Top 6 small airport destinations in Southern California
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- Are you looking for the best places to fly in Southern California? Come along as we fly to the 6 coolest small airports in the area. Whether you're taking a day trip or an overnight stay, these locations are the best places to fly a small airplane. Find out which airports have the best restaurants and activities to experience California flying at its best. With locations in the mountains, beaches, islands and everything in between, this video will show you airport adventures that can't be missed.
Good video. Straight to the point. No music or BS. 100% agree with all your selections except for me personally I'd swap Chino for Camarillo. Usually a fair amount of warbirds plus the infamous Flo's for breakfast....where many a pilot has gone to clog their arteries.
Thx! Flo's definitely will clog your arteries!
Another great video, thanks for sharing your experience. I hope to check a few of these out!
Awesome video and love hearing about some of the lesser known gems in your neck of the woods!
Love this video!!!!!! You are the best!! :D
Another very nice video, thanks! Not only do the airports look gorgeous, to non-locals like me their names sound exotic and make it all seem even more adventurous.
AWESOME VIDEO....another one of my favorite airports is Perris , good food and a big skydiving facility
I fly out of KSBA with my flight school and love to fly to these airports, still looking to fly into Catalina seems like great fun
Great video! Did my first solo cross-countries to Santa Ynez from Hawthorne - wonderful airport and area. I’ll be sure to check out Kern Valley, seems like a great place.
Excellent list! Been to a few of them myself and agree with your assessment. Safe travels everyone!
Thx Joe!
great picks!!! :)
Good job!
Great video. Southern California sure has some great flying opportunities. I haven't been to any of these strips yet but I plan to hit them all.. I did go to Half Moon Bay up North with a buddy and thought I had died and gone to heaven. Short walk to great seafood and a Bay tour to boot. Shelter Cove is another I'd like to hit. Thanks for sharing.
Thx Lance. There's many places in NorCal that I need to hit up. Shelter Cove is also on my list.
Very well done! Honestly, the videos you post, I hit the "like" button first and then watch it!
Wow. That's a great compliment! I appreciate it. Stay tuned, I've got a really fun video coming out on Friday. Also...I came across your CO2 monitor review recently. Thx for making that. You still think the Tocsin is the way to go?
Wolficorn I do. The alerts will get your attention
I’m down the street from WHP and a huge Grumman fan. I appreciate your videos! Keep em comin.
Awesome man! Thx and keep on keepin' on!
Badass list
Awesome video! Also, some other airports to consider (Some aren't in local SoCal region): Agua Caliente, Mammoth Lakes, and French Valley.
Thx!!
You are so good at this. I love your style.
thx B
Hey..seems like your FB is still down. Send my your mobile at bryan@wolficorn.tv so we can text. I wanna chat about this weekend.
@@Wolficorntv yeah I keep trying to get off Facebook. Email me your phone number to: bryan@worldsgreatestpilot.com
@@JustPlaneSilly Cool. It can be evil. I get it.
instant click when i see the new video icon.
pleasurable cinematography that captures the pleasures of GA.
you're about to explode Wolfi.
Glad you like it Sean!
Glad you like it Sean!
Wow, that looked awesome, so much to see and so adventurous! We don't have such breath taking sightings like that overhere. Overhere it's just flat. Cheers from The Netherlands ;-)
Hey! Welcome to the channel. There's certainly some nice flying around here. That said, I love the Netherlands! Been there several times.
@@Wolficorntv Thanks! Great to hear that you´ve visited this little country. If you ever plan to come back, I´d love to hear. I have made some flying videos you might like and recognize some landscape. I admit quality could be a bit better, but I´m just having fun making these and sharing my passion of learning to fly anyways.
nice video, I fly out of VNY & been to all except Kern Valley, love your Tiger, fun plane to fly...wheels up!
Glad you liked the video. Go check out Kern!
I have to check out Kern
Just placed an order for a new plane - based out of LA - and can’t wait to get it up into the air to check out the interesting airports around here. Epic video! Going to check out all six of these!
Congrats! What are you getting?
@@Wolficorntv Thanks! Ordered a Cirrus SR22T GTS Special Edition. Building a dream sheet of airports to check out while waiting for it!
@@natethuli Nooice!
Big Bear now has free shuttle that has a stop at the Airport! So much more convenient now for pilots.
That’s great news! Thx for the tip.
Nice video put together very well and without obnoxious music. A few airports in my logbook are Borrego Springs, Chiriaco Summit, Chino, Santa Monica, and Catalina being my favorite. Used to be based out of Montgomery Field.
I went to Borrego for the first time recently. They have a nice new restaurant. It's a cool little airport.
ooohh. i have to check out Chiriaco Summit. That one looks cool. Hitting up Borrego Springs soon.
Cool, we're going to add some of these as way-points in ForeFlight, when we ever get to our 48 (49) state tour!
That sounds like quite the trip!
@@Wolficorntv may have to do it in stages as our schedule has been set back 3-4 months!
Dope video. Also consider L09 Stovepipe Wells. Fun flight: circument the restricted airspace and sooooo vast and beautiful out there over the paniment valley.
Thx Adam. I actually made a video about Stovepipe Wells. I think we spoke on POA about it before you flew there. Glad that you enjoyed that flight!
@@Wolficorntv totally. I meant it for the others... for your list. But yes, you've been super helpful. Love your vids. Keep 'em coming.
Great !!! I will land on these in my flight simulator ...
As a Santa Ynez resident flying out of KIZA and KSBA, awesome to see it make the list. Have made many trims to CMA and Oceano.
Thanks for watching! It’s a great airport in a beautiful area.
The diner at the airport has some of the best burgers you'll ever find.
KCRQ....!!! Lol great content
Haven’t flown there yet. What’s there to do?
Great list of airports! We’ve been to all six of them. My wife and I had fun trying to list them before we watched the video. We got five out of six. We didn’t think of Santa Ynez although once you said it we both said “oh yeah! That one deserves to be in the top six. One of the ones that we thought would’ve been there but maybe number seven is San Luis Obispo. They have an excellent restaurant on the field and a couple within walking distance. Also if you get the crew car there’s lots of restaurants in town that you could easily eat at and still turn the car in within the allotted two hours.
Glad you liked the video Blake! I agree 1000% about SBP. I go there quite often, actually. Such a beautiful area to fly. I haven’t been inside ACI since they moved to their new location, but have used their crew car a couple of times to get into town.
@@Wolficorntv We we’re just there in October. ACI is beautiful inside. But they’re a little more remote than they used to be. Getting a rental car is much less convenient now. It’s about two or three times the distance to walk there. It kind of caught us by surprise. On the walk over there to pick up the rental car we were dragging our luggage with us and it was pretty awkward. When we came back on Sunday I dropped my wife and the luggage off at ACI and then drove back and turned in the car and walked back. Much easier that way.
@@holifbl They’ll bring you a rental at no additional charge FYI. I rented from Hertz twice last year at ACI and it was waiting for me both times.
Another great video Wolfi. Honestly though, I don't know how you made a top 6 list ... there's just so many good ones and every airport is so unique, my list would be top 50! As a former CMA airport local, can definitely back you up on that one though ... I haven't found a better airport cafe yet than the Waypoint.
thx! True...there are many to choose from. Top 50 would be way too long a video plus I'd have to go film them all!! LOL
@@Wolficorntv haha very true. I'm going to start hitting up some more interesting airports on my channel so we can slowly collab and get through them all! :)
Great video! Really like your aerial views of the airport. Did you use the basic google earth or earth studio?
thx David. I used Google Earth Studio. It's a great little application.
So-Cal ?......more like So Cool 😎
Very well done. Oceano and Kern Valley on my list to hit soon. I would throw in French Valley as well for a decent Cafe but better yet, great variety of local wineries. Grab a rental car and stay a night!
Hey Jason! What's up! French Valley def has a decent cafe. Haven't been to the wineries around there but I wasn't a big fan of a Temecula wine I once tried.
@@Wolficorntv no worries, there are many to choose from around there. We have a couple places we prefer that might have some you may enjoy. Let us know if you are ever around there as we are only 30 min away. We also like Gainey next to IZA.
Been to 4 out of 6... Big Bear and Santa Ynez are on my list!
Nice. Yeah...you gotta check those last two off the list!
Very surprised. I live about 50 miles East of Kernville, in the desert and just got started with my ground school. I was not expecting your number 1 pick. I have driven through there hundreds of times but will have to fly out there once I get through training.
Good luck with the training! It's obviously subjective, but I think Kernville has alot going for it. Speaking of which, I'm overdue for a fly in camping trip there.
@@Wolficorntv thanks. Love the content.
Consider Half moon bay excellent restaurants, camping on field coffee shop on the field. Great view on landing.
Also Columbia airport Camping on field and easy walk to great restaurants.
Half Moon has been on my list. Didn't know you could camp there. I've been to Columbia. Their camping is currently closed b/c of coronavirus, unfortunately.
Excellent list! Just add F70, L70, L88 and UDD and you have an excellent top-10.
Thx! Been to all of those except New Cayuma. My understanding is that it’s been closed for a few years.
Wolficorn you’re fully right. I must have either been mistaking or mistyping. L88 should have been L18
I live in Cal City l79, work at Edwards, have been to Kernville and right past the Kern Valley Airport. West Coast Skydive at Camarillo Airport also. This looked very familiar and by the way excellent video production, well-balanced not too much of anything background music everything, I'm a photographer not a video guy, this was not boring.
Possible Tehachapi, great getaway cool in the summer 4300 elevation.
I've spent some time in Cal City filming a personal project. I went inside that abandoned hotel. Crazy place. Glad you liked the video. Tehachapi is a fun little stop. There's a decent BBQ you can walk to from the airport.
I like the Corona airport, it’s been 40 years since I’ve been there with my college Mt SAC, but it was nice
i've flown in there once or twice to go to Aircraft Spruce!
great video. amazing.
How long does it take you to make a video like this? It must take at least a day...
thx! Yeah they def take time to make. A few days of editing, not to mention the filming as well.
Agua Caliente is pretty cool if you like desert hiking and hot springs.
Ocotillo Wells has a dirt strip. I think it's still possible to rent dirt bikes across the street from the air strip. Bring some guns and you can ride to a shooting area to the south.
Perris is great for sky diving.
I've been to both and I agree they are cool. The hot springs are definitely a nice feature at Agua Caliente. Maybe I should have had a desert airport in the list.
Perris...don't you need permission to land there? At least that's the case at Elsinore.
I've been to Perris maybe half a dozen times. Sometimes to dive, and sometimes just to watch. I've never needed permission. It's cool to watch the people in the vertical wind tunnel. I think there is a big train museum within walking distance too, but I haven't tried it.
F70 ( French Valley) or KAPV ( Apple Valley) didn’t make the list. Although been to 5 of your 6 and can agree with all your choices. Haven’t been to Kern though, might have to check that one out.
I've been to both of those places. French Valley has a nice cafe.
For Northern California don't forget Shelter cove, half Moon Bay, Quincy, Truckee, South lake Tahoe, Colombia, San Carlos, Auburn.
I need to fly up there more. Been to Columbia and Auburn multiple times.
Im doing flight training out of Oxnard, right next to Camarillo. Its always been so busy that its hard to do touch and gos.
Yeah weekends especially :)
Thanks for the #1 shout out for my parents airport (Kern Valley Airport). My parents are ready to retire so the airport is for sale in case anyone is interested! ☺️
No problem. It's a a great airport. I'm curious what that asking price is?
@@Wolficorntv, you can contact my dad directly, Rick Lach, at (661) 345-7755 to find out the asking price. They are looking for the right person to take over (quality/best fit over $$) so everything is negotiable. The airport cafe, campground and house are included in the package.
Theres a bush trip in MSFS2020 that explores Kern Valley
Is the visibility crap in MSFS2020 now? It is in real life from all the fires!!
@@Wolficorntv the mission is time and weather is predetermined. it takes you up the river thru the valleys to the lake for the first leg. flying from kern valley to big bear direct vfr, there isnt much to see, so yeah maybe the map is updated. however, it doesnt simulate smoke, only a ticker aerosol layer
Santa Paula
Flabob
Those are good ones!
Awesome video! I was pleasantly surprised to see you had Oceano/Pismo Beach on your list. Back in 1988, while I was based at NAS Moffett Field in Northern California, I rented a Navy Flying Club C-172P and flew my newlywed wife and my sister in-law down to Oceano for a weekend camping trip. We packed a tent, some sleeping bags, and a cooler full of food and drink to last us a few days. What fun that was! It's a four hour drive by car, but only an hour and twenty minute flight by GA. It was in mid-summer and, yes, we had to deal with the marine layer just as you mentioned. The fog bank was sitting just off the coast when we had arrived, but we were able to sneak under the ceiling and land VFR about 30 minutes before it moved in. Once it did, we were committed to staying.
We pitched a tent at the airport camp ground and had some BBQ for dinner using one of the outdoor grills. In the evening, we took a stroll down Pismo Beach and joined some others relaxing with a huge beach bonfire. The next day, we walked to the boardwalk to mingle with the tourists, visited the local shops and got our feet wet walking along the shoreline. Obviously, there were no Uber or Lyft services back then, but a Yellow Cab ride was just a pay phone call away to get us back to the airport, (no cell phones either.. oh the agony).
The takeoff out of Oceano is a thrill. Climb straight out over the beach, head over the water about a 1/4 mile, then turn northbound towards the point, then eastbound over towards San Luis Obispo. The scenery there is gorgeous. One of my favorite places to fly.
Thanks for bringing back some fond memories! Fly safe and fly often!
Great story Gordon. I have yet to actually camp there. Maybe I'll get around to it when it warms up a little bit.
You might also make a list of small SoCal airports best avoided ("10 Worst").
Ha. Good idea but I'm not sure I want to go visit all the bad ones!!! LOL
And Lego Land, Disney, Universal Studios are also considerations if you want something more than just an airport fly-in. Tons and tons of stuff in Los Angeles and San Diego.
Very true Dave. For this video I was trying to focus primarily on the airport itself, while also taking into consideration ease of accessibility to nearby activities that weren't too expensive (of course I did mention snowboarding at Big Bear, but I digress, LOL). Thanks for watching!!
Wolficorn I fly out of Hemet Ryan are you in the area? 28534 tiger
Ralph Hoetger awesome. Yeah...I’m based at WHP.
Wolficorn let’s meet up for lunch one of these days
I’m down! It will have to be sometime in March.
Can you do another list for Northern CA? Thanks
I would like to...I just need to visit more airports up there so that I could rank them.
I would like to...I just need to visit more airports up there so that I could rank them.
I would like to...I just need to visit more airports up there so that I could rank them.
I would like to...I just need to visit more airports up there so that I could rank them.
I would like to...I just need to visit more airports up there so that I could rank them.
I got to fly my Tiger again, after selling it, on a visit to CA. We flew with it’s new owner to Borego Springs for lunch. Should have never sold that plane...
Borrego Springs is an airport I still haven't been to. I need to go check it out.
Wolficorn, please do and VLOG it. Haven’t been back in ages. The restaurant, as I remember was excellent.
I wanted to go back when I picked up my Sling in Torrance, 2018, but couldn’t find the time.
I am surprised Santa Paula KSZP isn't on the list.
Great airport for sure. Lots of choices in SoCal.
Does Santa Ynez airport still have $5 a day car rentals to go visit Solvang?
Last time I was there they had a rental car, but it was def more than $5. Don't remember how much. Uber/Lyft is obviously an option as well.
@@Wolficorntv Thanks for the reply. I was just kidding with the question. But no kidding, back in the good ol days, they did. I think all you had to do was show them your drivers license and hand them 5 bucks, and you had a clunker for the day.
@@philipmartin708 lol I guess I missed the joke. Some places still have free crew cars...a concept that I was always amazed by.
@@Wolficorntv Call me embarrassed. I've been away from flying so long I didn't know or would have guessed that there are free cars at some airports. I was expecting you to say something like, "What? A rental car for $5 for the day? No way." Anyway, it was back back in the good ol days for me, when you could rent a 4 seater for around $20 an hour wet. I'm new to your videos. It was Blancolirio that got me to watch your oil spill video. Now I'm a subscriber.
How close to lax are these airports
David, you can find a map showing all the locations at the end of the video.
YOU LEFT OUT GIANT ROCK AIRPORT IN LANDERS CA
KSMO before it, oh so sadly, closes.
It is certainly sad that it is closing but I personally wouldn't rank it in the top 6. It IS where my Tiger lived before I acquired her, so there's that :)
Bryan, thanks for your response. I thought it worthwhile because there is so much within walking distance to see and do, and there is the history of Douglas Aircraft on the field though little of it to see, I believe. There used to be a fantastic restaurant there too called DC-3.
I dont ze lax on the map
Sorry, I assumed you knew where LAX was. I recommend you google LAX to see it's location.
Small airports ..... small for US standards! For an European are huge! 😂😂😂😂
Santa Monica
Tehachapi
Chino / Planes of Fame
I also might want to add an airport from the desert and San Diego areas just to cover the whole region.
There are plenty of good ones to visit for sure. Those 6 just happen to be my favorite for various reasons. Thx for your input Jon.