Flight Report - Palo Alto (KPAO) to Paso Robles (KPRB) Roundtrip
Notes from a quick XC from KPAO to KPRB and back
Highlights:
First trip to Paso Robles
3.3 hrs on the Hobbs
It was the Norcal Approach controller’s birthday, and I heard people telling him happy birthday when leaving the frequency
Free snacks at the FBO!
Flight Path KPAO - KRPB - KPAO: Follow the 101
I departed KPAO on a left downwind departure with flight following, climbed to 2,500 to stay under the 4,000 Bravo shelf and SFO arrivals, then began my climb to 5,500 once I hit the 6,000 Bravo shelf.
You can see from my flight path that I followed 101 down to Paso. I was given vectors to avoid parachute jumpers near Watsonville, but otherwise it was uneventful.
After learning on the six pack steam gauges, I’ve switched to flying with the G1000 avionics panel in anticipation of instrument training, and I used autopilot for most of the trip. Once I passed over the mountains and some light chop, I activated my course: Salinas VOR, King City, YERGU (it kept me out of the MOA), Paso Robles. The MOA and the restricted area were both cold on the flights down and back.
Once I had the field in site, I canceled flight following about eight miles out and switched over to the CTAF to start chatting with the other planes.
The return trip was dead simple, although the 17 knot headwind slowed me down considerably.
Frequencies:
Norcal Approach (upon departure): 120.1
Norcal Approach (once over Lexington Reservoir): 127.15
Oakland Center (Near Salinas): 128.7
KPRB Quick Facts
Field elevation: 839 feet
Traffic Pattern Altitude: ~1840 feet
CTAF: 123.0
ASOS: 120.125
RWY 1/19 and 13/31 are all left traffic
The hills near Paso Robles, CA
Approach / Pattern / RWY
Paso is a non-towered airport, so it’s up to you to figure out what runway you’re going to use. There are two runways: 1/19 and 13/31. Rwy 19 is preferred for calm winds. Mine were variable at 4 when I landed and 190@12 when I left, so I used Rwy 19 for landing and takeoff.
Comms at non-towered airports are always entertaining, because you get to chat with the other pilots. There was a Young Eagles flight landing before I came in, which made me smile (such a neat program). As I was entering from the north and all the runways are left pattern, I opted to fly over midfield and enter on a teardrop for left downwind on Rwy 19.
Note: Rwy 31 doesn’t cross Rwy 1/19, but it does depart directly over it. As I was calling my left base turn, there was a plane pulling up to Rwy 31 to take off. They called out that they’d wait until I landed before going. I was happy to know that I wasn’t going to be dodging a plane as I was landing.
FBO: ACI Jet Center
I didn’t call ahead, but apparently ACI Jet Center has a crew car that is available. There’s also transient parking right in front of the building.
Dining
Joe’s One-Niner Diner is open from 7am-2pm everyday. I landed too late to grab a bite, but I’m definitely planning a return trip for lunch.
Current Post-Flight Logbook Totals
Total: 111.7 hours
PIC XC: 15.1 hours
PIC: 38.7 hours
Flight: Saturday, March 16th, 2024