Just Moved to the SF Bay Area

bunchjesse

bunchjesse

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
12
Location
San Francisco
Display Name
Display name:
Jesse Bunch
Hey Everyone!

I'm a private pilot who just moved to San Francisco from Nashville and am looking to get plugged in to the local pilot community. I'm currently renting and would love to find a DA40 available for rent. Any tips on renting, events, clubs, etc?

Thanks!
 
Speaking of the Bay area... where has Kimberly been hiding?
 
Oh, it's all about Kimberly. Never about Sac Arrow. Well well.

(Just joking.)


She hides in Sausalito, directly across from the City to the North of the Golden Gate.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Speaking of the Bay area... where has Kimberly been hiding?
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I'm not hiding.

I just prefer airplanes in the flesh.

(Rather than airplanes on the internet.)

Plus being single I've been busy.

If and when I settle down I might have more time for the interwebs.

Oh and if I was rich I wouldn't need 2 jobs to pay the rent on my 297 square foot studio apartment with DROP CEILING (ex-warehouse).
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Oh and if I was rich I wouldn't need 2 jobs to pay the rent on my 297 square foot studio apartment with DROP CEILING (ex-warehouse).
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Drop ceiling. Eww.
But Sausolito is nice... been forever since I was there last, but I remember it fondly.
It's often about trade-offs... I live in a 12000-sq-ft loft with 13-foot ceilings, exposed brick and hardwood floors (OK, it's 100 years old and shows it, but it's got funky charm). My personal space is bigger than your apartment, parking is free, it's close to public transit, and my share of the rent and utilities is probably cheaper.
But it's in Newark, next to the highway and the railroad tracks, and on windy days, the garbage in the streets blows around like tumbleweeds. And sometimes hookers poop in the parking lot. :rolleyes2:
 
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kimberlyanne546 said:
I'm not hiding.

I just prefer airplanes in the flesh.

(Rather than airplanes on the internet.)

Plus being single I've been busy.

If and when I settle down I might have more time for the interwebs.

Oh and if I was rich I wouldn't need 2 jobs to pay the rent on my 297 square foot studio apartment with DROP CEILING (ex-warehouse).
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297 square foot apartment in Sausalito , you must be rich ! Just kidding . Not really. I lived in that area long long long long long time ago , and Sausalito was always one of my favarite places to visit. I remember there was a hamburger place there not bigger than 150 sf with grill in front window and you could smell the burger cooking on hot grill from mile away . I miss those days ! :sad:
 
ainokea said:
Welcome! What part of the bay are you in? Do you actually live in SF? West Valley Flying Club has one in Palo Alto.

http://www.wvfc.org/a/wvfc.org/template-2/aircraft/n566ds
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I'll definitely check them out. My fiancé and I just signed a lease for a place in San Francisco. I'm looking for a good "stick and rudder" instructor to continue my training as well as a flying club to get involved with. Any suggestions or leads would be appreciated!
 
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bunchjesse said:
Hey Everyone!!
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Welcome!
Never liked Palo Alto airport, too congested, often road traffic problems, limited approaches, etc. But for some who live in proximity of that airport it could be a natural choice.

My preference is for airports at Hayward, Livermore, Concord Buchanan Field.
 
Well, for that matter if you're going to go that far out of the City you should consider Napa County (KAPC), which is on the Northern edge of Vallejo (technically American Canyon but I don't consider it a real city) and not all that far away.
 
WVFC has a site at SQL as well. Closer to the city, and as an added bonus, you can flip the bird to Larry Ellison when taking off on 30 or landing on 12.

Traffic is a problem throughout the bay area, and SFO limits approach options.

Too bad Crissy Field has been closed for decades...
 
If you're living in the City and looking north, there's Petaluma, where Kim flies. Petaluma would be a shorter drive than some others that have been mentioned (Napa, Concord, Livermore, Hayward). Seems like it was only about 30 minutes from the GG Bridge.
 
Hmm I viewed Petaluma as being further but I guess if you went North over the GG on the 101 to the 37 it wouldn't be too bad. I would have done Bay Bridge to the 80 for Napa.
 
I guess it depends on where in SF the OP lives or will be living. From where I normally stay in SF it's much easier to get to the GG Bridge than the Bay Bridge. I wouldn't even think of driving to Napa on 80. I would go the other way, through Marin.
 
Thanks everyone! We'll be living in Noe Valley so something at avoids traffic would be a bonus. I've looked at a few clubs in the area online. Is there much of a pricing advantage to joining a flying club?
 
bunchjesse said:
Thanks everyone! We'll be living in Noe Valley so something at avoids traffic would be a bonus. I've looked at a few clubs in the area online. Is there much of a pricing advantage to joining a flying club?
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Locally, "flying club" seems to mean "FBO with a recurring membership fee." It's not what people usually mean by the term -- a form of a partnership.

So, no, there isn't any pricing advantage.

If you want lower prices, go out into the boonies. Like Petaluma or Watsonville. The tradeoff is that you'll have a lot fewer aircraft available, and they'll pretty much all be 172s or PA28s, with a couple of HPs thrown in. Watsonville has exactly one complex aircraft on the line, for instance -- a very cramped Mooney M20J. And that's over four flying clubs / FBOs.
 
If you keep money on account (no fees monthly or otherwise) - you can get my plane for 80 bucks. Wet.

Sure after 2 years they raised it to 88.

But still that's the cheapest in Northern CA. Hands down. It is a C150 but I love it.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
If you keep money on account (no fees monthly or otherwise) - you can get my plane for 80 bucks. Wet.

Sure after 2 years they raised it to 88.

But still that's the cheapest in Northern CA. Hands down. It is a C150 but I love it.
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Where is your plane? Where can I find out more?
 
I live in the south bay and fly out of Palo Alto, but for living in SF, OAK or HWD would probably be good options since you can BART to them.
 
Everskyward said:
I guess it depends on where in SF the OP lives or will be living. From where I normally stay in SF it's much easier to get to the GG Bridge than the Bay Bridge. I wouldn't even think of driving to Napa on 80. I would go the other way, through Marin.
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Amen to that. When we lived in Napa (late 1970s) that was the standard way to The City. Black Point Cutoff, then down 101. Even when I was a kid in the 1950s living in Davis we'd take that route. US 40 (for those who remember the days before the interstates) to Vallejo, then cut over. Of course, in the days before the Richmond Bay Bridge (I am showing my age) it was also cheaper than taking the ferry across. :D
 
If you fly a lot per month it might be worth joining a flying club. If not, pay the non member fees. If you wanna avoid traffic and tolls than SQL might be your best bet.
 
ainokea said:
If you wanna avoid traffic and tolls than SQL might be your best bet.
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SQL sits by 101, a constant traffic irritant during certain hours (plus SQL sits in nasty airspace). On the other hand going through the Golden Gate Bridge and/or the Bay bridge can also be problematic. In short for someone who lives in the city of SF there are no easy choices, HWD and OAK have train access like someone smartly remarked.
 
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olasek said:
SQL sits by 101, a constant traffic irritant during certain hours (plus SQL sits in nasty airspace). On the other hand going through the Golden Gate Bridge and/or the Bay bridge can also be problematic. In short for someone who lives in the city of SF there are no easy choices, HWD and OAK have train access like someone smartly remarked.
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From Noe Valley, I think SQL will be the least bad option in terms of traffic - and you can always take 280. Longer, but generally the traffic is moving much better than 101 and it's a much prettier drive. No DA40s at SQL, though, at least as far as I can recall.
 
Welcome to the neighborhood OP! I like San Francisco quite a bit and visit frequently. As others have said, look North to get your hands on a nice rental. There's some fantastic places to fly in Sonoma County!
 
olasek said:
SQL sits by 101, a constant traffic irritant during certain hours (plus SQL sits in nasty airspace). On the other hand going through the Golden Gate Bridge and/or the Bay bridge can also be problematic. In short for someone who lives in the city of SF there are no easy choices, HWD and OAK have train access like someone smartly remarked.
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Gonna have to agree with Chucky. :)

880 is worse than 101. 101 is not bad at all. I drive through it everyday and during rush hour with traffic. Taking 280 adds more miles but can be shorter in time.

If you still take BART you have to think about how you're gonna get from the BART station to the airport.

To the OP. If you go to SQL check out SCFC. :) Dan is a good guy. :)
 
That does defy conventional logic, doesn't it.
 
bunchjesse said:
Thanks everyone! We'll be living in Noe Valley so something at avoids traffic would be a bonus. I've looked at a few clubs in the area online. Is there much of a pricing advantage to joining a flying club?
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Since you will be living in SF proper, it might be worth going north, as Everskyward mentioned. Petaluma Pilot Training Center is a good outfit, the owner knows his stuff, and the rates, as Kimberly mentioned, are very good. Plus you'll fly out of an uncrowded airport in a really nice area. My airplane is at PAO and while the peninsula is ok to fly from, SQL's proximity to SFO keeps you on your toes regarding airspace.
Welcome, and enjoy this area!
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
There are only 7 days in a week. Match dot com is exhausting. You try going out on a zillion first dates. Wears you down after a few months.
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When I tried it, the number of people who used way outdated photos on their profiles made me think that there must be a lot of people who enjoy going on first dates.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
There are only 7 days in a week. Match dot com is exhausting. You try going out on a zillion first dates. Wears you down after a few months.
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Why don't you be more conventional and troll a bar or a gym?
 
Sac Arrow said:
Why don't you be more conventional and troll a bar or a gym?
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I thought match.com was the conventional choice these days.

Old fart. I'll bet you still have a corded phone, too (for the record: pot, kettle, black -- I even have one that has an actual dial on it).
 
MAKG1 said:
I thought match.com was the conventional choice these days.

Old fart. I'll bet you still have a corded phone, too (for the record: pot, kettle, black -- I even have one that has an actual dial on it).
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It isn't an issue of being old school, it's an issue of having to resort to contrived and/or hired means of recruiting partnership. Back in the old days before the Internet they had "dating services" which were the predecessor to Internet dating sites. People that did that paid a fee, someone would review their dossier, and hook them up with a "compatible" person.

But there was always a stigma associated with that. "So, where did Lieutenant Evans meet his wife?" (translation, he couldn't do better than THAT?)

"They met through a dating agency." (translation, I'm not trying to be condescending, but you had to go there.)

Long pause. "Oh." (translation, he has a small penis and that explains his lack of personal skills.)
 
LOL - hot girl having a hard time finding a good date.

*shakes head*
 
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