On Apr 2, 3:34 pm, "Viperdoc" wrote:
Unrelated to your original post, which was great, I am interested in some
day flying to Yosemite, and then spending time in the park. Can you
recommend an airport nearby that is close to the park?

Two spring to mind:

I stopped at Mariposa/Yosemite:
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KMPI

Beautiful little field nestled in a low valley about 20nm downslope
from Yosemite itself. Runway is in great shape, there's a little BBQ
pit right there on the field, and its in a stunning setting. Avgas
was pretty cheap too (3.50 on Saturday).

The other Option would be Pine Mountain:
http://www.airnav.com/airport/E45

Nestled on a plateau about 15nm north of MPI, I used the field as a
Waypoint to start my flight (I flew up the Hetch Hetchy valley and
then down Yosemite and into MPI), but I didn't land there. The
surrounding terrain is pretty spectacular though.

KMPI has a well deserved reputation for being difficult to find (Sans
GPS), its a favorite target for the flight schools around here to try
and trick up students, and it works well. E45 is on an unmistakable
plateau, so its probably a bit easier to hit. Gas seems to be more
expensive though (at least according to airnav).

Either way, the valley itself is stunning... you'll really need to be
up around 13.5Kft to safely clear the regulated altitude clearance
(you can drop lower if you choose your course very carefully, but I
wouldn't recommend it without a good GPS... I settled for keeping high
and sightseeing during a couple 45 degree 360s). The descent down
from the valley into KMPI was fun too, loosing 9000 feet in 20 or so
nm. I was still a little hot and high when I settled in on final for
MPI's 26... a good chance for a deep-slipping-approach practice.

Overall, a very worthwhile flight. just don't forget the memory card
for your camera like I did:-P.