Cal Club Autocross Forums

Craig Naylor wrote:

Jayson Woodruff wrote:BTW there's a resturant built into the tiny airport. I asked a few people on thier way out and them seemed to have liked it.

Jay

I totally forgot about that place, have never been. The Headmaster at the private school where my wife used to work talked about flying up to B.B. in his plane on an occasion or two just to eat dinner and fly back home. I never asked, but always wondered if it was such a great place to eat, or a convenient place to land and refuel (self and plane) on an afternoon / evening adventure in his plane.

It's not the food or the convenience. It's just a place to fly with easy access, a working restaurant that has decent food, no landing fee, and some great scenery. Back in the 80's when I started flying we referred to a lunch flight like this as the $100 hamburger. Now it's the $300 hamburger.

The upstairs restaurant at Big Bear used to be more of an upscale restaurant, at least by Big Bear standards with tiered seating and a view of the runway and parking area.

On the other hand, Flo's at Chino A/P is a step back in time to a simpler era of home cooking, low prices, and a 60's decor of Formica and banquet chairs all housed in a WWII hangar. No view, just good food. It seems nothing much changes at small airport cafes.

For another step back in time, the old terminal building at Daugherty Field (Long Beach Airport as it's now known) is a classic example of a classic 1940's terminal building preserved in time. There is a multi-tiered restaurant that overlooks the airport. Food so-so, ambiance excellent. If you like classic well preserved building, it's well worth the drive.

Jayson Woodruff wrote:BTW there's a resturant built into the tiny airport. I asked a few people on thier way out and them seemed to have liked it.

It's called Barnstorm Café and we ate there a month ago on a Jeep trip. Recommended.

registered. see yall there

I've eaten at every small airport cafe in the Southland.

Bob's Chili and Chow hall at Corona has the best pie.
The Red Baron at Riverside has the best Monte Cristo.
I can't remember what the greasy spoon at Palomar was called, but it had the best "Greek Fries" (fries with lemon juice).
Flabob airport in Rubidoux had bad food, but the best signage "don't throw your cigarette butts on the floor, it gives the cockroaches cancer".

One time we took the Cherokee Six to Big Bear with a friend from school, he had never flown and was kind of scared. We hit some pretty bad turbulence and he got really scared. When we finally landed, he had gripped so tightly that he tore the armrest from the seat. He was 8.

Seb, How do you like your local Chino airport dinner? Feisty waitresses!

Video from a previous Bear Bear Auto Cross: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anr5osqMahQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mako Koiwai wrote:Video from a previous Bear Bear Auto Cross

No hand held cameras at my event

Jay W

May drivers take passengers ?

Mako Koiwai wrote:May drivers take passengers ?

Unrestricted.

Jay W

Mako Koiwai wrote:Seb, How do you like your local Chino Hills airport dinner? Feisty waitresses!

Are we talking about Chino Airport? Only houses in them thar hills!

Ah, yeah

Wow, I didn't realize there were so many fellow pilots here. I haven't been to Big Bear or Chino (I'll have to put both on the list), but I really enjoyed the airport restaurant at Camarillo when I went there a few months ago. The place is called The Waypoint Cafe, and their breakfast is pretty fantastic.

Eric Forbes wrote:Wow, I didn't realize there were so many fellow pilots here. I haven't been to Big Bear or Chino (I'll have to put both on the list), but I really enjoyed the airport restaurant at Camarillo when I went there a few months ago. The place is called The Waypoint Cafe, and their breakfast is pretty fantastic.

Another flight that makes for a nice outing is Santa Barbara. If just going for sunset dinner flight, you can tie-down right next to the Elephant Bar and Restaurant. Across the highway is also a cinema within walking distance. This redefines the "How about dinner and movie" date. You'll want to be careful on the way home if you're not comfortable flying on instruments as the departure puts you over the ocean at night with no visual reference to the horizon. Nothing like a case of spacial disorientation to ruin a perfectly nice evening.

Also, if you have room in your plane for bicycles, my daughter Stacy and I spent an entire weekend there flying-in with only our mountain bikes and backpacks. Santa Barbara was way ahead of the curve on creating their network of bike trails. Good times!

The first Sunday or every month is open house at Santa Paula Airport where most at the small airport open there hangars to the public for viewing and hangar talk. It's well worth the drive and certainly a great fly-in destination if you are the least bit interested in seeing a variety of small planes up close. You just might see Lisa Severy there with her plane. There is a decent restaurant on the field. Short walk to the Union 76 oil museum. That's a can't miss. You can also walk to the train station for a sunset dinner train ride to Filmore on a vintage train. Fun times!

Is the SB Elephant bar the one next to the beach? The restaurant at the beach is quite good. A friend likes to fly up there to eat. I guess it's within walking distance of the airport?

This place:

This one is on the actual airport grounds in Goleta. But apparently it's a moot point as it is closing down in a couple days. Apparently is was great for pilots, just not enough pilots to make it financially viable since the recession. This was the first Elephant Bar that now makes up the chain BTW.

http://www.independent.com/news/2013/ju ... ar-closes/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I recognize that restaurant in the picture. Right on the beach, but it's not an Elephant Bar. My daughter and I ate there while on our biking weekend years ago. It's only access was by car via a freeway off-ramp that only went to a beach parking lot or by the bike path that followed the river bed as I recall. When we finished eating, we hadn't realized that the bike path wasn't lit and there was no other access by road other than the freeway. On top of that, it was a moonless night, very dark, and we had no lights. As we pondered our next move, two other cyclists showed up in the same dilemma, but one of them had a working headlight. We played "follow the leader", or should I say, we played "stay right on the guys tire ahead of you" for 2-3 miles until we finally arrived at a lighted street. You didn't dare fall back more that a few feet or you'd sight of the bike ahead. Fun times.

George Schilling wrote:This one is on the actual airport grounds in Goleta. But apparently it's a moot point as it is closing down in a couple days. Apparently is was great for pilots, just not enough pilots to make it financially viable since the recession. This was the first Elephant Bar that now makes up the chain BTW.

http://www.independent.com/news/2013/ju ... ar-closes/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I recognize that restaurant in the picture. Right on the beach, but it's not an Elephant Bar. My daughter and I ate there while on our biking weekend years ago. It's only access was by car via a freeway off-ramp that only went to a beach parking lot or by the bike path that followed the river bed as I recall. When we finished eating, we hadn't realized that the bike path wasn't lit and there was no other access by road other than the freeway. On top of that, it was a moonless night, very dark, and we had no lights. As we pondered our next move, two other cyclists showed up in the same dilemma, but one of them had a working headlight. We played "follow the leader", or should I say, we played "stay right on the guys tire ahead of you" for 2-3 miles until we finally arrived at a lighted street. You didn't dare fall back more that a few feet or you'd sight of the bike ahead. Fun times.

I feel like I'm watching a Huell Howser episode.
....then there is the ever-changing restaurant ownership, but generally great food, at Hesperia Airport where I took flying lessons. Flight-check, fuel up and walk into the restaurant. The runway at Hesperia is about as wide as a driveway. Then you fly over to Apple Valley Airport for touch-and-goes on a runway that is as wide as a 28-lane freeway.

Couple more days of pre-reg left. Plenty of space left, but walk up entries cost +$15.

The grand plan is to hold a couple Big Bear AutoXes a year, but just in the summer time. So this is likely the last BB AutoX until next Jun or July!!. Don't miss out.

Everybody's like 1 car away from getting their own class. There are four each of Stock miatas, stock s2000, stock FRS/BRZ and Imprezas.

My WRX has other commitments, so I'm bringing up the RallyMiata, should be the winner in the loud/slow contest.

My smartfone's weather report for Saturday:
Fontana: 97
Willow Springs: 97
Chuck Walla: 107
Buttonwillow: 98
Big Bear: 81

Ooh, bring a jacket.

Jay W

So, one of the PortaJohn companies in the big bear area is call "MotherLoad".

It is an old mining town, but still an unfortunate name when dealing with sanitation systems. Just thought I'd share.

Jay W

Last day to pre-reg for the Alpine AutoX.

Day of registration is available, but +$15.

Do it, DO IT NOW!

Info e-mails will be sent to the registrants sometime today.

Jay W

Attention Drivers!

This is the set up for the break out classes. Keep in mind thing can change on site if we get no-shows or walk ups.

Classes Include
- ES Type Cars and street prep
- BS Type Cars and street prep
- FRS/BRZ Cars
- All other 'Street' Class cars not above
- STX/STR Type Cars and prep (plus street excluded cars i.e. Porsche)
- All other 'Prep' Class cars not above

Currently there are 30 total drivers.

See you all on Saturday.

Jay W

Preview!

http://youtu.be/nSCOqAhqsaw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It wasn't exactly full speed, but as fast as I could go with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand holding down the event insurance papers.

Jay W

Big fun up in Big Bear today.

Results are up. Click on results link off the JayCom home page:
http://www.jaycomservices.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I need pictures. Some for my site, but the airport was so excited with us they want to put the 'happenings' on their facebook page.

Jay W

Jayson Woodruff wrote:Big fun up in Big Bear today.

Results are up. Click on results link off the JayCom home page:
http://www.jaycomservices.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I need pictures. Some for my site, but the airport was so excited with us they want to put the 'happenings' on their facebook page.

Jay W

Jay, you got your clock cleaned. Was the event management too distracting?

I believe Jayson was driving his RallyX Miata

Nice to see the CSCC folks that supported this event.

Karen and I had to work, although what we really missed was the Scnax party at the rental house :gpower: