The Friday arrivals trickled in through the afternoon as the winds picked up. I was the last in, and by the time I got there the pattern was sporty — the kind of ride that keeps you focused all the way to the flare. Everyone made it down safely. We’re still awaiting judges’ scores on some of the landings.
The other two planes came in Saturday morning amid increasingly variable winds. By mid-morning the group was complete.
Saturday split in two: five of us hit the Kern River for a half-day raft trip while the rest stayed in town and made their own afternoon of it. We regrouped at the brewery for dinner. Friday night had been Ewings — also recommended.
In a separate but related development, yours truly managed to demonstrate the importance of prop awareness while parking the plane. With his head. I’m happy to report that the Kern Valley ER is excellent, that what is now (knock wood) the only forehead-on-prop incident of my flying career has been cleanly resolved, and that I now have a story I’ll be telling for the rest of my life.
Best ER experience I’ve had. 10/10.
The campground showers are still hot. The bathrooms are still porta-potties. The crew car — a late-90s mint-green Windstar that I would not have wagered on still being road-worthy in 2026 — somehow still is, and dutifully shuttled us between the airport, the river, the brewery, and bed.
Sunday brought a classic May Grey homecoming, with San Diego socked in and most of the group putting their IFR ratings to use on the way back. Departures went smoothly.
A good trip overall. Everyone who flew in is an active club member, which was great to see — though only two of the five aircraft were club planes. I’d love to see more club planes next time. There are some incredible high-performance machines sitting on the ramp underused right now. Yes, they’re expensive — that’s what pilot friends are for. Go get checked out.
There’s already talk of a Fall flyout, possibly to Arizona — Payson, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon are all on the table. If you want to hear when plans firm up, join the mailing list.