BajaNomad - A funny thing happened on the way to Baja

A funny thing happened on the way to Baja

fishbuck - 4-6-2018 at 09:46 PM

I was given an offer I couldn't refuse.

fishbuck - 4-6-2018 at 09:48 PM

And yes, it's as fast as it looks :coolup:

Paco Facullo - 4-6-2018 at 10:11 PM

Is it seaworthy ??????

David K - 4-6-2018 at 10:13 PM

Pick me up at Palomar Airport and let's look for lost missions and Spanish graves from the sky!
Congratulations Mike!!

fishbuck - 4-6-2018 at 10:15 PM

This is not my Baja although it would be a good one for the longer runway.
I can get it in and out of my baja runway but it too tight and to too scary.
My Cherokee six can use any baja runway.
I'm getting ready to start some trips.
I'm shooting for mid May-June.
The yellowtail bite should be got by then
If you ever wanted to catch a yellowtail... this is your trip!

David K - 4-6-2018 at 10:18 PM

I was wondering which dirt strips you think would be safe for a twin.

fishbuck - 4-6-2018 at 10:26 PM

They're probably all ok for this. But we would use every inch of runway.
People do it...
This mini jet is better on pavement.
Loreto or La Paz would be fun.

fishbuck - 4-6-2018 at 10:30 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Pick me up at Palomar Airport and let's look for lost missions and Spanish graves from the sky!
Congratulations Mike!!

I need to do some training flight to knock the rust of my flying skills. Palomar will be a good place to train. I let you now.
Maybe they have a cafe there and we can get lunch and plan a trip.

fishbuck - 4-6-2018 at 10:47 PM

I have a book idea maybe you can help with if you want.
'The remaining 23 runways of baja" or something like that.
Kind of an update on Arnolds book.
I guess we will need to fly into everyone.

fishbuck - 4-6-2018 at 11:06 PM

Cabo anyone.
O'dark-thirty departure to Cabo... or wherever you want.
This is an immaculate Beechcraft Super Kingair 200.
About 3 hours from Orange County.
Not mine yet. But it is available. And if I play my cards right maybe my buddy who flies will take me on.
He's copilot now but he is moving into the left seat. And this class of plane needs 2 pilots.
I'll be copilot if I can get "in"

BigBearRider - 4-7-2018 at 02:27 AM

That’s a lot of plane for Baja... I think your Cherokee may be more suitable for most applications.

fishbuck - 4-7-2018 at 02:37 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BigBearRider

That’s a lot of plane for Baja... I think your Cherokee may be more suitable for most applications.

Yep, but it's sexy. It's not really for Baja.
I did get a chance to fly the El Toro flying club's Cessna 310 to Loreto once.
It was fast and smooth.
3 hours to Loreto non-stop from the border. So it's perfect for that trip range.

BajaBlanca - 4-7-2018 at 06:25 AM

What beautiful birds!

BigBearRider - 4-7-2018 at 07:57 AM

I found a 182 to be ideal for me. LA to Loreto in about 5 hrs, and pretty economical.

BigBearRider - 4-7-2018 at 08:05 AM

Last week, I saw a US-registered single engine plane in Egypt. I was curious how it got there. It was a Socata TBM 750. Never heard of it before. Very impressive stats.

[Edited on 4-7-2018 by BigBearRider]

chavycha - 4-7-2018 at 09:32 AM

It's not uncommon for aircraft to be kept on the FAA registry and operated internationally on a permanent basis. Europe is full of N-numbered aircraft.

chavycha - 4-7-2018 at 09:38 AM

Also, hope someone else is paying to care for and feed that thing. The shiny paint is nice but at the heart it's still a 50-year-old twin.

David K - 4-7-2018 at 09:39 AM

Quote: Originally posted by fishbuck

I have a book idea maybe you can help with if you want.
'The remaining 23 runways of baja" or something like that.
Kind of an update on Arnolds book.
I guess we will need to fly into everyone.

You got a deal Mike.

Do you have this book from 1998?:

surfhat - 4-7-2018 at 12:59 PM

Palomar Airport does have a nice indoor/outdoor cafe.

In two weeks, the WW2 airshow will be there again. My 95 year old Marine pilot Dad flew one of those bombers in the pacific in WW2 that I saw there last year.

On that particular day, that bomber was giving rides and I wasn't able to climb around the inside like I did with the other ones. I did poke my head up inside for a look. As much as I would have loved to have gone up for a ride, the $ was too much for my pay grade.

Seeing those engines warm up for 15 minutes spewing smoke until the generated heat sealed things up for the trade off, was a trip. watching it taxi down the runway and lifting off the ground was thrilling.

Watching it land again a half later was just as much of a thrill. To imagine what my Dad went through in the Pacific and the constant uncertainty whether they would make it back, well, we are blessed to have had their kind defending our nation.

My Dad was shot down in the Coral Sea and was in the water for 12 to 15 hours before being rescued by a patrol boat. Everyone of their crew survived, even while being shot at from the island with machine gun fire. The Navy and Marine fighters were bombing and strafing those machine gunners on shore into oblivion.

Those fliers were tough back then and earned the greatest generation moniker over and over. Absolutely no comfort was a consideration in anyway those planes. I am 6' tall and had to bend over crawling around those other planes, squeezing through the tight walkways demanded me sucking in my gut.

I will be back in two weeks and going there with a cherished friend and WW2 Air Force pilot who is now 96 and still living independently. It is a good day to spend honoring our past generations who gave so much of themselves and so unselfishly.

Sorry to get off topic. I hope anyone who is within easy driving, will consider checking put these restored planes in two weeks. I wish my Dad was here so we could get him up in the pilots seat or even up for a short flight. BTW He is on this planet still chugging along. Tough old birds they all still are.

Thanks to all here. I hope to see some Nomads there in two weeks.

Bob and Susan - 4-7-2018 at 02:43 PM

On June 21, 2005 Cessna 320E multiengine airplane, N3438Q,
was destroyed following a loss of power and forced landing about one nautical mile west of the Missoula International Airport (MSO), Missoula, Montana.

https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_i...

LancairDriver - 4-7-2018 at 03:11 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan

On June 21, 2005 Cessna 320E multiengine airplane, N3438Q,
was destroyed following a loss of power and forced landing about one nautical mile west of the Missoula International Airport (MSO), Missoula, Montana.

https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_i...

Well, that eliminates the Cessna 320, but the 1979 King air is still a possibility. Here’s a 1979 like the one Fishbucks looking at available for only $850,000. That would cover a lot of Baja Casas for retirement.

https://www.aso.com/listings/spec/ViewAd.aspx?id=168415

chuckie - 4-7-2018 at 04:08 PM

At 100 bucks a month? You bet it would....

LancairDriver - 4-7-2018 at 04:32 PM

The initial cost of the airplane is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out operating costs. You need to catch a lot of Yellowtail to cover this.

https://www.bjtonline.com/sites/bjtonline.com/files/pdfs/kin...

Paco Facullo - 4-7-2018 at 04:45 PM

As the O'l saying goes, If it flies, floats or fu*ks, it's cheaper to rent.....

DanO - 4-7-2018 at 05:08 PM

I wonder if that old adage about boats applies to planes too, you know, like "a plane is a hole in the air you pour money into."

chuckie - 4-7-2018 at 05:10 PM

Another fantasy tour...

msteve1014 - 4-7-2018 at 05:19 PM

and the hits just keep coming.....

mtgoat666 - 4-8-2018 at 06:44 AM

Quote: Originally posted by chuckie

At 100 bucks a month? You bet it would....

Fishead’s plane budget requires him to give up his $100/month shack, and live in the plane :lol:

caj13 - 4-8-2018 at 06:57 AM

never mind

[Edited on 4-8-2018 by caj13]

pacificobob - 4-8-2018 at 07:23 AM

following an engine loss on takeoff, a 310 will roll over on its back in about 1/2 second. i have quite a few hours instructing in these. currency and a high level of proficiency are paramount. have fun. be ready for a sputtering motor during critical phases of flight.

LancairDriver - 4-8-2018 at 09:01 AM

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob

following an engine loss on takeoff, a 310 will roll over on its back in about 1/2 second. i have quite a few hours instructing in these. currency and a high level of proficiency are paramount. have fun. be ready for a sputtering motor during critical phases of flight.

Read the NTSB accident report posted by Bob and Susan on the engine loss and crash of the 320 fishbuck was looking at that crashed years ago. Must have been a pretty good pilot as the plane never rolled on its back.

https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_i...

pacificobob - 4-8-2018 at 05:14 PM

the second engine is only to get you to the site of the crash. its tough to pull back the throttle of the only running engine prior to rolling on your back. hopefully, the PIC remembers the training and follows procedure.

DavidT - 4-8-2018 at 08:14 PM

fishbuck - 4-18-2018 at 07:19 PM

Been busy in retirement.

Been flying a bunch. The Cessna 320 is a rocket.
My nickname is the "Rocket to Riches" cause I can get you to Vegas from Orange County Airport in 1 hour. No TSA line. I meet you at the security gate and drive you straight to the plane.
As soon as everyone straps in I fire it up and we are gone.
But a terrible Baja plane except for pavement . It does cover ground very fast. I a used a 310 for Loreto and it was perfect.
I'm sticking with my Piper for Baja.
Still shooting for a July 1 trip to BOLA for red hot yellowtail action.

I am back in retirement today after a very busy week as a jack of all trades. I needed a beach day.
Even made a buck.
And that is important because as we say in the flying biz... "No bucks no Buck Rogers"
If you don't remember Buck was a space pilot but the concept applies to aircraft as well.
So I am an "insider" at Orange County Airport which literally means I can get in the gate and onto the flight ramp...
And all the Baja planes I will ever need are parked there. It takes time to build credibility in the flying biz so people will let you use their beautiful airplanes...
But I still have my humble trusty Cherokee Six baja rental... she'll get us there...
So I am giving myself 1 year in Newport. I need to see if there is any race left in this old rat. And my how the rat race has as accelerated here in Socal.
Soon as I get a chance I will go down and rent my little $100 place an furnish it from the Segundas.
I still need a place to stay and can get a trip a month down I hope.
The little house is near the runway by the Buen Pastor hospital so I hope I can fly in there and walk to my little rental house.
We'll see...

[Edited on 4-24-2018 by fishbuck]

fishbuck - 4-18-2018 at 07:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by LancairDriver

Quote: Originally posted by pacificobob

Be ready to jump on the rudder. It's the yaw that will get you. That's what gives you the snap roll into a spin.
If it gets away you'll never get it back.

fishbuck - 4-23-2018 at 09:59 PM

BOLA Update

https://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/threads/bola-april-trip.68...

fishbuck - 4-23-2018 at 10:06 PM

1433171_3ab764dfb8b24c872d3430cc0a0893d0.jpg - 152kB

motoged - 4-24-2018 at 07:11 AM

Planes to fish....

I get whiplash following your dreams... :biggrin:

fishbuck - 4-24-2018 at 11:47 AM

No sure why. It's all part of the same dream.
I'm still planning a fly-in fishing trip to BOLA on June 1.
Fishing already looks like it's picking up.
So I am persueing a pro-pilot job but also trying to get my baja flying trips going too.
Driving to BOLA is about 12-15 hours.
Flying to BOLA is 3-4 hours.
You can do your own math but it equals less driving and more fishing.
But you can drive it if you want.

Why does a twin need two engines??

thebajarunner - 4-24-2018 at 05:47 PM

Because it won't fly on one!!!

Back in the day my 172 Cutlass took me many places in our favorite strip of land.

Economical and great views unfolding all the time below