Great trip, congrats! Seeing images of L.A. at night form the air always brings a smile to my face, even though I of course fly this myself all the time. Can never get enough of that view….. next time here, get in touch!
Many thanks for sharing the fantastic experience! Kudos to you for doing this on your own. But I have to say, ATC does a very goob job in Germany as well 
Thanks for the trip report, very cool stuff!
One of the nicest reports I’ve read on here. Thanks!
Silvaire wrote:
I continue to be impressed by the ambition of US flying trips posted here… on this one you did a lot and it looks like you did it well.
Me too. He saw more airfields in California in a week than I did in 3 years living there. 
I continue to be impressed by the ambition of US flying trips posted here… on this one you did a lot and it looks like you did it well.
That area north of LA (Cerro Noroeste, the bird sanctuary area) is more remote than many think.
Come back soon
Caba,
Great trip report and photos. I recognized most of the the pictures as I learned to fly in California, many many years ago.
Next time you visit the US, you should try filing and briefing your flightplan thru ForeFlight. As long as you have a cellular capability, you can activate your flightplan thru the app when you are on the ground just before you depart and close it after you land.
The controller was asking for your equipment to determine if you had a GPS or needed to use ground based Navaids. With VFR, a current database is not required.
For those who are not familiar, the terminology of cleared for the option, here is the term as defined in the Pilot Controller Glossary:
CLEARED FOR THE OPTION− ATC authorization for an aircraft to make a touch-and-go, low approach, missed approach, stop and go, or full stop landing at the discretion of the pilot. It is normally used in training so that an instructor can evaluate a student’s performance under changing situations. Pilots should advise ATC if they decide to remain on the runway, of any delay in their stop and go, delay clearing the runway, or are unable to comply with the instruction(s).
Brilliant report Caba; thank you for posting and and for the super photos.
European pilots generally find flying in the USA a really amazing experience, compared to Europe.
Some uncommon planes could be seen at CCR. This Epic LT is now available as a certified airplane as I understand it. 320kts, 1600nm range, and looking good!
This HH46E is privately operated as part of the Vietnam Helicopter Museum.
On Sunday morning I departed for the short 20nm flight to Oakland International Airport. This is the Chabot Space and Science Center, a nice place to visit with your kids.
The Oakland Coliseum where I would watch the Raiders vs. Chargers game, the Oracle Arena in the background
Right base for 28R OAK. It was no big deal getting into this large airport, it was all very relaxed.
Signature was my FBO for the day, purchasing 7gal of fuel waived the 25$ ramp fee.
A number of crew cars are available, but I chose to walk the short way.
It was quite an experience seeing how those Raiders fans set up camp just next to the stadium with their big pickup trucks and large Weber grills. An NFL game seems to be an all-day family and friends affair.
The Coliseum has a capacity of about 55.000 seats.
And it was loud! Until the Raiders lost by a last second field goal!
Returning to the airport I had an hour to kill, but the Signature lounge was a good place for that. With that Gulfstream in the background I felt a little out of place, but everybody was very nice! Today I wanted to get my three landings 1hr after sunset which are required by the FAA in the previous 90 days when you want to carry passengers.
A nice sunset on the airport
After departing straight out from runway 28R you will pass overhead the former Alameda Naval Air Station and see the Oakland bridge and Treasure island on the left side.
San Francisco Bay with Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background
Night landing at Concord´s runway 19R
This is how it worked on all airports I visited. They are fenced, but pilots have access any time. You will find the code inside the gate or get it from somebody at the FBO. In my case I even got it from the receptionist at the hotel.
Before leaving Concord I had the airplane topped off and also added some oil, again waiving any ramp fee that otherwise would have been charged.
Departing to the southeast I passed Mount Diablo, 3800ft high. The smoke from the nearby fires could clearly be seen….and smelled!
The plains of the St. Joaquin Valley. 100 years ago, before the large irrigation systems were installed, this was a semi-desert area.
Castle Air Museum from the air
It has a collection of about 60 airplanes, ranging from WWII to the fighters of the 1980s and includes one of the remaining SR71 Blackbirds.
This was the most impressive one for me, a B36 Peacemaker with a 21-ton H-Bomb
It was powered by six 28-cylinder engines producing 22.800hp of power when they were all working. Which they were frequently not.
The former Castle Air Force Base has an 11.800ft runway and was one of the prime B52 air bases during the Cold War.
On my way to Harris Ranch I did a practice diversion to Firebaugh.
And some more landings at Johnston.
On final for Harris Ranch´s RWY32, just off the Interstate 5. One of the tips I got on this forum.
I was the only one visiting by plane at this time.
I found that one funny! All these empty Tesla charging stations and the Ford F150, representing the many, many big pickup trucks and SUVs you will see across the US, even in pioneering California. Makes me wonder what all the fuss regarding European car emissions is all about.
Of course I had forgotten this by the time I got my check. But the food was worth the normal price as well!
Since it was still early I decided to go to Visalia, about 70nm east, to see the General Sherman Tree in the Sequoia National Park on this day instead of Tuesday, as originally planned. These are large solar panel fields that I found on the way, just south of Lemoore.
There is an Enterprise rental car station on the Visalia airport and I was on my way for the 1.5hr-trip shortly after arrival. However, when entering the Sequoia Park I was told to expect a 2hr delay enroute due to construction work. I was not in the mood for that and instead returned to the airport to do some more night flying.
Both Mefford and Handford airports were just 10nm away from Visalia. They had pilot controlled lighting and working PAPIs, which was important to me having never been there before. Visalia´s PAPI was U/S, but since I knew this airport it was ok for me.
During my morning run the next morning I decided on the plan for the day. I would conclude my flying trip today going for Camarillo in the morning and ending the day at San Diego, via a night flight over Los Angeles.
I had to cross the coastal mountain ranges again, this time higher than on the way out at 8500ft. I cruise climbed all the way to keep temperatures within limits.
Once I passed the inversion the haze was past me and I enjoyed unlimited visibility. The air was also very smooth.
Large irrigation systems provide the water for agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley. In dollar terms, California is the largest agricultural state in the country.
Oil fields near Ford City. I was a bit surprised to see them here, but they actually produce almost 500.000 barrels a day in California.
Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Los Padres National Forest, also a Condor sanctuary. I cleared the 8800ft peaks comfortably but had to slam dunk down into Camarillo once clear of the mountains. For the first time a called an FSS on this flight, Hawthorne Radio, inquiring about the activity of military airspace and giving a PIREP.
On final for Camarillo´s RWY26. It´s a very busy GA airport, I had L39s flying around me, a bunch of Cessnas, some business jets and I even saw a DC3. I wanted to visit this airport for sentimental reasons. A friend departed for his last flight from here a few years ago. The Waypoint Cafe is the place to go at Camarillo. It´s a great restaurant just next to the transient parking area. I had a great lunch and enjoyed the great view there. The only downside was when I later found out the place had closed for the day at 1500, leaving me somewhat hungry before my flight back to Montgomery.
I spent the afternoon here. If you want to come here with your wife, be sure to bring along a C210 or similar, you might need it. This place is HUGE, even by American standards.
Since this would be a night flight along the Pacific coast I figured it was a good idea to have somebody looking for me in case I did not show up at Montgomery in time. I therefore called 1-800-WX-BRIEF for the first time, getting a briefing and filing a flight plan. I could have done it with Foreflight, but it probably have taken the same amount of time. I also wanted to know how the personal briefing works in the US. It was a good experience!
I departed Camarillo shortly after sunset to have enough light left to clear the Santa Monica mountains without hitting them. I planned to cross the LAX class B airspace via the Special Flight Rules Area. This basically is a route on the Santa Monica VOR 132 radial that you can fly without calling ATC at 3500ft or 4500ft, depending on direction. You will give position reports on CTAF instead. Incredible for someone accustomed to European style ATC, but it actually seems to work very well. I opened the flightplan via FSS and learnt another lesson…calling on 122.1 you will have to listen on the appropriate NAVAID to hear them! Only on 122.2 will you have 2-way communication. I learnt that from the books of course, but experiencing it is a different thing!
Approaching Santa Monica at 3500ft.
Marina del Rey / Venice Beach
LAX airport by night from 3500ft
Coming off the SFRA over the 405 freeway I started my climb towards 5500ft and got clearance for the B airspace by SoCal. They provided flight following for the rest of the flight.
John Wayne Airport
Oceanside, with the Maxwell airport visible in the center of the picture
And then the adventure was over, after touching down on Montgomery´s RWY28R, the last landing of the trip. I closed my flightplan via radio and this was it.
I spent Wednesday at Coronado Beach and also visited the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier set up as a museum, anchoring at its pier near downtown San Diego. It´s definitely worth the visit. Plan four hours or more if you´re into this stuff!
I ended the vacation having dinner at the Kansas City BBQ, a little sportsbar that in 1986 was the location of a couple of scenes in the movie TOP GUN. The bar is still very original, they even retained the piano “Goose” played on. A cool place to visit and the food was decent too.
This trip left me speechless many times, it was just awesome. GA flying in the US is how it is supposed to be and I enjoyed every minute of it. Can´t wait to get back! In total I flew 16hrs and did 49 landings, 20 of them at night, I gained a ton of experience and had loads of fun! Luckily, the weather I had during those four, five days made up nicely for our summer. You can´t rely on this though, even in California, as I saw on my United flight to Seattle. Yeah, that IFR rating would be handy at times!
Although it was certainly demanding navigating through the LAX airspace flying solo and dealing with ATC, it was a lot less intimidating than you might think. Preparation was the key, and Youtube is really a great resource for this!
I also had a lot of inspiration from friends and trip reports on this forum. Thank you!
Very nice! And thanks for the bridge pics, we waited for a week for the fog to clear on our US trip three years ago before we gave up
