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Welcome to LA<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Grass - it's fantastic!<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
We arrived, and met Assistant Chief Flight Instructor David Koble. There were, if I recall correctly, no less than five written papers to complete! A general checkout, an aircraft specific paper, and three papers for the three specific airfield checkouts that were required: Santa Catalina, Kern Valley, and Big Bear. David also conducted a thorough oral test on US flying procedures which was extremely useful given my rustiness after not flying in the US for the last couple of year. Finally, we made it out to N6543V, the C172 RG that we were to be renting. This is a version of the C172SP that we’d flown in 2007, but is rather older and has retractable undercarriage and a variable pitch propeller; it therefore counts as a “complex” aircraft and requires a special sign-off by an instructor. We conducted pre-flight checks, paying special attention to the undercarriage, and set off for our first stop; Big Bear, a high altitude airport the other side of LA. We flew high, through the Class B airspace over Los Angeles, before heading up into the hills and across the lake to Big Bear. <\/p>\n\n\n
Other traffic at Camarillo<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>The foothills north of LA<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Freeway winding through the hills<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Access road in the mountains<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Approaching Big Bear<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Big Bear airport on departure<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nBig Bear sits at 6,750 feet above sea level. Still, this was not the highest airport that we had visited, that honour being held by Mono Lake from our previous journey. We landed on the westerly runway, facing the lake, and taxiied in to the apron to park up and stretch our legs for a while. David showed us around the terminal building, where regrettably they had just stopped serving pancakes, and we grabbed a couple of complimentary apples before returning to the aircraft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The C172 RG has a couple of significant differences from the standard C172. Firstly, there is the obvious matter of the undercarriage, which is retractable and controlled by a large lever on the control panel. All that you have to remember to do is raise the gear after takeoff and, naturally, put it down again before landing. I was finding it tricky to remember that my wheels were no longer fixed solid, but thankfully I was forgetting to raise the fear after takeoff, not forgetting that I needed to put it down before landing! Before long the gear-raising was an automatic part of my after-takeoff checks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other significant difference is the presence of a variable-pitch propeller. This works a little like the gears on a car, with the angle of the propeller blades changing to suit the pilots demands. For takeoff, the blades are set in fine pitch which gives good acceleration and climb but low top speed. Once in cruise, the blades can be coarsened to allow higher cruising speeds at more efficient engine speeds. On the way to our next stop, Kernville, we practiced some of the procedures linked to these new features; what to do if the gear would pump failed and the gear had to be deployed manually, what to do in the event of an oil leak from the propeller (the blade angles are controlled by pressurized oil), etc. We also practiced manoeuvres such as steep turns as we made our way across the desert and into the mountains again. <\/p>\n\n\n
Heading towards Kern Valley<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Looking towards the Pacific<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Misty hills south of Kern Valley<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Wind farm on the slopes of the Mojave<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Crossing the hills towards Kern Valley<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Final approach to Kern Valley<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nKernville, or Kern Valley, is situated at one end of a man-made lake, surrounded by mountains. We landed on the lake-facing runway, which required a flight up the valley first and then a sharp turn to bring one back towards the airport lined up for landing. The airport has two parking areas; one at the lake end by the FBO, and another half way along the runway. This second parking area is for the airport campsite, which is purpose built and has a number of fire pits, well irrigated grass and trees, and even a solar-shower. We were planning to stay at Kernville on our second night away, so it was nice to visit and see how pleasant a stop it would be! David warned us to look out for bears; of course, just when we were starting to feel safe…! <\/p>\n\n\n
Sunset over the Pacific<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Dusk approach to Camarillo<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nIt was getting late in the afternoon at this stage, so we took off again and turned back South towards Camarillo. En-route David decided that we should play a game which involved me closing my eyes and trying to follow his instructions, banking left, right, etc. This is often done by instructors to demonstrate what can happen if you fly into cloud without instrument training, the idea being that they tell you to fly straight and level again, and to open your eyes when you think you’re doing this to find that you are in fact in a spiral dive or similar. The lesson is clear; avoid cloud unless trained, and if you do get into it then fly by the instruments, not by your senses! We landed at Camarillo in the twilight and drove back to Ben and Alejandra’s, where Ben had returned. We shared an enjoyable meal with them, catching up on the last two years, before heading to bed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The following morning we loaded all of our gear into the rental car and headed off to Camarillo. The C172 RG was coming up for a required maintenance check, which had been overlooked by the flight school, so they planned to carry it out that morning while I completed the flight checks with another instructor. As the C172 RG was in maintenance, we flew a C182 instead; this was an aircraft that I was keen to get some experience in, and as it had a 235hp engine, I could get my “high performance” sign-off in my logbook as well, required for aircraft with 200+hp. Another written exam was required, of course, before we could go flying. <\/p>\n\n\n
Historic aircraft at Camarillo<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Historic aircraft at Camarillo<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Approaching Agua Dulce<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Taxiing back for take-off at Agua Dulce<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>On the way to Santa Paula<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Southern California reservoir<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nThe original plan had been to fly to Santa Catalina Island, 30 or so miles off the coast of LA, but there was a low cloud-base there which prevented us from visiting. Instead, we flew to Santa Paula where we practiced a few touch and goes, and then some instrument flying before continuing to the mountain airport of Agua Dulce to land and stretch our legs. From here we returned to Camarillo to collect the C172 RG. <\/p>\n\n\n
Southern California rock formation<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Approaching Santa Paula<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>On the ground at Santa Paula<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>On the ground at Santa Paula<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nOn our return we discovered that there was a problem. One of the cyclinders of the C172 RG engine had been found to need replacing, and there was no way that this could be one in the next few days – disaster! Sarah Oberman, the head of the flying school, proposed a solution; would we mind taking the C182, N3513T, instead. Although not retractable, the 182 was larger, more powerful, and even slightly faster, and Sarah was offering it for only a few dollars more than the 172, considerably less than the list price. It did not take much to convince us so, after a trip to the local stores for food and other supplies, we packed up N3513T and set off North. Our first destination; Oceano, the airport where in 2007 we had met Ben and Alejandra, and bravely battled the fierce night-time raccoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flight to Oceano was short, and passed very quickly in the speedy comfort of the C182. It was a new model aircraft, only a few years old, with a big moving-map GPS and an autopilot. We landed mid-afternoon and picked a prime parking spot next to the campsite; there were no other campers there. <\/p>\n\n\n
Getting used to the C182 panel<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Happy copilot<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>A dam in SoCal<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Luxury California homes<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nAfter setting up the site we made our way into town for a walk, although recalling the state of the beach last time we visited we stayed well clear; allowing vehicles on the beach does seem to encourage a large amount of crazy driving! We stopped off at the local store for a few supplies, and debated finding a restaurant for dinner, but the discovery of barbecued hot-dogs at the stores back counter convinced us that this would be a fine dinner choice instead and we returned to the campsite to eat our picnic meal and turn in, the only campers at the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We woke early the next day, to a low overcast. Looking down towards the pilots lounge, we spotted movement; two elderly gentlemen were climbing out of the window. We were of course curious, and it turned out that they were in the habit of meeting a group of friends at the lounge for coffee and donuts every Saturday. Today, these gentlemen had been the first to arrive and on closing the door behind them found that it wouldn’t open again; hence the escape out the window. We had to charge our laptop and so climbed into the lounge the same way, and before long more old gentlemen had arrived with tools, repaired the door, and joined us inside to brew coffee and share their donuts. JR arrived, the owner and operator of the yellow Boeing Stearman biplane that gives pleasure flights at the field. He, and a few of the others, were Vietnam veterans and happy to swap flying stories from their varied careers. <\/p>\n\n\n We refueled at the self service pumps, watching JR perform aerobatics overhead with a client. A local man and his young son were watching us through the fence and we got chatting, and let them in through the airport gate to come and see the aircraft and let the child sit in the pilot seat. Another aircraft arrived as we were fueling and confirmed our observations that the cloud was breaking up and the weather elsewhere was good, so we took off and headed East to Kernville on Lake Isabella. <\/p>\n\n\n We flew up the canyon, turned, and landed towards the lake as we had done two days previously, and taxied to the campsite; this time there were two other aircraft already present, and tents set up. We set ours up too, and with no sign of our neighbours, wandered up the runway to the FBO where we picked up some drinks, and discovered that the courtesy car was already out with the other visitors. We didn’t mind; we had nowhere we wanted to go, so we walked back to the campsite. On the way, the courtesy car drove passed packed full of people; they waved and smiled as they passed. It turned out that they were indeed our new neighbours and we would meet them properly later. <\/p>\n\n\n Hannah decided to brave the solar shower. We filled the black barrel on the top with water, and went to visit the nearby river for a while while the sun warmed the barrel of water. On our return Hannah enjoyed a brisk shower, although reported that the sun had not noticeably warmed the icy water! I decided to wait and shower the next day, somewhere with warmer water…<\/p>\n\n\n<\/a>
\n\n\n\nCooking breakfast at Oceano<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Breakfast at Oceano<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>The Boeing Stearman<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>The coolest of hangars<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nVehicles on the beach at Oceano<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Oceano airport<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Heading inland<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Dry lake bed<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Dirt strip in the central valley<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Agriculture in the central valley<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Easy navigation<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Airport in the central valley<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Parked up at Kern Valley<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\nKern Valley fuel sign<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Kern Valley weather system<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Kern Valley mural<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>Aerosol cheese - on a cheese puff?<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>River at Kern Valley<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>The solar shower<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n