Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Los Angeles - Santa Barbara - Bakersfield / Beechcraft Baron 58 (N2734W) / VFR

This was a pleasant, short flight from Los Angeles to Bakersfield via Santa Barbara (hardly a straight line, I know, but it was just for fun).

I left Los Angeles turning north along the shoreline, and followed the Pacific Coast Highway and/or the shoreline for most of the way, except to skip around the restricted airspace southwest of VTU (R-2519).

At Santa Barbara I did some touch-and-go operations then a full stop, and shortly thereafter I left again for Bakersfield, which I flew to directly. At Bakersfield I did a single touch-and-go, then a full stop, because the visibility was right at minimums.

My pattern work is terrible in the Baron. When I'm aligned in the pattern, I'm too high or low. When I'm at the right pattern altitude, I'm misaligned. I need a lot more practice.