Favorite destinations

[kwmoore]

I'm hoping that members will post some of their favorite destinations. I myself would be particularly interested to hear about lodges or mountain hideaways in the OR, WA, ID, MT areas--maybe a potential site for our 2003 fly-in! Here are some of my own favorites:

Sedona (SEZ). You've heard about it already on this forum.

Monument Valley (Gouldings). Ditto.

Jackson Hole, WY. A rental car gives you access to Grand Teton and Yellowstone NPs, as well as the town of Jackson Hole. The town is nice but on the expensive side ($75 for a Motel 6 last September). Nice airport and good FBO. Sightseeing by plane is spectacular east through north and west.

Sunriver OR. Nice resort; surprisingly reasonable lodging costs. Free airport pickup. Heavy emphasis on golf, but tennis, river rafting, float trips, and skiing in winter are available too. Beautiful place on the eastern slope of the Cascades.

Mendocino CA. Little River airport (O48) serves the area. The town of Mendocino is magical and it's just a short walk or shorter drive to the headlands along the ocean. Fantastic romantic weekend getaway just a 45-60 minute flight from the SF Bay Area. Call ahead to reserve a rental car. Getting there from Palo Alto is a tough navigational challenge: keep the blue on your left, the green on your right, and look for the mile-long runway carved out of the forest. ;)

Weed CA. Either of two golf resorts near Mt. Shasta will pick you up for a day or more of golf. Perpetually snow-capped Mt. Shasta dominates the landscape for 50 miles in all directions.

Gold Beach OR. Quaint coastal town at the mouth of the Rogue river. Great fishing and jet boat trips on the Rogue.

Ashland OR. Nice town southeast of Medford. World-famous Shakespeare festival spring through fall, with performances of other plays as well. Unbeatable sightseeing by plane when the weather is clear (all the time, right, Terry?): Crater Lake, southern Cascades, Oregon coast.

Columbia CA (O22). 15 minute walk into Columbia State Historic Park, a town restored to resemble its Gold Rush days. Enjoyable way to spend a day or even a weekend with your spouse and/or kids. Fun on the 4th of July. Several fly-ins throughout the year, including Bellancas, Luscombes, Father's Day. Todd just picked up a 1977 182 airframe there.

[keithmo]

A few additional locations to consider:

1. Sulfur Creek, ID (no ID). I flew into this backcountry airstrip this past Saturday. I was only there for a few minutes, so I didn't get a chance to see the cabins or sample their famous breakfast, but I hear the lodge is pretty awesome. I'll post photos on my web site in the next few days, then post a pointer here.

2. Glacier National Park, MT (<a href="http://www.airnav.com/airport/KFCA">KFCA</a>). Two good airports in town (Glacier International and the smaller Kallispell airport). We've only been into Glacier International, but it has a great FBO and rental cars.

3. Cody, WY (<a href="http://www.airnav.com/airport/KCOD">KCOD</a>). Not as touristy as Jackson Hole, but it has a nice airport, an FBO that actively encourages fly-ins, and a great museum (The Buffalo Bill Cody Museum). The airport is an hour or so from the east entrance to Yellowstone.

4. Santa Fe, NM (<a href="http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSAF">KSAF</a>). The airport is nothing special, but the town is great. Awesome New Mexican food!


KM

[n2099x]

Willits, Ca. (O28) has a good FBO (Dave) , fuel is $2.39. and we have 2 campsites you can park next to.

Sunriver is one of my favorites I'm not a golfer but they do have nice lodging and great food. They also have 30 miles of paved bicycle paths and a shopping complex. But no pets.

Furnace Creek, Death Valley has camping through 4 star, you need slacks and a sport coat to eat dinner at the lodge. Fuel is usually available but it can take forever and they charge like its that the only fuel in the valley (and it is).

Covelo, Ca. (O09) has the North Fork Cafe we often go there for dinner very pretty valley but don't go over night your plane is not safe after dark.

[kwmoore]

Glen et al.

I was thinking of taking Tina & Byron to Shelter Cove for lunch and a few hr of ocean-gazing. Have you been there before? Recommendations for lunch?

Thanks--Kevin

[n2099x]

Kevin,

I land there more often than I eat there. but I have eaten at the Chart Room Restaurant a couple of times and it was good. There is also a coffee house I am going to try for breakfast. Both of these are on the northern end. I think the main restaurant on the south end is now serving lunch but I haven't eaten there. The deli in the market also good I usually eat there because I normally have my dog, It is also on the south end. There are tie downs on both ends of the taxiway but the north end is sometimes full. For current weather I check www.wrh.noaa.gov/Eureka/ and look under current observations and Shelter Cove will be there. Hope this helps.

Glen

[Jonathan]

Furnace Creek is a great place to visit; alternately Columbia O22 is a nice visit as well. In 1992 through about 1995 they put on a great Father’s Day Flay In, it has waned in the last few years…
Another place that lends itself well to the 260 is the El Mirage dry lakebed near Edwards. This is one of the last places in California where you can “run what you brung” basically anything that moves or runs on internal combustion is allowed on the dry lake no speed limits. It makes a nice spot to have a picnic and watch the activity on the lake.

[kwmoore]

The past several days had perhaps the best flying weather in Northern California in a month or more: cool, smooth air, unlimited visibility.

We went up the coast 1.6 hr to Shelter Cove, about 45 nm northwest of Little River/Mendocino. This airstrip and the little town it serves are the only level ground along the coast for ~30 miles in each direction. The airport is surrounded by a golf course--one could easily get an errant drive bouncing across the runway--and houses line the fairways that parallel the runway. The houses looked quite nice, but I remarked to Tina that I don't think I'd want to live THAT close to the runway--especially if Glen's friend the Bellanca driver paid a visit. One botched go around and there could be uninvited company in your living room.

A very pleasant destination for a few hours' R &R or perhaps an overnight, and eye-popping scenery on the way.

After more than 25 hr post-annual, I think 812KT gained 1.5-2 kt in cruise after removal of the AirCell antenna and Todd's canard adjustments. Today's example:

7500 feet
altimeter 30.12"
48 degrees F
23"/2400 rpm
~best power, CHTs < 370
approx 2500 lb (400 lb cabin + est. 43 gal fuel)
132-133 KIAS, or 149-150 KTAS

Have to find another 8 kt or so to run with Glen's 2099X.

I had an interesting experience when we stopped at Petaluma for some fuel ($2.45 vs. $2.94 at PAO). On approach to rwy 11, I noticed about a 10 kt tailwind, but the windsock was indicating a slight headwind at ground level. I was expecting a shear of some sort, but it didn't come until only about 30 feet agl: the left wing lifted and I had to wrestle the plane back to the runway. In most other planes a go-around would have been in order for sure--several go-arounds were indeed executed while we were fueling--but I just put in a little extra power and held ~50 kt until things were more comfy, then landed. Too bad I could only make the 2nd turnoff...:cool:

[n2099x]

The weather at Shelter Cove has been the best. I had heard about a canard sighting even before your post. It has been so nice there that everyone goes up a couple times a week. Since it only takes us 20-25 minutes.

Glen

[kwmoore]

http://www.flyinn.co.nz

[n2099x]

I have to add Harris Ranch (3O8) as one of my favorite stops. The strip is lit all night long and has 24hr self serve fuel. The steak house is great and the rooms are clean and reasonable. It would also be a good spot for a regional fly-in.

Glen

[Mike Sullivan]

Hey Glen,

I need to get some hours in so if the weather is good I may fly up your way on Friday. Don't much care where I go just so the weather is relatively cool and it's somewhere I've never been.

Mike

[n2099x]

Hi Mike; it's forecast to be in the high 90's friday. I have to go to Salem, OR. this week to get my CNX80 put in but that should only take a day. Will you be staying over? I have your cell # from last year. I will try to call later today. If you are planning on landing in Willits (O28) plan for morning or evening.

Glen

[kwmoore]

Marvelous day at Shelter Cove today: clear, temps in the high 60s, light winds out of south-southwest. Coastal stratus was nowhere to be seen until mid-afternoon when it appeared 6 or 7 miles out on the horizon moving back toward shore. Tina, Byron and I strolled around the "neighborhood" of houses between the runway and the ocean and had a picnic lunch on the bluff overlooking the water. I could get used to that...

Two unusual planes there today (three if you count 812KT): a Storch (!) and a Diamond Star. The Star looks a bit small inside, but perhaps that perspective changes once you're seated. I've never flown one but I've heard favorable comments from those who have.

Just a bit more than a week out from the McCall fly-in--y'all come, y'hear?

[witrakw]

FYI....

I flew that diamondstar DA40 in mpls two years ago when I was initially looking at planes...I posted that experience somewhere(cirrus website?).
I was more of a rookie back then, so not much to compare with but in short:


PLUSES:
-fun, fun, fun plane to fly
-liked the stick control better than yoke
-exceptionally facile and easy to fly
-I think that my landings are about a C+...the diamondstar made me look good and practically landed by itself
-unparalleled view, almost like you're in a turret
-long wings(39'4") seemed to absorb turbulence like shock absorbers.
-IO360, MT 3 blade prop, ANR headsets.....quiet cabin
140 knts.
-stalls were a nonevent
-panel maintenance a snap because of the forward tilt canopy
-slick looking composite design with good trim and fit to my eye

NEGS:
-as you mentined,Kevin,,,,cockpit too small. pilot seat is fixed and uou adjust the rudder pedals to the length of your legs. Even with the pedals adjusted to the max, it wasn't enough for me and my toes felt crammed together
-with mild turb, my head was banging on the canopy,sor neck next day.
-it's advertised to fit 6'4" occupant...my guess would be 6'0" max
-elevator trim tab chronic nuisance to adjust
-relatively small panel space for "goodies"
-the demo i flew was kinda cheap looking inside
-it was hot...lots of cockpit glass-good for growing tomatoes on a hot day
-long wings....tough to squeeze inmost standard hangar door widths


that twin turbodiesel that they are just getting off the line could be a brisk seller if they get the cockpit fixed...did I read the specs right on it?(something like 190 knts, 10 gals total consumption for both engines, maintain MP up to 14k ft, brisk climb rate)..I think that they are keeping the cockpit dimensions the same as the DA40. though.

[n2099x]

The weather at Shelter Cove has been great most of the summer,
I have been having breakfast up there a couple times a week.

Glen

[Pete of N978PB]

Re Bill's question about Diamond's forthcoming twin diesel performance specs -

A friend of mine who is VP for U.S. sales for Diamond is a straight up kind of guy - meaning, he doesn't BS when facts are called for.

I asked him last Spring about the reported performance specs for the twin mentioned by Bill.

He said they were for real, but indicated that the aircraft was still undergoing various flight tests.

The key here is for Diamond to establish a solid network of maintenance shops for the diesel, and the rest will take care of itself given those performance numbers.

[Todd Peterson]

It seems like one of the biggest factors in selling aircraft these days is becoming the issue of getting insurance.

A twin engine retractable is not going to be easy for many to get insurance for even though they have the funds to purchase the airplane. I talk with a lot of dealers and brokers and they are all saying the same thing. It's becoming very difficult to get their customers insured in high performance retractable single's and the twin's are almost impossible. The insurance problem needs to be resolved as it is hurting a lot of sales. Unfortunately I see it just getting worse.

[witrakw]

insurance cost was certainly a big factor for me....would have cost me ~$5K more/year when I was quoted rates year and a half ago. I doubt I could have gotten even a quote for my wife had we purchased some of those high performance/complex planes and she wanted to go solo.

Right now she's slogging through all of those Deakin articles and would probably opt for any plane that sported FADEC! Never thought I would ever hear her talk 4 cycle engine lingo.