterey

I went through the whole set of entries for California and I could not find one mention of the place we liked to fly to each year when I lived in Orange County. That place is Monterey. If you have read the novels of John Steinbeck the area has a special quality. It is a place to fly to and explore from San Simeon to Santa Cruz and everything in between along California Highway 1. The flight in is spectacular no matter which direction you come from. The Gallery of the New Masters in Carmel used to sell Stan Stokes aviation original oil paintings - not sure of the situation now. The number of fine restaurants is large. Very surprised that it hasn't been mentioned.

Bob Axsom
 
Place to fly to.

jtrusso Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 40

Death Valley?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How is the flight to Death Valley, is it worth doing as a day trip out of LA? I'm looking for somewhere to take a spam can 172 a week from Sunday and I was thinking Death Valley might be kind of intersting.

If anyone has any suggestions for a good 2 - 3 hour flight out of LA I'd love to hear them.



How about Las Vegas? take lots of money, last time I went I had to drive out in a $10,000 car and got to be chuffered back in a $500,000 buss! ;)

If your in Norther California try AUN, great breakfast and lunch.
 
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