Onthegas,

Well looks like you're pulling ahead in the race! I've got 36 airports left, mostly in the upper NE section of the state, and a few around the Bay area. My goal was to finish up this year, but I'm not sure I'll make it. I'm starting to slow down and take more time to smell the roses, as they say. We got many of the, uh "less interesting", strips in the central valley out of the way this summer, so the remainder are mostly worthy of some exploration.

My current 'to do' map is here: http://www.craigmorton.com/ca_map.htm

Good luck with your project!

Craig.

Yeah, talk about uninteresting airports in the central valley; I now know which ones you are referring to! Landed at 17 more this weekend. Stopped at Fresno's Sierra Sky Park and picked up my brother Steve. We flew to Reedley, Visalia Sequoia (WW2 training field), then breakfast at Woodlake. From there to Exeter, Strathmore, Porterville, Kern Valley (nice shady grassy campground), Rosamond (cheap 3.59 100LL), Famoso (drag races going on next door), Shafter Minter (yellow Canadian A-26 parked there), Wasco (dreary), Selma and back to Skypark. On Sunday I took my nephew Ryan with me and we had a great low level flight across the valley and over the Panoche hills to within a mile of King City where I turned back due to fog. We made a beeline to Harris Ranch where we topped off the plane and our bellies. From there to New Coalinga and a very dreary flight to Lost Hills and Buttonwillow before returning to Skypark. From there I landed at Chowchilla, low level over the grazing lands and Don Pedro Reservoir and Columbia and Bear Valley home. Only 11 airports to go! I think you all will like to food pics:

Not A Bad Selection


Prime Rib and Tri Tips Cookin'

onthegas wrote:I think you all will like to food pics:

Not A Bad Selection


Prime Rib and Tri Tips Cookin'

Hey OntheGas,

I'm just curious...why not all the Nevada airports! Infinitely more interesting than California

Done. Did it. All of 'em. 254 total plus a few more for good measure. My finale trip took me to Chico Ranchaero for a fuel top off and then to Eureka Kneeland Airport which is situated on a mountaintop east of town at 2700'. Good place for Eureka's "non fog" strip, as I had to wait there for wx to improve along the coast. From there I dropped down into Fortuna Rohnerville Airport where fire tanker ops were being conducted and then to the coast for a landing at Eureka Municipal Samoa Field, complete with Bed and Breakfast and NHRA dragstrip (!?), I then took off for Eureka Murray Airport. Murray has a real nice FBO with a pilot store, aviation gift shop and cafe. I scored free apple pie courtesy of the counter gal's kind offer.

After checking ACV wx regularly for over an hour I finally launched after topping off again. With 9 miles vis and low overcast I was able to get a special VFR clearance from Seattle Center into and then out of the Class E airspace so I did a touch and go at Arcata-Eureka Airport and departed to the north. I had to stay low over the water just offshore for about 15 miles until I found a clear spot to get out of the gloom and into the sunshine. Then I proceeded to Klamath Glen Airport, did a quick pitstop and flew over to Crescent City McNamara Field executing another special VFR arrival and then departed on another SVFR clearance with Center obtained through Oakland Radio. Had to wait for IFR traffic so that ate up some more time. It seemed unusual to be able to communicate with Seattle Center was down along the California coast at low level! These coastal fields weren't easily obtained as this was my second trip to this area.

Finally I headed east at 7500' with clear skies and a 20 knot tailwind over the breadth of the Siskyou Range along the Klamath River to Dorris Butte Valley Airport, Tulelake Airport, Fort Bidwell Airport and finally airport #254, Cedarville where I just beat the dark. It was great having the tailwind but that meant some real crosswinds at all these airports. I like to get a little challenge here and there anyway! Cedarville is a little town in the Surprise Valley with nice folks and good water. I got a free ride to town and back with Jim Brown owner of the JnR Motel. There was good food at the restaurant next door to the hotel with steaks, chops and chicken and fresh-baked goodies daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I really enjoyed flying all over the big state of California where I discovered some really interesting places and good people that I will re-visit. Of course now now where to avoid as well! What's next for me? With my 200 hours in type flying into many different fields with lots of varying winds and weather I now feel ready to start exploring the grass and dirt strips the backcountry has to offer. Oh, and maybe all the Nevada airports for good measure.

Thanks for the forum, Roger.

On the way to some CA airport...


Wifey flew with me to King City, airport # 243. Note expensive greenhouse shade...


Cedarville!


Helio needing some TLC


Cedarville taildraggers

Congratulations, Roger!! I enjoyed reading your post's here and envy someone like you. Reading your forum here, makes me think about doing the same thing some day.

Congrats on achieving that goal.

Roger,

Wow . . .Congratulations!!

Maybe now you'll spend a bit of time working on that clunker of an airplane (in the interest of full disclosure and honesty, I'll admit you did wash it about a week ago). Every time you taxi out to the runway, I get in my golf cart and follow, picking up all the parts that fall off. I almost have enough to build another Husky

bumper wrote:Roger,

Wow . . .Congratulations!!

Maybe now you'll spend a bit of time working on that clunker of an airplane (in the interest of full disclosure and honesty, I'll admit you did wash it about a week ago). Every time you taxi out to the runway, I get in my golf cart and follow, picking up all the parts that fall off. I almost have enough to build another Husky

Roger, was that your screwdriver I picked up on the runway at Caldwell this last August??

58Skylane wrote:

bumper wrote:Roger,

Roger, was that your screwdriver I picked up on the runway at Caldwell this last August??

Ah, umm, if it has "Snap-On" on the handle, is ratcheting, and has a magnet to hold the bits . . . that would be mine!!!

Hi Roger:

Kudos for achieving your goal! From a pilot who is stuck around 115 CA airports and realizing the road gets harder as you go, I know the perseverance it took you to get there. You also managed to get Ranchaero both as public and private! Time to go have some real fun with that Husky.... How about every dry lakebed in NV?

Flynengr

flynengr wrote:How about every dry lakebed in NV?

Flynengr

Now that's a fun goal! Already have a few under my belt; only several hundred to go...

onthegas wrote:

flynengr wrote:How about every dry lakebed in NV?

Flynengr

Now that's a fun goal! Already have a few under my belt; only several hundred to go...

Several hundred? Maybe several thousand...

Gump

GumpAir wrote:

onthegas wrote:

flynengr wrote:How about every dry lakebed in NV?

Flynengr

Now that's a fun goal! Already have a few under my belt; only several hundred to go...

Several hundred? Maybe several thousand...

Gump

Hi Gump! Yeah, that could take awhile...

Of course end of August this year we had some guy from Kalifornia land his C170 on the "dry" lakebed west end of Gabbs Valley. The landing went OK, but on takeoff roll he broke through the crust and ended up on his nose. The hard stuff was maybe an inch thick, and bottomless underneath.

Gump

GumpAir wrote:Of course end of August this year we had some guy from Kalifornia land his C170 on the "dry" lakebed west end of Gabbs Valley. The landing went OK, but on takeoff roll he broke through the crust and ended up on his nose. The hard stuff was maybe an inch thick, and bottomless underneath.

Gump

Congrats Roger! I still have 31 more to go. Most of them are in the NE area of the state, so I probably won't get to them until next year. FWIW, I continue to meet more and more people on this same quest - it's a lot of fun!

I really enjoyed landing at Kneeland. Quite a beautiful hilltop location. I haven't seen another airport in CA quite like it.

Thanks Skylane Guy,

This one's for you!

Eureka Kneeland Airport

There are a few dandies in my neck of the wood. Dinsmore, Hyampom, Gasquet and Happy Camp and Ruth. Not realy extreme but most AOPA types would shy away. They rated Morgan County, Utah in the top 10 toughest places to land.

Not counting the Chicken Strip in Death Vally, What was the most chalenging in California?

Tim

Hi TIm,

I saved the NW CA coastal range airports for last as I expected some challenging conditions. There is really unforgiving terrain for a long ways up there going into Hoopa, Hyampom, Happy Camp and Gasquet. Dinsmore was pretty tight but landing at Ocean Ridge and Willits, both mountaintop airports with strong crosswinds and wind shear really got my attention!