Recommend any California places to check out?

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aprilrose

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aprilrose
Have only been to a handful of stops in California (NorCal and SoCal) Anyone can recommend some places they have been to or even would be willing to split costs for a weekend day would be great. (?):idea:
 
There are lots of great places. Where are you based? What type of plane?
1) Columbia
2) Bay tour / Half Moon Bay
3) Shelter Cove
4) Oceano
5) Monterey
6) Truckee and South Lake Tahoe

And many, many more.
 
From Sacramento?

Lake Tahoe. Hands down.

There are a number of other places, but that one is the best IMO, and it's not that far from Sacramento.

All the other stuff John mentioned is good (except I haven't checked out Oceano or Shelter Cove yet). To that list, I'd add Catalina and Big Bear, and an overflight of Point Reyes (no airport anywhere near there -- closest is Petaluma).

Get mountain training before trying Tahoe or Big Bear, if you haven't had it already. Both those mountain ranges have significant challenges, and there is a long list of people screwing up the density altitude and going for unscheduled swims (Big Bear) or tree trimming (South Lake Tahoe).
 
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Oh, I see, you are out of Yuba County. I am hangared at Lincoln, so nearby. There are lots of great places. Little River is another good one. We did a fly in there about a month ago to try out the new shuttle and had lunch in Mendocino. My plane isn't up to Tahoe or Big Bear, though my dad lives in Big Bear, so it is tempting, but not safe in a 150 HP Cherokee.
 
First Sunday at Santa Paula, SZP. All the hangers are open with antique aircraft of display.
 
John221us said:
... my dad lives in Big Bear, so it is tempting, but not safe in a 150 HP Cherokee.
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I've been there in a Warrior. It's possible, but maybe not avisible on a hot summer day. Do the performance analysis, and remember that Vy is LOWER at high altitude.
 
I flew to Catalina today for the first time. It's been on my "list" for years, but never had the guts to do it. Something about being over water beyond my glide ratio. With just shy of 1500 hours total time with no engine failures, I figured the odds of having my engine quit during that half-hour were pretty slim.

Anyway, it was a cool trip and they have a little gift shop and cafe there at the airport. Of course, you can take the shuttle bus into Avalon for $40 pp and see the town and eat in the great restaurants there. I highly recommend the trip over.
 
So far, Catalina and Big Bear, haven't come across many really great strips down here.
 
Only problem with South Lake Tahoe is that you have to have some kind of ground transportation lined up if you want to do anything. Most of the other places (e.g. Columbia, Half Moon Bay, Shelter Cove) everything is within walking distance.
 
MAKG1 said:
Get mountain training before trying Tahoe or Big Bear, if you haven't had it already. Both those mountain ranges have significant challenges, and there is a long list of people screwing up the density altitude and going for unscheduled swims (Big Bear) or tree trimming (South Lake Tahoe).
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I'm still a student pilot. All I have left is my checkride...

But I flew up to Big Bear on dual, and then, for my first xc I went back up to Big Bear.

Doesn't it really count as mountain flying? You aren't over mountains much coming from westward directions. I do understand it is high DA. Maybe in the most extreme ambient conditions, and a fully loaded C172 it might be an issue (haven't evaluated it), but BB certainly has a long runway!

I agree there is a need to analyze performance for the DA to be safe, but, in your opinion, what other mountain-specific training would you like to see before going up there?

craigvince said:
Anyway, it was a cool trip and they have a little gift shop and cafe there at the airport. Of course, you can take the shuttle bus into Avalon for $40 pp and see the town and eat in the great restaurants there. I highly recommend the trip over.
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I've been wanting to fly out there. Holy cow, that $40 for a shuttle ride makes the ferry look cheap! Lemme guess...that is one way?
 
jFlight said:
Maybe in the most extreme ambient conditions, and a fully loaded C172 it might be an issue (haven't evaluated it), but BB certainly has a long runway!
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Don't kid yourself. That's a very dangerous airport. At that altitude, a C172 with 2 people in it can be dicey climbing out. I don't mean to offend, but your statement alone indicates you need mountain flying training.
 
craigvince said:
Don't kid yourself. That's a very dangerous airport. At that altitude, a C172 with 2 people in it can be dicey climbing out. I don't mean to offend, but your statement alone indicates you need mountain flying training.
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Amen. I took off from there in a fully loaded 172 last July, and if there had been significant downdrafts my goose would have been cooked. As it was, it was obvious after takeoff that I needed to follow the advice on the sign about where to do my climbout.
 
Looking at the sectional, it seems like the easiest thing to do out of Big Bear if you are worried about it would be to climb over the lake and follow the valley out to the southwest. Looks like a fun airport, I'll be down that way in a month and I'll have to head out there.

2 people in a 172 isnt turrible at 6700', as long as it doesnt have an O300.
 
craigvince said:
Don't kid yourself. That's a very dangerous airport. At that altitude, a C172 with 2 people in it can be dicey climbing out. I don't mean to offend, but your statement alone indicates you need mountain flying training.
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Maybe in summer, and with full fuel, and with a heavy passenger.

Manage your weight, calculate the distance over 50 feet (to get out of ground effect!) given real conditions, and do not extrapolate the takeoff performance table. You'll find that a 172 flown properly can take off at 8000 feet (up to 50 feet) as hot as 40 C at max gross. That's hotter than Big Bear ever gets, and over 1000 feet higher. Even at those numbers, it needs no more than 4000 feet runway. With a 50% margin, you can still take off in the runway allowed. Identify a point of no return on the runway, where you're off the ground or you abort. The middle of the runway ought to work here, and still allow lots of space to come to a stop.

At least some of the "diceyness" of climbout is from not understanding how Vy varies with altitude. If you insist on using sea level Vy in a fully loaded 172, you're going to have some trouble climbing. Another really common and quite serious error is to try to take off full rich. Lean for best RPM (or manifold pressure) during run-up and leave it there. On a hot day, you may even have trouble keeping the engine running (and especially starting it) full rich. And then, there is overloading. Max gross is 2300 lb for a 172N. Don't exceed that. Four adults is a no-no. Do the W&B calculation.

I think you may need to review your mountain training. This airport should be taken seriously with a standard 172, but to say it can't do it is not correct. I wouldn't try it with high winds over the ridges, especially from the south, or with gusty winds on the ground. And correct procedure is quite important. When in doubt, wait for morning. Big Bear is quite dry and it will be substantially cooler (and calmer) in morning.
 
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DavidWhite said:
Looking at the sectional, it seems like the easiest thing to do out of Big Bear if you are worried about it would be to climb over the lake and follow the valley out to the southwest. Looks like a fun airport, I'll be down that way in a month and I'll have to head out there.
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That was my plan in July (other than following the valley to the southwest, since my destination was to the northwest). However, the wind favored taking off away from the lake (to the east), so the proximity to terrain, combined with the lack of climb performance I experienced, made me feel that turning downwind might not be a good idea, so instead I made a slight left turn to climb over a flat area that was recommended by a sign in the runup area.

I've noticed that bodies of water sometimes have downdrafts over them, by the way.
 
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Sonoma skypark
...vineyards galore nearby
 
tlglenn said:
I was in Arcata last month. But, it is very likely you'll have to be on instruments.
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Arcata (Eureka) is, I believe, the third foggiest spot on earth. If you get in, you will need to rent a car. Humboldt Redwoods and Avenue of the Giants is about a 40 minute drive.
 
John221us said:
Arcata (Eureka) is, I believe, the third foggiest spot on earth. If you get in, you will need to rent a car. Humboldt Redwoods and Avenue of the Giants is about a 40 minute drive.
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I can vouch for that. I landed there as an alternate because I couldn't get in to any of the other local airports. Flew the ILS to minimums.
 
I once heard an airliner on frequency flying two missed approaches at Arcata, followed by one at Crescent City. (I decided to divert without even trying an approach.)
 
Egads. I wouldn't expect Crescent City to be much better. Wouldn't Redding make for a better diversion?
 
John221us said:
Arcata (Eureka) is, I believe, the third foggiest spot on earth. If you get in, you will need to rent a car. Humboldt Redwoods and Avenue of the Giants is about a 40 minute drive.
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The airport is also served by public transit. I didn't use it, but that could be adventurous too.
 
tlglenn said:
The airport is also served by public transit. I didn't use it, but that could be adventurous too.
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Being a native Californian, that never crossed my mind. I rented a car and headed to town. It is probably bus service and I seriously doubt it would serve the Humboldt area. It probably just goes to Eureka and the more urban/established areas.:nonod:
 
MAKG1 said:
Egads. I wouldn't expect Crescent City to be much better. Wouldn't Redding make for a better diversion?
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Maybe the reason was that Crescent City would have been a much shorter bus trip for the passengers. Since the airliner tried three approaches before diverting from the coast, I'm assuming they had enough fuel on board to do that and still make it to an area with less iffy weather.

When I heard all this, I was in a Cutlass on a flight from Portland to Palo Alto. I was handed off to another frequency before the airline pilot said where they were going next. I had filed for Arcata, with the idea of having lunch there, but I had been in IMC for a long time and didn't feel like spending my energy on an ILS to minimums. I think my filed alternate was Red Bluff, but the tail wind had been so much stronger than expected that it was clear that I could make it to Santa Rosa with plenty of fuel to spare, so I diverted there. Before getting there, I changed my destination to Palo Alto, making the entire flight non-stop, and I still landed with 1.5 hours in the tanks. I think it was the best tail wind I have ever experienced.
 
aprilrose said:
Have only been to a handful of stops in California (NorCal and SoCal) Anyone can recommend some places they have been to or even would be willing to split costs for a weekend day would be great. (?):idea:
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What would half of your costs be? And by split costs would the other person fly half of the time? Just curious. I am still searching for a "split costs" person. Sacramento is a bit far though.
 
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