Tuesday I had a long flight planned so was up early and ready to depart the airfield just after 8:30. The early morning cloud hadn't quite cleared but it was broken so I was able to fulfil the legal requirement of always being in sight if the surface. I had arranged to meet a fellow student for lunch in Palm Springs but wanted to get in a flight to the border first.
 |
| Above the clouds |
 |
| Traffic Watch |
 |
| Random Airstrip |
 |
| Huge featureless mountains |
 |
| Mexican Border |
I climbed up to my cruising altitude of 7500 feet as soon as I departed Long Beach. The climb takes an age in a small aircraft - around 10-12 minutes at best rate of climb but soon I was trimmed and in smooth air tracking towards a VOR beacon. The beacon was on top of a mountain directly in front of me at 6100ft. Despite triple checking both the chart and the app for the height,it is disconcerting to be heading towards terrain that seems as if it is at the same height as you. Over the peak I was vectored around some skydivers although I couldn't see anyone in the sky and then the green mountain terrain dropped away to reveal flat desert with some random airstrips dotted around that seemed to have no other buildings around them. 30 minutes later I could see the river (or canal?) and the fence that separates the US from Mexico. The airport I was landing at (Calexico) soon appeared on the horizon and I touched down at the uncontrolled field a few minutes later after allowing an international flight to cut in before me. You can see the demarcation line and the crowded Mexican city on the other side of the airfield in the pictures. I was tempted to take a cab to the border just to say I'd done it but was a bit short of time to get up to Palm Springs so maybe next time.
 |
| Moon-like scenery |
 |
| Mexico beyond the airfield |
 |
| Disneyland closer this time |
I was careful not to stray over the border, although I later learnt from my friend in Palm Springs (a helicopter Med-evac pilot) that one of his colleagues had flown 15miles into Mexico accidentally and only realised his mistake when the paramedic on board pointed out what looked like a bull ring! He did a 180 to return to the US but ATC hadn't even noticed - perhaps explains the Malaysia Airlines case a bit!
After taking on some fuel, I took off in a fairly strong crosswind before turning north towards Palm Springs avoiding the border Police drone planes and the Blue Angels (US Red Arrows) training area - neither of which I saw. Landing at the Jacqueline-Cochran Thermal Airport (same as yesterday) was easy on their huge runway. I regretted hitting the numbers (the beginning of the runway) and wished I'd landed long as I ended up having to taxy 80% of the length of the runway to the parking area.
 |
| Point Mugu Naval Base |
After lunch in a nearby restaurant, I had to taxy back the entire length of the runway to take off to the north and start my return journey to Long Beach. Another trip through the Banning Pass, this time at a smoother 8500 feet rather than the bumpy 6500 I'd tried the day before and after an hours flight I was back at Long Beach. I'd flown 350 miles and spent almost 4 hours in the air - both personal bests for one day - so was exhausted and took an early night.
 |
| Courthouse |
Today I had the aircraft for the same period (9-3) but this time planned a shorter flight with more time on the ground as I was a bit tired of just seeing airports and not getting out into the towns. I chose Santa Barbara as a destination having heard great things about this place from both pilots and non-pilots. The flight was just over an hour, passing over LAX, Malibu and a busy naval port (Mugu) and soon I was descending over the city for a left base arrival on runway 15. After a smooth landing I taxied to the Signature Aviation base, and as I bought fuel from them they waived the $35 ramp fee and provided me with a free crew car so that I could go into he town without paying for a taxi - another unique US general aviation bonus!
 |
| Santa Barbara Beach |
 |
| Jets all around |
 |
| Santa Barbara Historic Centre |
Santa Barbara was as expected and reviewed - a beautiful coastal city, with lots of Spanish influence in the architecture. I took a walk along the pier and visited the authentic old courthouse which has a viewpoint on top of the clock tower with stunning views of the city, before filling up on tacos and heading back to the airport.
 |
| Government Aircraft |
 |
| Huge Oceanfront Mansions |
The departure from Santa Barbara is interesting as you take off straight over the shoreline, before tracking along the coast back to LA. A day off tomorrow means a well-deserved couple of drinks tonight.
 |
| Departure from Santa Barbara over the ocean |
No comments:
Post a Comment