Kernville has been labeled "The Gateway to the High Sierra," and for outdoor enthusiasts, the Kern Valley Airport is an ideal jumping-off place for all kinds of adventures. Hiking, camping, swimming, and fishing opportunities are within easy walking distance from the airport.
Runway 17/35 sits 2,614 feet above sea level. The southern end of the Sierra Nevada mountain range towers over the north end of the runway, and Lake Isabella lays out flat off the south end. Kernville’s airport, referred to as Kern Valley on the Los Angeles Sectional chart, sports a single unlighted 3,500-by-50-foot paved runway. The Kern River is an excellent rafting and kayaking river. Local companies offer kayaking classes, and guided trips are available in season. Three marinas on Lake Isabella rent boats, although fishing is said to be good within a short walk of the runway.
The original town of Kernville is now under the water of Lake Isabella. The present town was established in the early 1950s. A bustling retirement community, Kernville gets most of its income by taking care of the many travelers, boaters, fishermen, and adventurers who use the town as a base camp for local or High Sierra jaunts. Twenty-six restaurants within Kernville proper cater to any diet. Sixteen tiedowns and a level grassy area with running water, rudimentary toilet facilities, an Eagle Scout-designed and -built shower, and campfire sites are situated on the airport just to the west of the runway. This area is accessible by taxiing from the midpoint of the active runway right to the tiedowns. There’s a $9-per-day fee for camping.
Additional transient parking is available at the restaurant and fuel area at the southeast end of the airport. The Airport Café, a fine "$100 hamburger" destination, is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Outside is a covered patio where pilots can teach their passengers the finer points of approaches and landings, using the examples shown by other arriving pilots. It’s a great place to brush up on your hangar flying.
Ninety percent of the time, landings are made to the south on Runway 17, following right-hand traffic. Almost the only exception is early in the morning when cool air flows down from the mountains and down the river valley; then Runway 35 is active. Traffic patterns are made to the west of the runway because of high terrain to the east.
A local pilot said that while the airport is a good one, there is one wind phenomenon he has observed that might catch nonresident pilots by surprise. The airport is situated at the northern end of Lake Isabella, which is also the exit end of the Upper Kern River Valley. Some times of the year, down-canyon winds resulting from snow cover high up in the Sierras flow in opposition to the normal up-canyon prevailing winds. This can result in momentary tailwinds when turning final. Landing long and hot may result if the pilot isn’t aware that he has picked up a push. The local pilot, who said he had been flying in that area for 45 years, said the tailwind will be replaced by the normal wind patterns as the landing approach continues. Normal prevailing winds are generally right down Runway 17. There are three windsocks on the airstrip, one at each end and one at midpoint. There also is a Bede 5 airframe, which supplements the other more conventional windsocks, mounted on a pole above the fuel island in front of the Airport Café. The owner was going to fly it but never really got around to finishing it, so he decided to make it into a wind indicator. It pivots to indicate the wind direction, much like the famous Douglas DC–3 that’s mounted on a pivot in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada.
Flying into Kernville isn’t particularly hazardous, unless the winds get frisky. There are 8,000-foot mountains within four miles of the airport, so expect some bumps. Morning or evening arrivals or departures generally result in smoother flights.
Nelson Aviation, the fixed-base operator on the field and a participant in the AOPA 3-percent rebate program, has a couple of old cars reserved for pilots. These cars are clunkers and are only meant for short trips to town. Call ahead for reservations (760/376-2852). The transient ramp near the Airport Café has a decided slant, so make sure that your parking brake works if you’re a single pilot, or you may be chasing your airplane down the ramp before you get a chock in place.
Although there’s plenty of peace and quiet if desired, Kernville bustles with activities and events. President’s Day weekend in February marked the forty-fifth annual Whiskey Flats Days, which is known for a rodeo, parade, arts show, live theater, and general carousing. Get your reservations in early. Car shows, fishing derbies, historical days, Independence Day fireworks, a 64K run around Lake Isabella in October, and many other events are planned throughout the year. The calendar can be seen on the World Wide Web ( www.kernvalley.com/news/events.htm). Information about the many guided rafting, hiking, mountain climbing, and fishing opportunities is also available online ( www.kernvalley.com/linkpage.htm).
Almost all of the land around Kernville is public, so hikers are almost totally free to ramble in any direction they’d like. For more information on land use, telephone the Sequoia National Forest, Greenhorn Ranger District, at 760/379-5646 (fax 760/379-8597). Sunscreen, extra drinking water, and wide-brim hats are the uniform of the day starting around May 1, when the official tourist season kicks into swing. Off-season rates are in effect during the winter months, making a weekend in the mountains no particular hardship. Seasonal rates for a room with a full kitchen and space to sleep six were quoted at $65 a night.
The Kern Valley Airport provides a portal through which pilots and their friends and families can enter a land of mountains, rivers, and lakes for a day or a week. As the airport old-timer said, "The pilots here are first-class citizens."
Have any suggestions for a "California Flying" subject? E-mail the author at [email protected] .
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