Relocating

[Erik]

Hello bearhawkers,

Although currently not having a great time sitting in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier making headlines in Guam, I'm still thinking about my project back home. I'll be moving to the Fresno, CA area at the end of the year and thought I'd check if anyone is familiar with the GA scene in the area. Are there any good flying clubs anyone has interacted with down there? Are there any particular airports that seem to be a hub for tail wheel activity?

Hope everyone else is staying safe from the virus.

[rodsmith]

First of all thank you for your service! Sorry to hear that you are stuck on the infamous aircraft carrier, hope you can stay healthy. Can't help with any info on Fresno area.

[Erik]

Thanks for your support. It's getting pretty grim onboard lately. But we'll get through it and back to our mission.

[JJohnston]

Last time I lived there, there were 2 EAA chapters, one at Chandler, which is where you'll probably find GA activity, and one at Sierra Skypark. The Air Terminal is OK for GA (that's where I did my primary training), but they've expanded and upgraded since I was there, and it may not be as welcoming. There was absolutely no tailwheel activity anywhere there. I can't tell you much more because the last time I flew there was in 1993, but the whole Central Valley is the best place for GA I've ever seen. There's a small town with an airport within gliding distance almost no matter where you are, the whole thing is about 300' MSL, so no problems with density altitude. One price you will pay is 3 months of solid fog in the winter. On good days, you can get above it if you're instrument rated, but other days the visibility can be as short as 1/16 mile.