Didn’t get up to Visalia in time to see Felicia, due to poor weather, here or there. Maybe next week.
But yesterday I took a nice long interesting flight. From Santa Monica, popped up to Bakersfield (L45 Bakersfield Municipal). It’s an “uncontrolled” aiport, with only a unicom frequency, and noone was on it. Sorta strange to land and take off, only talking to myself.
Popped over to “General Fox” (WJF) for their famous $100 hamburger – since it’s around an hour and a good flight from LA area, that’s how much their $8 burger ends up costing you. Then did a little desert cruising, up to Barstow/Daggett (DAG), and Victorville/Southern California Logistics (VCV).
Down over the Cajon pass and into the hazy LA afternoon. Visibility was okay below, but fairly difficult ahead and into the sun, but I made my way with flight following out to just about over my house here, and the weather at SMO was below minimums – 6 miles visibility, haze, but with a 1000′ (AGL) overcast layer starting about four miles east of the airport. So I got to do a “special VFR” – 1 mile visibility, clear of clouds – and ducked under the cloud layer to drop back in to the airport. Really good to practice this one – I could have easily landed out at Van Nuys where it was only hazy and not overcast, but since my instructor had reminded me about SVFR just before I left and the conditions were good for it, I’m glad I got the chance. On the other hand, it required flying in lower than I would have liked, and if I’d had to go around, it would’ve been hard to avoid the clouds. The controller was very patient with me.
I’m starting IFR ground school next week with Joe Justice, the owner of the flight school I’ve been going to. That, and a written test, and a bunch of instrument approach practices with my instructor Jesse, and I won’t be quite so worried about this sort of weather.