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So Cal Sightseeing

J

JBHansen

Active Member
I am planning a trip soon (mid March) to see the wildflowers in Anza-Borrego State Park. Anything else to see along the way from Los Angeles? Is there a website (or for us old folks, a book) to get info on sightseeng from your plane?
 
Salton Sea? Mt Palomar Observatory? Stop in at Warner Springs - Sky Sailing Gliderport for a glider ride? Mt San Jacinto?
 
Don’t plan on landing at Agua Caliente L54, flew over it yesterday and it is closed. Runway is X’d out. I sure hope they open it up again.
 
I flew over the desert yesterday. Got some cheap(er) gas at Brown Field then flew along the border to Jacumba (L78), then turned north to follow the abandoned railroad track through Carrizo Gorge. This canyon is fun to fly down and you can see the Goat Canyon Trestle bridge. I did a pass over Agua Caliente and it is definitely closed. I did a touch and go at Borrego Springs. You can see the vast pink display of desert verbenia just north of the airport from the air. I headed up towards Anza and Hemet, but the Cafe at Hemet was closed due to a kitchen fire.
You can land at Ocotillo or Salton Sea airports, but the area around them is pretty barren and not much for wildflowers.
 
Chiriaco summit (L77) has a decent restaurant and is just a cool old WW2 strip. Has a tank museum there.
 
I would recommend Catalina, Oceana and other places already mentioned. Avoid Torrance airport (user fees but don't know if tie downs still cheap?? ) and Hawthorne (expensive FBO for transient pilots, but fuel and airport open 24 hours.

This is a good time to see the desert stuff, before it gets hot.
 
The Carrizo Gorge canyon is in the Anza Borrego Desert State Park and you are “requested” to maintain a minimum altitude of 2000 feet above the surface;-)
 
PilotjohnS said:
I would recommend Catalina, Oceana and other places already mentioned. Avoid Torrance airport (user fees but don't know if tie downs still cheap?? ) and Hawthorne (expensive FBO for transient pilots, but fuel and airport open 24 hours.

This is a good time to see the desert stuff, before it gets hot.
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I haven't found Hawthorne to be that expensive. My 8 year old son loves the restaurant on the field -- Eureka -- so we go there periodically, and the FBO has always treated us well. SpaceX and Tesla are right next to the airport, which is kind of cool. The area is having a bit of a resurgence as a center for rocket development.

--Ron
 
ronrapp said:
I haven't found Hawthorne to be that expensive. My 8 year old son loves the restaurant on the field -- Eureka -- so we go there periodically, and the FBO has always treated us well. SpaceX and Tesla are right next to the airport, which is kind of cool. The area is having a bit of a resurgence as a center for rocket development.

--Ron
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That FBO (Jet Center) tried to charge me $80 to allow me to pick up a passenger that walked through their facility. Managed to talk my way out of that by promising to buy self-serve at the pump located midfield.
 
blaplante said:
Be aware of the aerobatic box north of Borrego Springs
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Most definitely. Here's a page with the box information: https://iac36.org/box/ There's a contest coming up at that airport in April, so activity will be increasing as we get closer to that date.

Users are supposed to "open" the box with flight service and Los Angeles ARTCC so that a notam can be issued to pilots who will be flying in the area. However, I've seen pilots forget.

I'm not saying I've ever done this.

(But I've done this.)

--Ron
 
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