Visiting West Coast from the UK - any recommendations?

[Sheldon Holy]

Hello all

I'm a private pilot in the UK and I have a 61.75 piggyback private certificate. I'll be spending 2.5 weeks in the US this September, arriving/departing from SFO.

I have booked tickets for Reno on the Sunday, and I have planned to drive there during the trip. The first half of the trip I have free, and I was wanting to do some flying. Problem is that all of the schools I've found want 6-8 hours of checkout, despite me already having 70hrs on type (PA28). This would require 2 days of flying in order to rent for maybe another couple of days.

We're happy to go basically anywhere in the region of the bay area, or further inland, or anywhere towards Yosemite/Reno to rent for a couple of days. Does anyone have any recommendations for schools with a PA28 that I could rent out? I haven't flown in the US before so I realise I would need some acclimatisation with an instructor.

Any other recommendations for things to do would be appreciated also. I have a hire car booked for the entire trip, so am not planning on flying from place to place each day. I've been to most of the aviation museums in California but definitely happy to take recommendations on those.

Cheers

 

[Sac Arrow]

Norcal Flight Center in Lincoln has a Cherokee 140 for rent. You might shoot them an email. PA28's are few and far between at rental centers these days.

 

[Pinecone]

Some schools are CRAZY.

I was looking at renting a C-172 many years ago in NY state. The only flight school that had not gone out of business (several had) wanted a 3 hour minimum checkout for Day VFR. Another 3 hour minimum checkout for Night VFR. And a third, 3 hour minimum checkout for IFR.

This for a Commercial ASMEL, IA, RH, G and CFI ASE, IA, RH, G, and at the time current day and night ASEL, and instrument current. And flying about 100 hours per year.

The only checkouts I have ever done that required more than just about 1 hour was a GA-7 and a Hawaii XC (island to island) checkout. And GA-7 was my first real experience flying a piston twin, my AMEL came from USAF flying.

 

[Sheldon Holy]

So, it turns out that looking too close to the bay area was making things more difficult. I started looking further away (we only want to stay 1 night actually IN San Francisco anyway) and found North Coast Air at Sonoma airport, they have much more reasonable checkout requirements and rental fees.

Also yes, renting a PA28 does seem to be very limiting. I will have to get some C172 time before the trip and rent a C172.