Pismo Beach and Oceano Airport

Santa Barbara

Lake Cachuma & the Pacific in the backround

Oceano Airport is just to the right of the Pismo sand dunes

We made a pit stop at Oceano on the way to Monterey Peninsula.   We flew up the shoreline and over the San Marcos pass at 6500', over Lake Cachuma and Santa Maria. Oceano is adjacent to Pismo Beach and the famous Pismo sand dunes.  My shortest runway  so far, 2300 ft, but no problem since there's always a good wind coming from the sea.  There is a picnic area, camping, a pilots lounge.  There is a playground and duck pond for the kids right across the street.  Old Juans Mexican Cantina and the Rock and Roll Diner is also just a short walk away.   The yellow biplane that gives rides is a local familiar sight.  I loved this place, what a neat little airport right on the beach!  

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FRIENDS OF OCEANO AIRPORT WEBSITE

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Flying to the Boneyard at Mojave

Red Rock Canyon State Park

Mark and Peter

Peter, Brian and I flew up to take the "boneyard tour" at Mojave Air and Spaceport. After we landed on Runway 8 we ate at "The Voyager" restuarant. Free parking and great food. Each table has a speaker with the tower audio playing. We went to the fueling office and arranged for the tour. We bought some Mojave Airport gifts while waiting for our driver. The fuel guy gives the tour as long as he has the time, it's $5 a person. Very surreal and interesting seeing all these giant planes sitting in the dirt for sale or just for parts. They don't allow cameras on the tour, but we got some shots from above. We took a short hop over to Red Rock Canyon State Park, we saw the Honda California Proving Grounds, a giant 7 mile oval in the desert complete with a road course in the middle for testing new cars. This was followed by a quick landing at California City Airport, I took a static-line parachuting class here, and did a jump about 17 years ago. Great day for desert flying in the Desert.

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Catalina, The Airport in the Sky

We flew out to Catalina Island for lunch, it was a beautiful January day for flying. We couldn't believe the waters off So Cal could actually be blue. KAVX is a private airport and cost $20 to land there. It's very worth it, great food and we even saw the Buffalo's on the hillside next to the patio while Brian was eating a Buffalo Burger. Every private pilot has this airport on their list of favorite destinations. It's actually not a difficult, or unsafe airport, contrary to what most non-aviation people have heard. Pilots just have to be prepared, and have their homework done. For example there are some visual illusions, such a the feeling that you are too high on approach that the mesa causes, and the illusion of running out of runway too early, that is caused by the hump in the runway.  When you check in on the CTAF mid-channel, the guy on the UNICOM will give you the wind.   We flew to Twin Harbors, from there did a long 45 deg. entry to the right downwind for runway 22.   When we departed we flew around the western tip of the island then over to Avalon Harbor before flying back across the channel.
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