Cool California Airports

Zero1Niner

Zero1Niner

Well-Known Member
Got a guy in from overseas that has an faa license, and is looking to do some flying with me while he is here. We are flying out of LGB, and curious if anyone had any recommendations for some really cool or unusual airports in California or other neighboring state that would make for a cool cross country.
 
A good number of them.

Hemet-Ryan is one. Lots of activity. San Bernardino Intl or Southern California Logistics, if you want to go to an old-school big runway (former Norton and George AFG, respectively) and see civil boneyards. Mojave would rank up there too.

And Blythe is always cool.

A good number of others too.
 
Castle, Columbia, Hollister, half moon Bay, Harris Ranch, Catalina, Big Bear Mountain, Watsonville, Oceano, Santa Monica... there are so many.
 
Needles. Definitely Needles. :D

Depends on how far you're willing to go. Avalon, Santa Barbara, Grover Beach, Half Moon Bay, Napa, Shelter Cove immediately come to mind. The Point Loma transition to Brown Field through NAS North Island's airspace is great too (especially the "maintain at or below 500 feet, one quarter mile offshore" part underneath the departures out of SAN!). Buzzing out to Imperial to watch the Blue Angels do their thing at El Centro in the wintertime can also be fun.
 
I know its not california but you should deffinintly go out to Sedona, AZ SEZ....one of coolest airports ever!
 
Chino for Planes of Fame West, and Camarillo for the CAF Hangar. From Camarillo head up the coast to Santa Barbara. From there pop over the mountains to Santa Ynez and on to Santa Maria ( used to be a good Mexican restaurant in the terminal ). Fly further up the coast to Monterrey, Watsonville, and Half Moon Bay.

Typhoonpilot
 
Flying over LAX in the VFR corridor is always interesting and good for a few stories over dinner.
 
I'll throw my vote in for Half Moon Bay and Avalon too. Santa Barbara and Monterey might be worth a check too, especially if the FBOs have an airport car. (Not sure if you can head out from SBA to the Chanel Islands, but it might be worth a phone call.) IF the weather up there is good, the coast line up to some of the Northern airports is very pretty. Cresent City etc. (The whole Nor Cal coast line is gorgeous, but that may be too long of a ride from LGB.)
 
calcapt said:
Flying over LAX in the VFR corridor is always interesting and good for a few stories over dinner.
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Nice. . . I had not thought of that, but that is akin to bird watching. Only with nearly every kind of transport category airplane and most airlines a "sighting" possibility.
 
Some of my local favorites:
Catalina
Camarillo
Santa Paula
Big Bear
Santa Monica
San Luis Obispo
Montgomery
Las Vegas
 
subpilot said:
Columbia has a grass runway (and paved) and is walking distance to an old gold mining town.
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Great airport. Took a CJ3 into there and walked into the town for a few hours while the boss took care of some business.

Definitely a scenic flight in/out of O22.
 
South lake tahoe if you want to fly around the tahoe rim. Flew the wife up there and ended up catching a cab to town, which was a pretty penny. I think there is a bus that goes through there during the daytime. Anyways, cool airport, just prepare for density altitude during the summer.
 
Watsonville. At least "back in the day". I'd take off out of RHV with students and when the east IFR practice area was pretty full, we'd do the SNS ILS, MRY VOR then the WVI NDB, full stop and hit Zuniga's on-field.

Or, if you're really geeky, fly into KTLR and you'll see an abandoned hangar next to the B-17 and the F-4 on static. That's where I got my private.
 
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