Let’s Go Flying was an initiative I started when I first joined the club back in 2017 to give people reasons to fly by creating group events to fun destinations. If you’re a member of the Facebook Group then you have probably already heard of the latest fly-out event, if not, then join the Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/plusoneflyers)! If Facebook isn’t your thing, no worries, you may still join this mailing list (https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/t8r1j9) to be notified about social events happening in the club, such as Happy Hours and Fly-Outs.

With that out of the way, the last “Let’s Go Flying” Fly-Out was scheduled for March of 2020 to Sedona, and for obvious reasons at the time, it was cancelled. It’s been a long wait since then, but they are back now, with the aim being to have a few events a year to various destinations in the area. We are starting with the most popular destination from the past, Kern Valley (L05). A great airport nestled in a valley at the base of the Sierra mountains. It has campgrounds on site with showers, as well as a restaurant on the field, and even more in town. The official dates are Friday 6/3 – Sunday 6/5, but you can do this as a single night trip or even just as a day trip on Saturday.

There is lots of good information on the official Kern Valley Airport webpage (http://www.kernvalleyairport.com/). You can even pre-pay for your camping on the site, or just pay in the morning when Rick, the airport manager, comes around to collect. There are no spots to reserve, it’s just a large patch of grass that is first come first served.

If you are interested in rafting, I recommend booking through Sierra South (https://www.sierrasouth.com). We will likely be arranging a bus to transport those interested for either the 2pm or 2:30pm half-day tours on Saturday 6/4. If you’re looking for a relaxing lazy river type experience with a few minor thrills thrown in, then I recommend the Lower Kern Half Day Class II-III. If you’re looking for something that might get your adrenaline going, then I would recommend the Lower Kern Half Day Class IV. Full disclosure, my boat capsized on the Class IV a few years back and that definitely got my adrenaline going as we all floated down a couple of rapids without the aid of a boat! It’s a low flow year for the river though, so it might be more tame this time around.

So if you’re interested in flying, camping, rafting, or any of the above. Book a plane and come on out, it is as simple as that. If you are interested in going as a passenger or copilot, you can post in the Facebook Event page or email me and I can help try and play matchmaker. If you have a plane and are headed that way, also post your tail number and headcount or email me so that I can keep an updated roster. I would like to let the airport manager know an approximate number of planes to expect ahead of time, just to be courteous.

Any questions, concerns, comments, send them my way, looking forward to seeing some new and familiar faces again. Let’s Go Flying!