I need to head down to SMO, assuming it doesn't burn down, as soon as these fires are out. Anyone been down that way and have any specific recommendations for cool stuff to check out from the air?

Link to interactive fire map.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/ca ... -fire-map/
Don't be on the streets after curfew or you will be arrested as a looter.

Point Dume is just up the coast from SMO....used to be a very large and popular nudist colony, don't know if it still is.

A cautionary note: The residents at Pt Dume used to have the SMO Tower's phone number on speed dial..... Don't ask how I know that.....

MTV

Definitely fly up the coast to Oxnard and Santa Barbara. They used to have a great restaurant on the field at KSBA. If you could take some photos going up the beach over the Palisades and up through Malibu/Point Dume. I grew up down there. This is really sad. Sort of unbelievable in the modern world. I am curious what a photo of the area looks like from Santa Monica Canyon North to Sunset Blvd (Palisades) I flew down to Southern California last summer and met my brother at KSMO. I took my brother on this flight. Not that it is a deal breaker but they had a 8-9 dollar landing fee. If you fly south near Long Beach you can overfly the Queen Mary.



Josh

Yes, understand that the City of Santa Monica has been trying to close the Santa Monica Airport since at least 1978, when I did my Instrument training there.....and they were doing everything they could then to close the drome.

AOPA has been leaning hard on FAA to enforce it's grant assurances there to keep the airport open. Won't be much longer those will be paid off, and the city will doubtless close SMO. Which is really unfortunatel.

MTV

Unless you have business at the airport itself, you might consider flying into a different airport instead,
maybe Hawthorne KHHR or Torrance KTOA.
Both are well away from the fire zone.

Perhaps flying right into the TFRs to get a good look. That might be fun also? Im sure you won't be in the way...

Ha, yeah I don't plan to head down until the TFR is lifted, I'll grab pics of the carnage either way.

CParker wrote:…I'll grab pics of the carnage either way…

Maybe post them on social media??

If you do make it to the “carnage,” make sure you visit the Museum of Sarcasm, it’s a short walk from SMO.

If you have not been to Catalina Island (AVX), that is a must. 26 miles off the coast from Torrance or 36 miles from SMO. Land at the privately owned but open to the public "airport in the sky". Winds favor RWY 22 uphill. Small landing fee. Restaurant at airport, good food and always a fun trip.

Bigrenna wrote:

CParker wrote:…I'll grab pics of the carnage either way…

Maybe post them on social media??

If you do make it to the “carnage,” make sure you visit the Museum of Sarcasm, it’s a short walk from SMO.

Not sure I can afford the price of admission

limerick wrote:If you have not been to Catalina Island (AVX), that is a must. 26 miles off the coast from Torrance or 36 miles from SMO. Land at the privately owned but open to the public "airport in the sky". Winds favor RWY 22 uphill. Small landing fee. Restaurant at airport, good food and always a fun trip.

I think I’d heard of that airport only because of a recent crash there. For some reason I was thinking there was some hoop to jump through to land there, I’ll have to do some recon. Excellent idea

Dog is my Copilot wrote:Definitely fly up the coast to Oxnard and Santa Barbara. They used to have a great restaurant on the field at KSBA. If you could take some photos going up the beach over the Palisades and up through Malibu/Point Dume. I grew up down there. This is really sad. Sort of unbelievable in the modern world. I am curious what a photo of the area looks like from Santa Monica Canyon North to Sunset Blvd (Palisades) I flew down to Southern California last summer and met my brother at KSMO. I took my brother on this flight. Not that it is a deal breaker but they had a 8-9 dollar landing fee. If you fly south near Long Beach you can overfly the Queen Mary.



Josh

I’ll do my best to grab some pics!

Check out Catalina Island: