Airport/Rental in Northern Cal area…

[duc750sport]

Hey all..
I'll be traveling to San Francisco and would love to get checked out and rent to fly a little while I'm out there. Any suggestions to airports with rentals.. I may be reaching but I'd prefer a low wing (Archer-Cherokee) if possible.
Anything closest to the Los Gatos, Pal Alto, Sunnyvale area would be best..
Thanks all..

 

[SCCutler]

Sundance at KPAO is reputed to be excellent.

http://www.flysundance.org/index.php

 

[MAKG1]

Yup, Sundance has an Archer and two Warriors on the line. One Warrior is down for technical airworthiness reasons (the data plate was missing from the engine at last annual, and a replacement is being procured). The other and the Archer are equipped with 430s, and the Archer has an Aspen panel and coupled autopilot.

They also have two Bonanzas on the line if you have the time and money….

West Valley (wvfc.org) has a bunch of stuff, too.

Both clubs have dumpy briefing rooms (WVFC has more space, but hopefully you won't spend much time inside), and older not very pretty planes. But that's not the point, right?

Practice your short field ops. Palo Alto isn't exceptionally short, but it's shorter than most in the area (2400 feet). King Airs operate there, but don't expect to bleed a lot of speed off a Warrior at round out.

 

[duc750sport]

Yup, Sundance has an Archer and two Warriors on the line. One Warrior is down for technical airworthiness reasons (the data plate was missing from the engine at last annual, and a replacement is being procured). The other and the Archer are equipped with 430s, and the Archer has an Aspen panel and coupled autopilot.

They also have two Bonanzas on the line if you have the time and money….

West Valley (wvfc.org) has a bunch of stuff, too.

Both clubs have dumpy briefing rooms (WVFC has more space, but hopefully you won't spend much time inside), and older not very pretty planes. But that's not the point, right?

Practice your short field ops. Palo Alto isn't exceptionally short, but it's shorter than most in the area (2400 feet). King Airs operate there, but don't expect to bleed a lot of speed off a Warrior at round out.

Thanks for the insight!! My bro lives out there and I go out there (from Jersey) a few times a year and want to start flying out there.. I'm going to look into both.. Thanks for the heads up with the runway length too..

 

[MAKG1]

There's some real good flying around here. SFO Class B clearances over the peninsula are given out like candy, and it's a spectacular flight up to Marin or Pt. Reyes. Weather is often better to the south, though.

FWIW, on a calm day, it's not that hard to get a Warrior stopped in 1000 feet. The runway has minimal obstructions.

I can often be talked into short rec flights from Sundance….though I tend to prefer Cessnas for sightseeing, and on warm days (the windows open).

 

[AcroGimp]

Reid-Hillview in San Jose might be a touch out of your preferred area of operations but is a nice field. AeroDynamic Aviation (formerly Amelia Reid Aviation) has a nice rental fleet or at least had when I was last out there about 5 years ago.

'Gimp

 

[MAKG1]

There is some good stuff at Reid, but I don't think I'd suggest a commute from Sunnyvale to East San Jose on a weekday to my worst enemy. It's not so bad on a weekend as long as you stay away from the mall.

Those guys specialize in tailwheels, though they have a few tricycles. I don't think there are any low wings, though.

Reid is a nice airport as long as you know not to cross a freeway without talking to San Jose Tower. It's very close to Class C.

There are also some good higher-end rentals at San Carlos, next to the air museum (which is also very good). And, as a bonus, you get to flip the bird to Larry Ellison as you land on 12 or take off on 30. Oracle is just north of the airport. Noise abatement there is nucking futs, and Class B is quite close.