NorCal Favorite Airports

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jcepiano

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jcepiano
NorCal Pilots! What are your favorite destination airports in NorCal? Either as a destination just for the experience of flying into it or for the restaurant on field or nearby.
 
Columbia is great, don't go in summer, watch the DA.

Flew up there, got engaged in the little town.

Looking forward to more results here, new PPL out of Sac.
 
I like to go to Auburn and Petaluma for meals. Their restaurants have good views of the runways and they are smaller airports that attract interesting planes. Half Moon Bay can be fun that way too. It's really kind of central California, but Oceano is pretty cool.
 
KLLR Little River.. There's a shuttle there that will take you to Mendocino (5mi away) and pick you up.. KRBL Red Bluff has a great little cafe to catch breakfast and watch the runway.. Like the others have said Aurburn, Columbia... KVCB Nut Tree and walk over to the outlet stores or resturants., my hometown is KOVE you can fly and taxi right up to the golf course and play or eat at their restaurant.,
I've heard Chester has loaner bicycles to ride but never been there yet..
 
Lee Vining for the flight.

Half Moon Bay for the food.

Columbia for the destination. DA is not a concern unless you insist on taking off from the grass while pointed at the terminal, in an overloaded 172. Winds can be "interesting" when blowing, but CalFire manages to get tanker aircraft in and out in summer.
 
South Lake Tahoe, Bridgeport (good food), Lee Vining, Mammoth Yosemite, Eastern Sierra & Lone Pine

All in the Eastern / High Sierra Nevada. Some with good food, good skiing and all with good scenery.

Edit: Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek
 
That's the "Chicken Strip," no?

Heard about it, never been there. Saline Valley redefines the meaning of BFE. It's MUCH harder to get to than Death Valley.

Went out there once in the Exploder. Just about busted an axle.
 
MAKG1 said:
Columbia for the destination. DA is not a concern unless you insist on taking off from the grass while pointed at the terminal, in an overloaded 172. Winds can be "interesting" when blowing, but CalFire manages to get tanker aircraft in and out in summer.
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It is with 2 people in a 152 on a 104 degree day. I used every inch of that runway and went to full power before releasing the brakes. We were not at max gross by 150 pounds or so. Wasn't fun.

The clubs 172s were all out, so took the 152. :)
 
A 2000 MSL at 40 deg C in a 152, the performance charts say you need 2000 feet to get to 50 AGL at max gross.

That's a 6000 foot runway at 1500 MSL. Should not be a problem. Even if you double the requirements.

Either something was wrong with the airplane, or you were overloaded. Real easy to do on a 152. Perhaps wrong technique. You should lean on the ground if it's that hot. Above 3000 DA in a 152. And 10 deg flaps.

The obvious problem is that it's next to impossible to fly a 152 150 lb below max gross with two people. The basic empty weight is 1136 (stock) and the max gross is 1670. That's 535 lb to play with. Take off 150, and you're down to 380. Add 20 gal of fuel (2 hours round trip, plus 1 hour reserve), and you're at 260.
 
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I've only flown into 3 California airports from Oregon: O16, KRHV, and A28.
Flying to A28 was the most fun. As a destination it doesn't have much to offer - the trip was the thing. I found its remoteness and solitude appealing. It certainly qualifies as "northern California".
 

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MAKG1 said:
Half Moon Bay for the food.
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And the scenery, especially if you're coming from the east or north over San Francisco and the Golden Gate.

Watsonville is an easy flight and I believe still has a good restaurant on field.

Auburn is easy too and has a restaurant on field.

McClellan has a good museum on field.
 
Buggsy2 said:
Watsonville is an easy flight and I believe still has a good restaurant on field.
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Props at KWVI has been closed but a new venture is supposed to open in January. They are remodeling now.

KHAF is my favorite food choice. I love knocking on my neighbor's doors on a random Saturday and saying "wanna go get some clam chowder""..."sure, where, the wharf"" (we are in Santa Cruz)..."No, Half Moon Bay"..."wait...what?"

Looking forward to getting back to Santa Rosa...food at the restaurant there was great.

Still need to get to Harris Ranch for some good dead cow.
 
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