View Full Version : X Country in CA
Lewy Boy
5th May 2003, 23:28
Going to be doing some flying in Brackett CA, anyone got any good memories of any VFR navs in the LA area!!
Hi there!
I haven't been, YET! However I am going in June to Brackett for the first time with ADP. They have been soo helpful and have even gone to lengths such as organsing me accomodation, and picking me up from LAX when I arrive!
When abouts are you going? Would be great to meet up...
I've flown with ADP a couple of times. Make sure you understand the procedure for pickup at LAX or you'll spend many hours waiting and looking for the person collecting you.
Where to fly? Just about anywhere. We did Big Bear (great fun), Grand Canyon (stunning), Meteor Crater and Sedona (awesome), up the coast to Monterey (beautiful), and across lots of desert because I love deserts. My favourite place to be on the ground was San Diego. If I were starting again, that's where I'd live.
The air museums are brilliant too - we did several. Palm Springs and Santa Monica probably my favourites.
I tried to do an IR at ADP but that was a few days after 9/11 and a bit off-key. I went to NAC in Florida the following February and finished it.
englishal
6th May 2003, 10:00
There was a thread a few weeks ago about California.....There are tons of places to go from Cable. Try the Banning Pass on a nice hot day with a Santa Ana blowing through for the free 'vomit comet' experience :D
Enjoy it
EA:D
SKYYACHT
6th May 2003, 12:49
Lewy Boy,
Get checked out for Catalina Island - and walk down into Avalon. Its about the only place in the US that I have been charged a landing fee - and it goes to the parks service. beautiful place! Big Bear has already been suggested, but I would also suggest a trip to Santa Barbara which is quite beautiful. If you get the opportunity, and want to do something a bit different, check out the VFR Corridor that runs N/S directly overhead KLAX. I recall that the procedure used to be something like pick up the xxx radial off LAX, and if going S to N fly at (say) 3,000' self announce on yyy.yyMhz, and sqauwk 1201.......quite an experience.
If museums are your thing, I also suggest the museum at Chino, which is excellent.
Following on from the "Vomit Comet" comment, if you go through the Banning Pass, and into Palm Sribgs, that is also a good experience.......On a hot day it took me about 20 minutes in a circling climb to get sufficient altitude to get back through the pass....it was about 100 degree F and performance of a normally aspirated Warrior wasnt great, especially with two on board!
You should have some good fun.
Enjoy it,
Blue skies..
:ok:
Hi I flew out of KPOC in Jan this year,BEST FLYING EVER!!!! As already mentione Palm Springs and Santa monica are nice trips but what about VEGAS!!! about 2.2 hours from KPOC ,free pickup and bus to visit the City and back to Brackett to see the sunset!!!
The staff are very friendly and aircraft in a reasonable state.
I did a few multi hours too on a Seneca 1 it was worth it as it only cost me $150 wet including the instructor not a bad deal!!!!
Enjoy mate
MA
Sensible
7th May 2003, 05:32
Fraid Catalina and Sedona landings are off the agenda these days with ADP aircraft. Something to do with the insurance company getting fed up with damage to aircraft caused by hard landings! Still, the overfly is good still. Mc Carron International (Las Vegas) is a good bet, the overnight parking at Signature cost me $38 and they waived the $22 handling fee when I purchased the required minimum of 7 gals Av Gas. Hotels are cheap, try the Howard Johnson if you are on a budget, should cost no more than 40bucks a night if you avoid weekends. Bullhead is worth a visit, Visit Page in Arizona (beautiful scenery over lake Powell) via the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon National Park, its a good ride but GPS is pretty well a must through there tho cos there is a tight corridor between two no fly zones which extend from the surface to 14,500ft and whilst ATC are very helpful, violation of the national park no fly zones could spoil your day! santa Maria is a good spot, overfly MJ's Never Land ranch if the weather is cavok, it's just to the South of Santa Maria Class Delta, I didn't find it due to cloud but had an overnight in a hotel actually on the runway. How cool is parking the airplane outside the hotel? Even if it was a bit on the pricey but very nice side! Santa Barbara is nice with a restaurant right on the beach five minutes away on foot. Big Bear is a must, the restaurant on the runway is good too! Santa Paula is good for breakfast (don't overfly the city, check out the noise abatement rukles and traffic pattern altitude is something like 600ft -you will see why if you fly it) two good Mexican cafe's within five minutes walk up on the main street also it's a step back in time and definitely very Latino! a good site for airport info is www.airnav.com which gives infoon airports and cheapest fuel locations if you don't plan on returning to Bracket to refuel. ADP give a fuel credit of $2 per gallon and prices vary from around 2 bucks to nearly 4 bucks a gallon (don't fill up in Las Vegas McCarron)
I was also wondering if anyone could fill me in on the kind of fee's you have to pay over there? I was told that you hardly pay a landing fee, but is there anything you are charged when you land or tie down? parking etc?
Many thanks
obk
Sensible
8th May 2003, 16:43
Most places don't charge an overnight tie down especially if you buy fuel. Signature at Las Vegas is the only one that I have encountered. Don't expect to fly into LAX at all, they don't accept bug smashers. Catalina (Avalon) charges a landing fee but it's a private airport. The USA generally doesn't charge overnights or landings but check out the airports on www.airnav.com for fuel and landing charges.
That's great! Sound's just like what aviation should be like. It sounds like a very aviation friendly abyss :D
Thanks
obk
There is an increasing trend now for many FBOs to charge a handling or ramp fee even for light singles, almost always waived if you buy some fuel but the markup is gonna cost you a tenner on average. On the other hand you can get your money's worth of coffee, popcorn, Internet & wx access, magazines, etc, during the stopover! I've even spent the night in an FBO snooze room and they'll often have a car you can take for a couple hours at no charge.
As part of my flight planning I browse the comments on fuel prices, fees and perks on the airnav.com site to select which FBOs seem to offer the best deal (there's often a choice - infact often a choice of airports too!).
It's also possible usually to negotiate, if you apply maximum charm at front desk they sometimes are happy to waive things like overnight parking if you're stuck due to weather, or waive the ramp fee / fuel purchase if you beg, "awww but I'm just gonna be here 10 mins!"... or... "ramp fee? hmmmm, we don't have those in Britain, do I really have to pay?" is often just as acceptable as Mastercard :ok: You can also try parking the plane discretely then striding through without registering. This is all particularly easy at FBOs which are busy with jet traffic and the staff have more lucrative customers to chase up!
Another new trend at some airports and FBOs is the need to show your license & photo ID, sometimes when you arrive, or more likely when you want to go airside again, so don't leave it in the aircraft, just incase.
Hi again,.
I am now thinking of slashing out a bit more and going with Rainbow Air as I have been told their aircraft are in better nick for the small extra fee. I'll be doing 40hrs in either their C172N or C172P, or their Archer 2. Does anyone have any experience in rainbows aircraft, particularly the above mentioned. Just so that I know what goodies I'm gona get on the radio stack! Also, are they new/old/torn/worn/good nick?
Cheers
obk