This space in AOPA Pilot is designed to introduce pilots to the abundant opportunities and adventures that flying general aviation airplanes in California makes possible. In researching these reports over the years, I've had the opportunity to fly to more than 70 California airports to goof around, talk to locals, take some pictures, and follow where the town and its inhabitants lead me for a day before flying home to report to California AOPA members what I've found. It's been a lot of fun and will continue to be as I make up my list of California airports to visit in the coming year. But for this report, I'm going to try something different.
This month I'm going to take an imaginary trip — there is always perfect weather on these trips — with my real 19-year-old nephew Neil in my trusty Piper Comanche 180 (also real) to reexplore, in a virtual way, a few of the airports I've discovered during my five-year-long odyssey. Please join us.
Departure day
Neil is my sister's son and he lives on the family dairy farm near Turlock, south of Modesto. Whenever anyone asks me how fast my airplane is, I say, "It's four hours and 20 minutes to drive from my home in Paso Robles to visit my sister's family, and one hour and 15 minutes to fly there." I've been given permission by a neighbor to land on his farm strip. It's three miles to the dairy from there.
I tell Neil to pack for an overnight trip. I arrive late in the afternoon and spend the night, taking time to catch up on the family news. We launch early the next day. Flying is a joy early in the day when the air's smooth and cool. Comfort is a weighty component of my flight planning.
We decide to head northwest, being careful to skirt the eastern edge of the San Francisco Class B airspace before heading out to the coast for our trip up to Shelter Cove Airport — a delightful spot halfway up the north coast that rests on a flat patch of land between the steep slopes and the pulsing waves of the Pacific Ocean.
After our one-hour-and-45-minute flight we make sure there are no deer on the runway, then land and deplane. Within minutes we are led to wander by the steady sound of the surf under the clear blue skies as tonic-fresh winds rustle our hair. We tarry for an ice-cream cone before heading toward the tide pools along the black-sand beaches north of town. Time slows as we hike and explore. Curiosity leads us to turn south past the little lighthouse to Dead Man's Beach south of town. Deer are calmly grazing along the runway as we munch lunch at a local deli.
We depart late in the afternoon for a 60-nautical mile flight to Ukiah Municipal Airport. We have good motives — we want to avoid the marine fog layer that creeps inland in the evening and we want to spend some time soaking in the carbonated mineral waters at Vichy Springs resort before nodding off to the soporific whishing sounds of running water from Little Grizzly Creek.
Day two
Day two starts with another invigorating soak before we fuel up, take off, and climb out before turning west and setting course for Point Arena. As we round the Point Arena Lighthouse to follow the coast south we see the long straight valley that starts a few miles to the east and parallels the coastline for 35 miles — the San Andreas Fault. You have to look for it here but it's easy to see 20 nautical miles south — one shore of Tomales Bay is on one side and the other is on the other side.
Mount Tamalpais on our left means it's time to contact Northern California Approach and tell them we're abeam Stinson Beach and to advise them of our intentions to continue VFR flight to Half Moon Bay Airport by flying down the west side of the San Francisco city peninsula. We pick up a transponder code for flight following. We can fly this route without flying through San Francisco's Class B airspace by descending to stay below the shelf — we have to dip below 1,500 feet msl for a few miles along the shoreline immediately west of San Francisco — at that altitude, being in radar contact for flight following is a good idea.
We touch down on Half Moon Bay's Runway 30 after our 122-nautical mile trip down the coast. Lunchtime has snuck up on us. I believe that the best lasagna in the state is served at the Pasta Moon restaurant in downtown Half Moon Bay. In my imaginary trips, my passengers always buy lunch, so we call a cab, ride into town, and thoroughly enjoy a wonderful Italian meal.
Next time we will fly 'The Bay Tour'
Before long we're back home with a new appreciation for the utility and magic of light-airplane flying. In less than five hours of flying we've toured a big piece of California's famed coastline, waded in tide pools, and feasted on great food. We both want to do some more. I think: "The Bay Tour."
The Bay Tour is not a rumor — Northern California Tracon bends over backward to accommodate VFR pilots who want to fly over sights such as Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge as they tour the bay. The back side of the San Francisco Terminal Area Chart is invaluable to familiarize yourself with traffic flows. I promise Neil that the next time the weather's good we'll do the tour. I know — and now Neil knows — there is no end of things to investigate and places to visit by light airplane in California.
AOPA members can access the complete catalog of "California Flying" articles by visiting the Web site ( www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/idxcafly.html). Please send your favorite California flying destinations to [email protected].
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