Best places to fly to/over in Western US

[Long-EC]

Strangely enough, my "Rough Guide to USA" doesn't have a section on great airfields or places/national parks etc which look good from the air.

And the facility directory doesn't have a section on why I would want to go to any particular airfield.

There's a niche in the market there I suppose.

But, until Lonely Planet sorts that out, can anyone suggest spectacular places to fly to or over in the Western US. Say California, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. I am thinking of places that look stunning from the air (eg Grand Canyon presumably), of airports in amazing settings, of airports not in amazing settings themselves but nearby something worth seeing with hire cars/FBO courtesy cars.

And not just natural features. Las Vegas at night is amazing. So is the San Diego VFR corridor at night. Where else? What about places of interest to pilots rather than anyone else? Does anyone know where that place where they park all the unwanted jets in the desert is? Can you fly there?

I can feel a game of join the dots coming on...

[FlyingForFun]

Grand Canyon. There are a couple of corridors you can use, or alternatively land at Grand Canyon airport, walk to the other side of the airport and take a tourist - the licensed tourist operators are allowed to fly below the high-level corridors for a better view.

Las Vegas is spectacular by day, never flown over it by night but it must be fantastic. North Las Vegas airport is a nice place to park once you finish flying so you can gamble some money away.

Sedona has some oustanding scenery. Contact "Pink Jeep Tours" and they will pick you up from the airport. Make sure you brief yourself well, though - the runway is on an incline, so you'll be landing uphill and taking off downhill.

Fly into Tucson, and share the runway with everything from Boeings and Airbuses through to F16s. Once you've landed, get a taxi to the Pima Air and Space museum - and don't forget to go on the tour of the aircraft graveyard, the bus leaves from outside the museum and you can buy your ticket when you pay for museum entrance - that's probably the place you're thinking of.

The hills out to the east of Phoenix look pretty amazing from the air - loads of lakes add to the view. Can't think of anywhere particular to land around there, though.

That's a few ideas for starters! I logged 100 hours out that way around 18 months ago. Feel free to e-mail or PM me if you want any more advice, or else post questions on this thread.

Any room to take me with in a suitcase?

FFF
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[Grob Driver]

Oh how I loved the San Diego VFR corridor. Stunning by day or by night!

If you want to be treated like a king, fly to palm springs! The Grand Canyon is heavily restricted but it’s not impossible. I didn’t get to see it because I had food poisoning on the last day and had to get back from Las Vegas to San Diego. Poor guy on the end of the radio… All he could gear was Grob Driver throwing up, while my mate was trying to request flight following!

We landed at North Las Vegas, and got a free taxi up and down ‘the strip’ before being dropped off at any hotel we wanted (Went for the gay sounding pink flamingo!). Er, all I’ll say is that lobster in the middle of the desert isn’t a good idea! What was I thinking?!!!!

Personally, if I was you, I’d be taking FFF’s advice and heading towards Tucson… Looks fantastic!

Have fun

Grob Driver
Oh, and don’t forget you need a US pilots certificate!

[knobbygb]

As well as the big aircraft graveyard at Davis Monthan near Tuscon, there are loads of airliners stored at Marana, between Tuscon and Phoenix, Mojave and Victorville in California, Goodyear, just west of Phoenix and Kingman in the northern Arizona desert (on the old 'Route 66')

The only one of these I've been to is Kingman. There's a nice aviation themed diner in the 'terminal', and quite a few operational old aircraft as well as the stored airliners. When I was there, there were a couple of DC6's in for maintenance and I was allowed to have a look round inside one. You'll probably pass close to Kingman on the way to the Grand Canyon or Sedona. Worth a stop perhaps.

As FFF says, the area around Sedona is stunning. I've visited by car but not by air. It's at the top of my list for next time.

If you're on the California coast I once stayed in a little town called Oceano (about 100 miles north of LA, near Pismo Beach). All it has is a little airfield and miles of empty beach. Our motel was just off the end of the runway. That was before my flying days, and watching someone having a flying lesson there was one of the things that inspired me to learn to fly. I plan to go back there sometime too.

Wherever you co - take loads of pics and post them on the web with a link from here.

[englishal]

If your out at Sedona, then you have to take a trip about 30 miles to the East and fly over Meteor Crater. Then on the way from there to Flagstaff there are a bunch of old extinct volcanoes.

Kern Valley is a nice little place, a couple of hours North of LA, in [funnily enough] the Kern Valley. You approach down the valley, and on downwind for 19 [i think] it feels like your wing tips are going to hit the ground. Remember not to turn base too late as there is another mountain straight ahead, and don't over shoot final as there is yet another mountain. Once you land, you can either taxy off to the greasy spoon for a good burger or taxy off to the camp ground and pitch your tent next to your plane...very cool. From there you can take a flight down icantrememberthenameof canyon, and pop out fairly close to Bakerfield.

Another interesting place is Harris Ranch [id 308 i think], a fly in burger join with its own runway which is basically an old piece of road. Its pretty hard to find, but Oakland Centre will happily give you vectors to it.

Been to Palm Springs or Big Bear? they're good for a laugh. Columbia California [022] is a great little place, real redneck bars, but very friendly people.

Cheers
EA:D

[Keef]

Many fabulous places out there! Grand Canyon is a must - with flight following for preference. You can get some fabulous views and photos.

I'd also highly recommend Sedona (eat at the field - the food is excellent); Meteor Crater (overfly); Sunset Crater (actually a volcano, visible only from an aircraft); Big Bear (get them to stamp your logbook); Catalina Island; Palm Springs; and if you have time, go up the coast from LA to Monterey.

I've promised myself to go back there next year.

[Bluebeard777]

I've been trying to find on my bookshelves, there is an orange-coloured hardback looseleaf guide to flying in the western USA. This is basically a list of airports (like the little brown books it contains all the basic runways/frequencies etc data) but also has photos and some area-backgound stuff more like a guide.

Suggestions:
S. California
Grand Canyon
Central Colorado
Great Salt Lake
Rockies west of Denver (get a mountain checkout)
Snake River Canyon (Idaho, big & spectacular without mega tourism)
Glacier National Park (spectacular, beside Canadian Border)
Yellowstone National Park
Oregon coast
etc etc

Also if in Canada try Vancouver Island and the BC Rockies.

The area includes trips to the highest (Leadville, 9990 ft) and lowest (Death Valley, minus 250 ft) airports you are likely to encounter ........

Something for everyone!

[Kerosene Kraut]

If you want to go to the middle of nowhere hot'n'high Mojave is nice. Real aviation history happening there. If you want it even more remote go to Barstow Dagget.
Santa Barbara is a beautiful stop along the coast with a nice airport restaurant terrace. Carlsbad Palomar is busy but good for a stop as well. (Old tower restaurant.)

[Tall_guy_in_a_152]

How about Death Valley (great name!), west of Las Vegas?

Amazing scenery and the lowest point in the US (200ft below sea level). There is accomodation and food at the Furnace Creek Ranch next to the small airfield, or at the posher Furnace Creek Inn.

I just got back form a weeks R & R in California, but did not have a chance to fly due to current restrictions and a lack of planning. :(
This thread is making me sooooooooo jealous.

[Dude~]

Grob driver, know what you mean, I had fried catfish at Laughlin (on the colorado right at the point where Nevad, California and Arizona meet - rent a jetski on the river for $60 great fun when its 40C!) in a $2 buffet or some bloody thing. When I told the FTO on returning they just groaned 'awwh, not the fried cat fish..!'

Anyway, flying anywhere in the LA basin at night is amazing.

Big bear is beautiful too, but with density altitudes easily reaching 8500ft, do your performance calcs.

I flew over Winslow meteor crater. A long way from nowhere, but worth it. I have a good photo here, so if anyone can tell me how the hell I upload it, I show you!

[West Coast]

If you make it to the ditch, go a bit farther and check out monument valley, absolutely stunning. Montana has some beautiful spots to take in. Kalispell is a real neat place, as is missoula just south of it. Become familier with mountain flying techniques however. The Seattle area if you venture that far is aviation rich, from sea plane rides to the Boeing plant and musuem. Flying into Boeing field is fun. All of the poster have some pretty good ideas. Also Chino in Socal is a great place to spend hours looking at the project warbirds. If you have wheels( cant fly to it) the March AFB musuem adjecent to the Chino airport is quite good. Enjoy!

[flying jocks]

try operating out of brackett airfield. There is a not so small flight school there called ADP (advertised in Flyer). They offer good value and encourage flying all over the USA. Good luck

[Airbus Girl]

I'm starting to get nostalgic for all those great places in the west! I agree with all the above suggestions; I always fly into the main Las Vegas airport, McCarran International, always have, since I was a brand new PPLer. Its absolutely fine and I think its free to park if you buy fuel. You get vectored in by approach and its very simple, then you land and ask for "progressive taxi". I think Signature are the FBO, they send a "follow me" car out to get you and when you are parked they take your luggage and take you to their building in their MPV. Go through the building to the front and you are on the end of "the strip". You can either walk or get a bus to the central area. Dead easy.

Also recommended is the AOPA guide. Its like a big yellow pages telephone book by size, but lists every airport, facilities, FBOs, courtesy cars, motel/ accommodation, etc. etc.

Also, get a Rand McNally road map and just pinpoint a few places you fancy visiting. Its that simple!!

Places like Roswell (why not?!!) and spend an hour wandering around the alien museum there.

There are loads of great places to go to.

[Fan Rub]

Well, you guys just inspired me to put together some photos of my flying in the US at:

http://liftfan.tripod.com


Enjoy!

[Tall_guy_in_a_152]

Cheers Fan, you've got a great collection of pictures there.

I've been to most of those place by land (South of San Francisco, at least) but I really want to do a South Western States flight trip one day.

Oh, to be back in Palm Springs now, instead of here in deepest dampest Surrey.

TG.

[AndyGB]

Fan

Those pictures brought back some memories, especially the Vegas ones. Was that flight in 25Y, if so myself and LONG-EC did the same flight as you in the same aircraft ?

Also of doing my skills test manouveres over Borrego at 7000ft. I think it's time I started saving for another trip to San Diego :D

LONG-EC, here's an idea for when you are out there, try and find the strips you had to flight plan for your flight test. Wasn't French Valley one of them ?

[Long-EC]

Fan Rub, what a great collection of photos - looks like you've been to most of the places I've marked on my map. Inspirational - I'm counting the days now!

Andy, not a bad idea - I'm not sure I really did see French Valley on the skills test rather than the strip right next door...

Thanks to everyone else for posting - some good ideas now all marked with x's on my map.

What I like about the US is that the guidebook says of some place "difficult to get to, 150 miles over dirt roads" and the airport directory says "6000ft asphalt runway".

Anyone been to Baghdad in AZ? Is that Baghdad as in the film Baghdad Cafe? I have fond memories of when I went to see that film (OK not the film as such).

[Charlie Zulu]

Where to fly? Where do I start!

Anyway firstly I'll re-iterate those who have posted already.

Grand Canyon: Fantastic sights and photo opportunities.

Sedona: Stunning scenery but ensure the wind is pretty light... the airfield is on top of a mountain ridge.

Between Grand Canyon and Sedona (a little to the east of track) is the Meteor Crater that has been mentioned before.

Santa Barbara: Lovely picturesque airfield with a nice restaurant to eat at.

Monterey: Very nice town on the Pacific Coast. Nice fish dinners on the pier.

San Diego: I flew into Lindbergh Intl... one minute stroll from the FBO to the Tram system train station and about five minute ride along the 1.5 miles to the centre of San Diego... parking cost $20 (I didn't buy fuel).

Blythe: In the middle or nowhere. When I went two other aircraft from ADP turned up so it turned into a flyin.

Palm Springs: My dad was jealous as he loves golf... what more can I say! ;-) Beware of the severe turbulence that can occur late afternoon...

Big Bear: Nice restaurant, nice mountain ski-ing resort in the winter... they held the Winter Olympics there not so long ago (not sure which year though). About 6,500 MSL so please calculate your performance figures, especially after dinner!

Bakersfield Meadows: Nice ice creams at the restaurant.

Talking of ice creams, take a trip to Hawthorne airfield... two miles south east of LAX. Not sure where I would have gone if I had an engine failure after take-off! ;-) Probably the main highway next to the runway probably.

Chino: Plames of Fame museum. They also have a very good air show there...

Sacramento: (Executive airport is probably the closest) Nice old town area (north of the highway) with its own steam train and old style buildings, ie wild west style.

Catalina Island: 30 miles off the coast from Los Angeles. Airport on a 1,500 MSL moutain. Much is said about the approach and landing on the runway but it turned out to be much of a non event really. The take off was a little more interesting - taking off to the west you are going up hill and just as you get to the top of the hill the runway suddently runs out. ;-) Oh Buffalo Burgers!

Las Vegas: I've always used McCarren Intl... just because it is the closest to the strip - 5 minute walk!!! Well it turned into a 2 hour walk as we stopped into the restaurant half way along the road from Signature FBO to the Strip. Not much more I can say about Las Vegas apart from take plenty of money (don't go at the beginning of your holiday as you won't have enough money to buy the fuel for the airplane after a night at the Casino's!).

Above all enjoy your time flying over in the Western States.

[Aim Far]

So now I'm back in the UK with a new job and a new log-in name due to difficulties logging-on as Long-EC from the computer at said new job.

I thought I would add my own experiences to the list of best places - maybe it will inspire someone.

I did a quick FAA PPL flight test (memorable moment - examiner says "I have control" directly above Lindberg - :mad: thinks I, that's a fail isn't it? - plane goes into steep right turn - "look at the size of that [some wide body jet] compared to the others down there" and starts to tell me all about them)

Then off for three weeks in a PA28. First stop Lake Havasu for a quick squint at London Bridge, Kingman for fuel and parked airliners, Bagdad because you just have to and into Sedona in the sunset.

Ah Sedona, what an airport, more like an aircraft carrier in fact. Perched on the hilltop, hardly room for the airport, a cafe and a hotel. Surrounded by red mountains. 5 mins walk to the hotel, 5 mins back for dinner at the airport, 5 mins back to the pool. And good food too - especially after the culinary desert that is El Cajon.

A few turns over Meteor Crater, up to Canyon De Chelly (spectacular and worth the detour) and onto Farmington, NM (not) (and Mr Farmington ATC, I want to apologise for disturbing your slumber by having the temerity to actually ask to land at your public airport). Then up to Monument Valley for the sunset - and no National Park 2000ft dotted line either...:D And back to Sedona for a night landing.

Sunset Crater the next day (so so) and on to Grand Canyon. Wow. The thing I like about the main US National Parks is that they totally live up to expectations. The sheer size of the thing and the depth are staggering - you thnk its just another canyon, but its just a different league. Its got to be seen. There is, of course, the turbulence and the time it takes a PA28 to get to the required 10,500ft crossing altitude at midday temperatures but that's part of the fun. I flew down to Grand Canyon West - you can go closer to the rim height at the west end of the canyon.

So I'm in GCW, intending to go back to Page but short on fuel. The options are Grand Canyon for fuel then Page or Kanab for something different. Or McCarran Intl, Las Vegas. Easy one that:D What did ATC do before they had the Stratosphere Tower to make approach instructions easy? A night in Las Vegas always refreshes the parts other cities don't reach.

Next day, up over Zion National Park (good but should've landed and drove up) to Bryce Canyon. Top place - airport manager couldn't have been more helpful. I intended just to see the canyon then fly on but it is just so fantastic I spent too long so stayed the night at the hotel there. The hotel provides courtesy transport and the park has a shuttle bus system.

Then down to Marble Canyon (kind of between two cliffs) for a look at the Colorado River then onto Rainbow Bridge and back to Page. Its golf cart war there with two FBOs fighting for your business. Page is a nice place if you can get down to the lake shore.

Time to head south east. To Grants Milan - nothing there as such but you can hire a car there to go to Sky City, an Indian place on a mesa and that is worth the effort if only for the view, rather than the Indians. No video cameras allowed in the village - still, that's why we have planes;)

And so to Carlsbad, home of the Carlsbad Caverns in south east New Mexico. Biggest in the world (or at least western hemisphere or something). 2m bats come out at sunset and the place is :mad: ing huge. Wookey Hole, eat your heart out. Not just a huge space, it was filled with massive versions of all sorts of stalactites and columns and soda straws etc.

Roswell - there is nothing there except the UFO place but its a bit like Bagdad, you feel you have to go. Actually the UFO place was interesting - I realised I'd flown over the crash site earlier.

I decided to stop in at Santa Fe to see some pueblo dwellings up at Los Alamos. (Thanks to Million Air for the courtesy car and the salsa). Taxiing off the runway at Santa Fe, I notice these jet fighters lined up on the apron. And I think of these little adverts that appear each month in Pilot with a guy called Larry standing in front of a Mig. Oh dear, its going to be an expensive stop:D

So the next day sees me in a flight suit and chute, being briefed on the plane and on basic aeros and strapped in the L-39 by a man with a middle name which has quotation marks round it, you know like "Jester" or "Maverick" or in this case "Duke". I wouldn't say I mastered the Russian taxying technique but we did get to the runway, took off and headed out to their box for some aeros and I discovered I quite liked "G" after all. Then back to the airport for a few circuits. Now I have some jet time in my logbook!

You can imagine that getting back in the cherokee after that was a bit demeaning but I had a great flight that afternoon. Up past Taos to the pass over the Rockies, over the pass at 11,500, then drop down over Pueblo and route round Denver, a quick stop for fuel at Sidney (small Colorado plains town), then up towards Alliance, Nebraska to spot Carhenge. (Think Stonehenge made of cars) Flying low over some badlands and on up to Rapid City, South Dakota.

Next day sees a visit by car to the Black Hills (v.nice indeed - added to the list of places I'd like to live) then up the Iron Mountain Road to Mount Rushmore. This road has a bunch of tunnels and each time you come out of a tunnel, you get a view of the distinguished gents. Its better from the road than the visitors centre really. The indians are making their own one, a carving of Crazy Horse (will be bigger than Rushmore obviously) which is also worth a look.

Then back to Rapid City, back into the plane and an evening flight north west to Deadwood and on to Devils Tower (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) whose dotted lines on the map are really very close into the tower so you can circle close. Didn't see any aliens but caught a headwind which slowed down my progress so I stopped in Sheridan.

Over the Bighorns to Cody, over the Rockies (I think) to Lake Yellowstone, south along the Grand Tetons to Jackson Hole and back north along the Grand Tetons in a car to Yellowstone, still partly snow covered. Evening cocktails on the terrace at the Old Faithfull Inn, followed by a day of more geysers and Japanese touristing (drive, stop, film, drive, stop, film (sometimes, drive and film together)) via Mammoth to Yellowstone Canyon. Beats the Grand in my opinion. So beautiful. There's a platform right on the top of the lower falls - the water flow was huge and the drop dizzing. I was going to go back to Jackson that evening till I saw the Lake Yellowstone hotel and decided to spend the night and take dinner overlooking the lake.

Next day, back to Jackson. My habit of asking the FSS for notams for my longest possible route for the day (on the basis that if I didn't fly all of it, it doesn't matter) caught me out as I asked for a VFR brief to Portland International. (VFR not allowed there)

It didn't matter anyway since as I crossed Idaho towards Boise, I decided to head north to McCall. I stopped for fuel and food at McCall - a really pretty town on a lake surrounded by mountains (added to the list too) which got me thinking I'd like to spend another night somewhere on a lake. So I headed north via a brief dalliance with more in-canyon entertainment at Hells Canyon to Sandpoint, Idaho which I can totally recommend as a night's stop. On a lake, surrounded by mountains, its got a beach. And boat hire.

Then headed for the San Juan Islands north of Seattle. On the way, above the clouds, you could see Mt Rainier sticking out in the distance. I'd been to the Canadian SJ's before in blue skies which the locals described as unusual. And it just got bluer this time. They rank No 1 on my list of places to live in the US. (A few other people have the same idea - I gather property is more expensive than Seattle). I flew around then found my definite "Best Place to Fly in the Western US" - East Sound on Orcas Island. Think Caribbean style hilly island with a runway on the only flat bit where the two sides of the horseshoe island meet. Fly up the sound, turn a little and land. Nice hotel too.

N33810 had some spark plug issues there. Where else in the world would you get your spark plugs fixed immediately and the mechanic stands you dinner?! Interesting guy too.

Over Whidbey Island, down the Puget Sound at 500 ft under the Bravo, into the bay up to the Space Needle (almost), Mount Rainier always visible, and south for a fly-by of Mt St Helens then west down the river to Astoria. South over the airport of "Seaside" - does exactly what it says on the tin - and along the gorgeous Oregon coast (all parts thereof on the list of places to live) then inland to Crater Lake. The rim was still snow covered, the sky was blue, no wind so the surface was unrippled - a great view from the plane. And down to Crescent City on the northern CA coast for the redwoods.

I took a car through the redwoods (looked just like in Star Wars), drove through one of those hollow trees, all in beautiful sunshine so got a bit of a shock when I turned the corner into Crescent City and it was fog bound. Which it remained for the next three days. I went wandering round Southern Oregon in a car which was OK but it was totally frustrating since the fog was only 1000ft thick or so and only went a little way inland. Eventually, I went back to Crescent City thinking about just going for it in the evening. I was about 20miles away in the car when I got an AWOS on the handheld that said 1200ft ceiling and I floored it. Reporting 1000ft at the airport but it was closing in quickly so I switched to CTAF and took off - and got over to the edge of the layer before it closed in.

[Reached the character limit - cont'd next post]

cont'd from last post

Merced seemed very busy on frequency when I got there - turned out I arrived in the middle of a vintage aircraft fly-in. I didn't win any prizes but I did manage to hire a car to get me to Yosemite that evening. Again, what can I say - the place lives up to expectations and more. Every turn is a new view and you want to go back and do that turn again but you can't because its a one-way system (as several drivers pointed out to me :O ). Japanese tourist day again then drove back to Merced and flew to Death Valley for the evening. At 13,800 over the Sierra Nevadas, I didn't breach the full-time oxygen rule but the 30 minute rule was maybe stretched a little. Landed 8.30pm, 42 degrees C, called the hotel and they sent a van. The Furnace Inn Ranch is an oasis in the middle of DV. They have this outdoor pool which is like having a hot bath. Being June, the only people there were British ("mad dogs and Englishmen") - pretty much the first I'd come across in any numbers the entire trip.

San Diego had been IFR that whole week and the next day was no different which meant I had no option but to spend the day at Big Bear playing on the lake. Its a hard life :D . The following day was still cloudy but SEE was reporting above 1000ft so I tried a "VFR contact" approach - you follow I8, the cloud gets lower and the road gets higher and you try not to contact with the cars. Eventually, it was fairly clear I was going to breach a 500ft rule or two so I found another way, low over El Cap dam.

Three weeks, 70 hours flying, don't know how many thousand miles, all VFR and trying to use radio nav as little as possible (I only got lost once, which was when I tried to use it without keeping up a visual fix - lesson learned), a stack of cash (partly because of my insistence that any hotel had to have a pool and tub!) but a great adventure that will keep me boring friends for months to come.

I then had 4 weeks of hood work for the IR which was a bit more like hard work (but worth it if I never have to get stuck in Crescent f:mad: ing City again). And a complex and cessna sign offs. 140 hours in 2 months 5 days took me up to 200 hours. I'm feeling chuffed.

Flying in the US makes flying fun. Every little town has a 5000ft tarmac runway (no looking for short grass fields surrounded by other grass fields), with an FBO to fuel up for you, sort you out a hotel room, give or rent you a car and tell you the best places to go see. I got cars after 9pm on a couple of occasions and on Sundays and from little airports (try doing that in the UK). I never booked a room in advance, in fact most times I only had the vaguest notion of where I would spend the night. Overall route planning was by the maps at the back of the Best Western hotel guide (before anyone objects, I had sectionals too). There's no PPR; if you get bored or tired or the weather closes in, you stop somewhere, if not, you can carry on. The FSS will brief you properly and en route too if you change your mind about a destination. The airspace is sensible and high enough to give you options. If we became the 51st state...

But most of all, the people are just so damn friendly and polite and helpful (except Farmington tower obviously) and just downright generous. We have a habit of mocking the US over many things and deploring creeping Americanisation but there are some things they just do right and we should learn. So thanks to all the people I met on this trip.

Phew - think I typed enough now - if anyone is doing anything similar, I hope this gives you ideas.

AF

[Tall_guy_in_a_152]

Thanks for the thorough trip report. It sounds like you had a great time. I hope to follow in your footsteps (wake?) next year.

I will file away all that useful info to retrieve later.

TG.

[FlyingForFun]

Whew! I only got 1/3 of the way through your post, but then I had to stop coz I was getting too jealous! (Well, that, and the boss is due in soon - I'll finish reading it later.)

Sounds like you had a fantastic time! :ok:

FFF
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