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lone pine airport

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It's been over 25 years since I last flew in there. I used to fly for a mining company and we had a field office near Lone Pine. I remember that one of the local county deputy sheriffs managed the airport and one day he decided that it would be a good idea to wire a piece of broom handle inside the windsock "to help it catch more air". I can remember flying over the airport to check the wind and seeing the windsock fully extended and 90 degrees to the runway. Looking around there were no other indications of any type of wind that strong. In fact, there was smoke rising straight up from a nearby chimney. After landing, I walked over to the windsock to see what was going on. About that time the Sheriff drove up. We had a pleasant conversation and I explained to him the various functions of a windsock. He wasn't convinced - after all, his modified windsock would show the direction of even the slightest breeze. It took a couple of phone calls from the California Division of Aeronautics and the FAA to change the officer's mind.

Oh, to answer your question, there wasn't much going on in Lone Pine 25 years ago. I really doubt if anything has changed. Hopefully the sheriffs deputy is no longer the airport manager.

'Sled
 
Im planning to move near Lone Pine so I just tring to get as much info as i can. For example, what is it like to fly in and out of the airport, local area to check both on the ground and the air.
 
I used to fly into lone pine frequently to pick up emergency medical patients. Mostly at night. I never cared for flying down there at night. Usually I was coming from Reno, and would enter the canyon north of Bishop about 13,500, and work down as I flew down the canyon. Peaks on the west side are a little over 15,000, I believe, and about 9,500 on the left. On radar, it forms a narrow corridor which is misleading, because it isn't straight. Stay just east of the highway at night and (don't quote me here) I believe above 7,500' between Bishop and Lone Pine.

I think my proceedure was to cross Lone Pine at about 6,500, fly south ten miles and execute a proceedure turn on the east side of the highway, then follow the highway back north about 5,500 (don't recall field elevation) and land straight in to the north. Always departing to the south. In the day time, it looks fairly open, but landing there at night it certainly doesn't feel that way, and I treated it the way it felt.

If you're going to be basing an airplane down that way, you might consider Inyokern instead of lone pine. There's nothing really at lone pine. Nothing to do around there, other than hike. Inyokern has longer runways. They leave the FBO open at night.

I used to get a kick out of the military controllers when I'd let down through the canyon at night. They'd get excited about being able to see the terrain. XXX, do you have the terrain in sight? Negative. Terrain alert, the terrain is above you. You need to climb. I'm going to have a hard time landing at Lone Pine if I do that. We cannot provide you with terrain separation. Understood. Do you have the terrain in sight yet? Negative. It's dark. Climb, climb. Unable, landing Lone Pine. Unsafe, climb, climb. Do you hae the terrain in sight? Negative, it's night. You have terrain on both sides, climb, climb. Do you have the highway in sight? No, but we see some cars down there somewhere...

You can drive to Lancaster or Palmdale for supplies. If you're into gliding (soaring) it's available at both Lone Pine and Bishop.
 
avbug said:
Peaks on the west side are a little over 15,000, I believe, and about 9,500 on the left. On radar, it forms a narrow corridor which is misleading, because it isn't straight. Stay just east of the highway at night and (don't quote me here) I believe above 7,500' between Bishop and Lone Pine.

Actually Avbug,

The peaks on the West side go all the way up to 14, 495 feet, Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states. There are also, along the Sierra Crest, 11 other mountains over 14,000 feet, and one, Mt. Williamson, though in the Sierra, sits just off the sierra crest at 14,375 feet. On the East, near Bishop it is the White Mountains, and White Mountain itself is 14,250 feet. To the South on the east side is the Inyo Mountains and they are closer to the 9,500 feet you mentioned. There is one more peak in California that is over 14,000 feet and that is Mt. Shasta in the Syskiyou Range of Northern California.

Phantomdriver: Things to do in Lone Pine, as far as aviation is concerned, soaring, there really isn't an operation at the field, but the valley is ripe with this kind of activity. The last I remember, California City and Inyokern had some operational activity in this area and Tehachapi has a gliderport. And you get to hear a sonic boom every once in a while when a fighter from Nellis, or China Lake or Edwards passes by. Hangliding is also a big activity.

Other activities include hiking, mountain climbing, mining history, the former Japanese Concentration Camp of Manzannar (sp?), Gold Panning in various creeks after heavy rains and a winter with a large snow pack, skiing in Mammoth and June Lakes, visiting ghost towns and mining ruins and Death Valley isn't that far away. In fact, Death Valley, being the lowest place in the lower 48 states at -282 below sea level at Badwater, is less than a hunder miles from Mt. Whitney, the highest. There is a great visitors center just south of town where 395 has a junction with the road to the east to Death Valley. If you like to fish, there are lot of places for that in the valley too.

I use to fly the valley too. Up in the morning, and down in the evening some 19 or 20 years ago in a Piper Lance for California Air Charter (now Ameriflight) out of Burbank. Turbulence over Owen's Dry Lake bed gets pretty bad at times and really chews up the air. But it is starkly beautiful country. And, besides that, I climbed in a lot of those mountains. Many an adventure I had there.

Hope this helps
 
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I knew a guy that was in the back of a Lance(cargo config) and the howling wind blew the door shut and locked him in. He just about froze solid when the courier let him ot.
 
I used to fly into Lone Pine often. There's a small downtown area that you can walk to from the airport. I rode my motorcycle through there on my way to Idaho about two months ago. I had forgotten how gorgeous it is.

When the winds are calm the flying is incredible. When it starts to howl... well, I never knew King Air wings could flap like a bird 'til I started doing Lone Pine, Bishop, Mammoth, etc. in the winter.;)
 

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