Flying near Lake Tahoe

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HouTxPilot82

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HouTxPilot82
I've done this a couple of times on vacation (In Hawaii, and the Caribbean) - grab a CFI and a C172 from a flight school and go up for an hour or so of sightseeing. CFI handles the radios and helps with navigation while I enjoy flying and the scenery.

I have a trip planned to the Lake Tahoe area at the end of this month and would like to do the same. Here in Houston I'm used to paying about $150/hr wet for a 172 and $55-$60/hr for the CFI's time. Can anyone recommend a good place near Lake Tahoe with comparable rates?

Thanks in advance.
 
I don't know about prices, but you might try Sierra Air over at Truckee; they have a couple of 172s used for pilot training.
 
Thanks, I'll look into them. I did a quick search last night and saw high prices at a couple of places - will do a more extensive search this weekend; figured I'd ask the group here for a personal recommendation of good outfits they may have worked with.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Here you go:

http://laketahoeflightschool.com/flight-lessons/

Right in your price range. I have no experience with them, I just grabbed it off a Google.
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Thanks, I do recall coming across that one last night. They don't have any 172's. I've got no time in the Pipers though I've been wanting to change that sometime soon. When I first started training, I found getting in/out of the high wing Cessna's to be a lot easier due to my lower back problem and have never come around to give the low wings a shot yet. I'll make some calls this weekend for availability at some places.

Cheers.
 
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HouTxPilot82 said:
Thanks, I do recall coming across that one last night. They don't have any 172's. I've got no time in the Pipers though I've been wanting to change that sometime soon. When I first started training, I found getting in/out of the high wing Cessna's to be a lot easier due to my lower back problem and have never come around to give the low wings a shot yet. I'll make some calls this weekend for availability at some places.

Cheers.
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Here's another thought. If you're willing to drive down to the Central Valley (2 hrs), there are a few outfits with pretty reasonable rates for both plane and instruction like this one.

You could then either do some mountain flying, or shoot over to the coast for some Bay flying. That would be my vote.
 
While Lake Tahoe is flyable in a 172 in good weather conditions, it's not optimal. Climb rates are going to suck bad, and you'll spend quite a bit of time practicing glider techniques -- looking for rising air. I'd suggest something a bit more powerful for a more pleasant experience.

Note that, with the exception of conversions, 180 HP 172s do not perform any better than 160 HP 172s. They are heavier. For the case of glass panels, a lot heavier.
 
I don't think performance will be an issue in January or February. I took an R model there four or five years ago in the Winter and had no issues.

That said, there is no guarantee that there will be a stretch of flyable weather up there this time of year, not sure how long the OP plans on staying.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I plan to be in the area for about 4 days. Being wintertime of course, I fully expected weather may not cooperate on any of the 4 days but wanted to take a shot anyway.
 
MAKG1 said:
While Lake Tahoe is flyable in a 172 in good weather conditions, it's not optimal. Climb rates are going to suck bad, and you'll spend quite a bit of time practicing glider techniques -- looking for rising air. I'd suggest something a bit more powerful for a more pleasant experience.

Note that, with the exception of conversions, 180 HP 172s do not perform any better than 160 HP 172s. They are heavier. For the case of glass panels, a lot heavier.
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I have flown 145hp 172's in and out of Truckee with 8200 foot density alts in the summer time.

The OP will not have a problem in Jan-Feb-Mar flying around the lake in a 172.


OP. The bigger question is where is your hotel going to be? Within a few minutes of flight, you can get from Sacremento, Reno, Carson City, and most of the Central Valley.

If you are staying in Tahoe, where at? SouthShore? Truckee?? Other??

That will dictate where you rent from.
 
I would do it in a 182 but Winter flying Too cold for me I would be concern about an off airport landing and Freezing myself. I'm from AZ so I get cold anything below 60 degrees.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Here you go:

http://laketahoeflightschool.com/flight-lessons/

Right in your price range. I have no experience with them, I just grabbed it off a Google.
Click to expand...

But if you keep reading:

The Following Special Safety Rules Must Be Met At KTVL:
NO DEPARTURES WITH TEMPERATURES GREATER THAN 70°F (DENSITY ALTITUDE!!)
maximum of 2 occupants in aircraft at any time
maximum of 30 gallons of fuel for take-offs
NO crossing of mountain ridges at less than 1,000 AGL
NO operations with less than 4,000ft ceiling and NO operations if thunderstorms are forecasted in area
NO departures with tailwind greater than 5kts on RWY 36 and NO departures with ANY tailwind on RWY 18
NO operations with winds in excess of 15kts, constant or gusting
NO “STOP AND GO’S” AT KTVL
NO “TOUCH AND GO’S” ON RWY 18
NO intersection departures
NO operations over Lake Tahoe in excess of the gliding range of the lake shore
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And they only have one aircraft. Those rules may be sensible, but it means the aircraft may not be well suited to this particular use.
 
arnoha said:
But if you keep reading:



And they only have one aircraft. Those rules may be sensible, but it means the aircraft may not be well suited to this particular use.
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Wow, that's a tad restrictive.
 
Snow can be a big issue in even driving to the airport (I've been trapped up there before when the roads closed with a 1 foot per hour snow).

For something completely different, consider soaring out of the valley. Fantastic area on the right day.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Wow, that's a tad restrictive.
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The rules make sense given the problems that TVL can have with DA. I'll bet it seriously reduces their insurance rate to have these rules built in. But it really, really limits what you can do with the thing. Two total occupants really bites in hard as you can't have anyone else aboard if you have a CFI.
 
JoseCuervo said:
I have flown 145hp 172's in and out of Truckee with 8200 foot density alts in the summer time.

The OP will not have a problem in Jan-Feb-Mar flying around the lake in a 172.


OP. The bigger question is where is your hotel going to be? Within a few minutes of flight, you can get from Sacremento, Reno, Carson City, and most of the Central Valley.

If you are staying in Tahoe, where at? SouthShore? Truckee?? Other??

That will dictate where you rent from.
Click to expand...


I'm staying for 2 days in the 'Incline Village' area which is just north of Lake Tahoe. The next 2 days I'm in Reno downtown area but I can change that.
 
Viper139 said:
I am based at the Carson City Airport (CXP). Carson Aviation Services is based on the airport and has two 172s. Prices for the plane and instructor are within your price range.
http://www.carson-aviation.com/
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I would definitely try calling around to Carson City or Minden before signing a check in Tahoe. I'm almost certain it would be more expensive there than on the other side of the mountains.
 
arnoha said:
The rules make sense given the problems that TVL can have with DA. I'll bet it seriously reduces their insurance rate to have these rules built in. But it really, really limits what you can do with the thing. Two total occupants really bites in hard as you can't have anyone else aboard if you have a CFI.
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On a standard day, 70 degrees F is a density altitude of over 8000 feet, so yeah, I guess that is not an excessive limitation for a 172.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/epz/?n=wxcalc_densityaltitude
 
Palmpilot said:
On a standard day, 70 degrees F is a density altitude of over 8000 feet, so yeah, I guess that is not an excessive limitation for a 172.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/epz/?n=wxcalc_densityaltitude
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It's an Archer, but, yeah, about the same performance. The Cessna is actually the slightly better climber. Just as important is the surrounding terrain. You may get off the field, but the field is actually at the bottom of the lake valley. Getting high enough to get anywhere becomes a challenge, especially if you are limited to burning only 20 gallons, two hours, of fuel.
 
I am based in Reno and grew up in Incline Village. Reno and Truckee are both easy to get to form Incline (locals drop the "Village" when talking about it). Truckee tends to get morning freezing fog this time of year.

In Reno (Class C) you can try:

Reno Flying Service (775) 856-2003. They have a 172P and a 172N. I learned to fly there.

or Flying Start Aero (775) 856-3655. They have a 172SP with G1000.

Both rates are going to be close to what you have been used to. Reno Flying Service is a bit cheaper but the planes are older vs Flying Start Aero.
 
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DesertNomad said:
I am based in Reno and grew up in Incline Village. Reno and Truckee are both easy to get to form Incline (locals drop the "Village" when talking about it). Truckee tends to get morning freezing fog this time of year.

In Reno (Class C) you can try:

Reno Flying Service (775) 856-2003. They have a 172P and a 172N. I learned to fly there.

or Flying Start Aero (775) 856-3655. They have a 172SP with G1000.

Both rates are going to be close to what you have been used to. Reno Flying Service is a bit cheaper but the planes are older vs Flying Start Aero.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
Lived in south shore for several years and flew a 172. I'd suggest you rent in Reno work your way up to altitude cruising down the valley to the south. Best not take more fuel than necessary with comfortable reserves. Peek over at the lake and ski resorts. If you're comfortable with the conditions and the plane, and the winds are calm go over the hills into south shore for lunch on the field. Long runway facing the lake so a slow climb out is easy in cool weather. Head north and slightly west to see Emerald Bay and Squaw Valley, turn back toward Reno over Truckee and through the pass over 80, Mt. Rose off to the side. Do NOT take on fuel at TVL unless absolutely necessary and then the minimum. Other than that it should be a fun visit to the Sierras. Windy conditions and lenticular clouds would keep me in the casinos. Been there, done that, wasn't fun....
ps: might want to go out over Stead to see where they race. Really dead now but you can see the course.
 
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