ReLAXing in a room with a view

Crown Plaza at 5985 W. Century Blvd. is about the closest you get to LAX. Room 1504 is perfect for plainspotting. I guess the KLM onboard entertainment system will never be featuring United 93. But I'm looking forward to video on demand in coach class. It makes the 10 hours a bit more livable.

Introduction to LA Airspace

Svend found my story about flying a Skyhawk over Manhattan on the Internet, and invited me to a greater challenge in the LA Airspace of 35 airports. Svend is a former flight engineer at Sterling where he was flying Bowing 727. Now he owns a 1979 C-172 based on Fullerton (FUL), doing all the maintenance himself in a well equipped hangar - a home away from home.

He generously offered me the left seat. I did the flying and Svend did the radio. The visibility was not the greatest over Orange County, but as we came closer to our destination at French Valley (F70), an hour's flight to the southeast, the sun had burned off all the mist.

Going back the visibility was perfect until Lake Elsinore. Crossing the ridge abeam Santiago Peak we got back in the low visibility and heavy traffic reality of LA airspace. I did my best to establish on long final without having the field in sight, and had to adjust my course a bit as we got closer.

A great introduction to the most creasy airspace on the planet!

Planespotting at Van Nuys

The best way to experience One Six Right in real life (and outside the fence) is from the 94th Areo Squadron restaurant at 16320 Raymer Street. Their parking lot is a good #2.

A few blocks away I bought the 2006 Bahamas & Caribbean Pilot's Guide at San-Val Pilot Supplies & Trains. Something new to dream about... ;-)

One Six Right

Late last night I arrived at the Holiday Inn Express Van Nuys Hotel in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. This morning I prepared my self for the day by watching One Six Right on the PC and tuning my radio scanner to VNY CT on 119,3. It is a cloudy and foggy day, but listening to clearances for 16R constantly handed out is a perfect foreplay for today’s mission: Experiencing the location of the movie Casablanca and the world’s busiest general aviation airport.

California has lost many GA airports to urban expansion. Now good people are working hard to save this site of great historical significance.

Driving with an aviation GPS

San Jose - Los Angeles. Ford Taurus. Garmin GPS III Pilot. Jeppesen Aviation Database.

The satellites kicked in just before South County Airport (E16). The 'Aviation Museum' road sign confirmed my position, and I left 101 for some flying heritage, and a closer look at the field I used last night for touch-and-go landings. Unfortunately the museum was not open on Fridays, but Magnum Aviation had Kevin Kegin's American Warbird as visitor.

A veteran pilot was watching his souvenir video as a new excited co-pilot was prepared for air work in the North American Texan. A two camera production is created with one external on the tail pointing forward, and one in the cocpit capturing the facial expressions of the customer.

The tours of the day were sold out, so my lunch was safe.

I turned on the GPS again, and as the traffic came to a complete hold on the Pacheo Pass Hwy (CA-152 E), it was too late to make a visit to Fraizer Lake Airpark (1C9). A long hour and a few miles later Los Banos Municipal Airport (LSN) came up on the display. Knowing the drive to LA had only started, the I5 intersection made me turn right; press GO TO, selecting LAX, sit back and enjoying the count down on the TIME TO DESTINATION window.

I had updated my GPS with an aviation database covering North America before I left Oslo, but there are no US land data on the device. On I5 this was not a problem. It is as straight at it gets, direct LA.

Approaching Harris Ranch Airport (3O8) a McDonald’s sign convinced me to do some dining and plain spotting. Harris restaurant has to wait till I'm back by wings. A few yards after merging back to I5 a sign stated 'SPEED ENFORCED BY AIRCRAFT'. Not everybody in the skies are friends...

Abeam Elk Hills-Buttonwillow (L62) and Meadows Field (KBFL) the batteries went out and the sun came down. Darkness followed.

What a great way to end a week in San Francisco!

The drive to San Jose and Reid-Hillview Airport on 101 was a night mare, but the two hours of stamping in traffic was quite rewarding. Instructor Jake at Trade Winds Aviation gave me the option to combine the training required for phase III of the Wings Program with a fantastic tour of the San Francisco bay.

In a C172P we departed runway 31R at RHV and climbed towards San Jose International (SJC), crossing midfield. Leveled out at 3500 and followed Seashore Highway (101) to San Francisco International (SFO) and left class B airspace short after Lake Merced. The view was astonishing. Cold air for the ocean turned in to clouds as it merged with the warm air in the bay.

We continued coastwise by The Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco in slow flight, before class B airspace again at Hunters Point. At 1500 feet on the return we were transferred from airspace to airspace; San Francisco International (SFO), San Carlos (SQL), Palo Alto (PAO), Moffet Federal, San Jose International (SJC) and Reid-Hillview (RHV), before night landings at South County (E16).

Strongly recommended!

Remember, there is always someone working hard to close a great airfield...