Lodi, CA

n2230b

n2230b

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Feb 11, 2012
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SouthFlatistan/West Slope
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fast eddie
Howdy,

Going to spend some time in Lodi, CA. Can anyone comment about the area flying scene. Would like to rent inexpensively and explore. Any thoughts or observations will be appreciated.

Thanks,
 
I'm sorry.

Check out the airports nearby and then use airnav to find what businesses are at the airport. Or you can use google to find the airports directly and usually find businesses that way.

First hit I found doing this, there's an outfit at Lodi Airport called the Acampo flying club. https://flyacampo.com/instructors/ Rates look reasonable, you need to call them to make sure they're open. A lot of California is closed.
 
While Lodi itself gets some hard knocks, you are right in the center of great flying destinations. (I live a 20 minute flight from there). You can hop over and check out San Francisco Bay area and the coast. Go north up the Central Valley and check out the Sacramento delta - and the massive amount of rice paddies. Go a little farther and check out the Buttes.

Fly east to Columbia Airport and take a walk into the historic town (not sure how it stands with the virus). Columbia has a grass strip, in addition to the paved one. Or go a little farther and check our Yosemite National Park. The Sierra foothills are beautiful with the snow capped mountains in the distance.

For a bucket list meal, a short flight south will take you to Harris Ranch (fly-in) where you can have a great steak.

Check out my You Tube page for some (non-edited) videos of flying in this beautiful area. https://www.youtube.com/user/gawebm/videos

The Central Valley can get warm in the summer so plan to fly early.
 
I was wondering when somebody was going to post CCR...
 
Thanks lndwarrior.
The level of enthusiasm is non-reasuring.
Just be there for work 1 wk per month.
Hope i dont get mugged.
Sounds awesome as a hub for aerial points of interest.
 
n2230b said:
Thanks lndwarrior.
The level of enthusiasm is non-reasuring.
Just be there for work 1 wk per month.
Hope i dont get mugged.
Sounds awesome as a hub for aerial points of interest.
Click to expand...

To be clear - Lodi is not a bad place. That song has done more to hurt it's rep than it deserves. It's a growing town as a result of the spread of Sacramento. You are close to the myriad of waterways of the Sacramento River delta. Seriously, Lodi is a nice little town.

This is NOT Bakersfield - or Lancaster...
 
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Here's the website for Lodi Airport, but you may have already checked it out. https://lodiairport.com/airport-services-information/ There are many nice destinations you can access by airplane from there. I don't know about Lodi in particular, but there is plenty of GA activity in the general area.

There's also the sandhill cranes and the sandhill crane festival. Interesting, they've already canceled the festival for November 2020. https://www.cranefestival.com/index.php

I was going to view the sandhill cranes with some friends a few weeks after the festival last year, but a storm moved in so they canceled. Otherwise I would have had a first-hand report about Lodi.
 
Big wine grape region. Lots of wineries source from there.
 
Everskyward said:
Here's the website for Lodi Airport, but you may have already checked it out. https://lodiairport.com/airport-services-information/ There are many nice destinations you can access by airplane from there. I don't know about Lodi in particular, but there is plenty of GA activity in the general area.

There's also the sandhill cranes and the sandhill crane festival. Interesting, they've already canceled the festival for November 2020. https://www.cranefestival.com/index.php

I was going to view the sandhill cranes with some friends a few weeks after the festival last year, but a storm moved in so they canceled. Otherwise I would have had a first-hand report about Lodi.
Click to expand...
Sandhill cranes are tasty critters.
 
bflynn said:
Other than being in California you mean?
Click to expand...

Worse...Central California.

Whatever you do, don't go skydiving there. Only 21 people have died being meat rockets from that airport. No idea how they are still in business...and I need their insurance brokers number, he must be good!
 
I firmly adhere to the approach that if it ain’t on fire, don’t jump out .
Thanks to all for the info and observations.
 
Lndwarrior said:
To be clear - Lodi is not a bad place. That song has done more to hurt it's rep than it deserves. It's a growing town as a result of the spread of Sacramento. You are close to the myriad of waterways of the Sacramento River delta. Seriously, Lodi is a nice little town.

This is NOT Bakersfield - or Lancaster...
Click to expand...

Bakersfield would be the nicest city in 35 states

bflynn said:
Other than being in California you mean?
Click to expand...

Envy smells like desperation
 
Shawn said:
Worse...Central California.

Whatever you do, don't go skydiving there. Only 21 people have died being meat rockets from that airport. No idea how they are still in business...and I need their insurance brokers number, he must be good!
Click to expand...

Guessing their insurance broker is named Mister Waiver or Mister Totally Poorbaggins McJudgement-proof. My money is on the latter.
 
Spoke with a local cfi out of sacramento today. Advised me that marine layers are a significant impediment to flying west along the coast and that summertime density alt concerns make it difficult to fly east over the mts to yosemite or tahoe. My interest is sightseeing not imc. But they sounded discouraging. Is the weather-visibility-DA really that bad this time of the year?
 
n2230b said:
Spoke with a local cfi out of sacramento today. Advised me that marine layers are a significant impediment to flying west along the coast and that summertime density alt concerns make it difficult to fly east over the mts to yosemite or tahoe. My interest is sightseeing not imc. But they sounded discouraging. Is the weather-visibility-DA really that bad this time of the year?
Click to expand...
Today the marine layer was back, but it's been sunny all day the past few days, all the way to the coast. In any case, you wouldn't be IMC unless you are planning to fly very low... or land at a coastal airport. Even a few miles inland sometimes makes a big difference. Also tends to clear up in the afternoons. True that the DA in the mountains needs to be considered, though.
 
Thanks skyward. SOFLA can be a pia sometimes, in our case afternoon TS in monsoon season like now. But with a little local knowledge and timing you can get where you want to go and see what you want to see. That central CA area is so unique and scenic......what I need is some of that local knowledge.
 
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