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2017-11-24 01:01
in Flying, Nflying
I was going to San Bernardino to attend Dreamstate Socal over Thanksgiving.
I was totally not going to be driving to or from LA during thanksgiving. Flying southwest to a nearby Ontario airport was actually a decent option, but I elected to fly my own butt there and fly directly to San Bernardino's now defunct military airport, which therefore has a very nice long runway as well as a great FBO (seriously, awesome FBO, I'm hoping they get enough traffic and customers to sustain themselves, given that San Bernardino is otherwise not really a closeby airport for LA).
It did cost about 2x more to fly my own butt there than flying Southwest at last minute rates, but eh, I got to a closer airport, and I got to leave on my own schedule for both legs :)
The flight there was definitely my best flight to Socal where I got to fly over all 3 of Mohave Spaceport, Edwards Airforce Base (where the space shuttle could land, and X planes are tested), and the unassuming Victorville which has a great collection in its airliner graveyard.
fly by Moffett
I don't think it was LA smog, I avoided the LA Basin
Mohave Spaceport
those plane bodies were stripped for parts/skin
A cool little racetrack and dragrace strip nearby:
that got me excited :)
Then I made it to Edwards, which is usually closed airspace, but was open during thanksgiving:
the runways on the lakebed are my favourite part
Left, Center, Right, really? :)
Then, I made it to Victorvillle, which I circled once at lower altitude to picture all of the many planes parked there:
southest planes having fun :)
I then finished my flight to San Bernardino, arrived a bit late, but it was well worth it :)
sadly the airport is pretty deserted
The flight back was less scenic, the weather got worse (low-ish overcast and rain) as I got closer to Palo Alto. Got to land on runway 13, and no one else was flying with that low overcast and bad weather:
Apple's saucer :)
Home, sweet home...
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