Probably a bit cooler because we get the winds through the hills that
cool things down.

We do too; it was well above 100 dF down in Sacramento that day and we maxed
out at 94. That's why my best guess. What is your best guess or is there
hard data? And you say "we". Are you based out of Cameron?


Cameron Park is a bitchkitty coming in or departing on either end.

Never noticed that and I've been flying in and out of there for 7
years. What part about it is a "bitchkitty"???

The airport was commissioned in late 1967 and we didn't move up to Grass
Valley until ten years later. I vaguely remember going in and out a couple
of times in the '70s, but when nobody would carry autofuel when the STCs
became available, I was in and out of there on a monthly if not weekly basis
because they had an autogas pump. When Auburn shut off the 80 pumps in the
late '80s it was a regular fuel stop both going south to San Diego and again
coming back home. At that time you could take on a full load of 80 at
Gillespie field and still have plenty of reserve when you got to Cameron.
Then another fifteen minutes and I was home.

Bitchkitty? The geese coming off of the lake about a hundred yards off the
runway come to mind, as do the terrain and flora on either end. It's just
like home; flat as a pancake with trees and hills all around. Once you get
used to it, no problem. Take a 40 hour student in there some time if you
want to see pucker factor. And those hills on either end juice up some
pretty fair thermals on a hot summer afternoon. I dunno if that guy was
wobbling from stall burble or thermals, but I'll bet the NTSB will find out.

The thing Cameron does NOT have that we do are those goddamned 80' steel
pigstickers with obstruction lights on them all across the north side of the
runway. The story is that someone in the heirarchy of the County told the
FAA to go stuff it and somehow the airport was going to be shut down for
obstruction clearance unless we put those damned steel sticks up. One of
these days I'm gonna take my portable cutting torch ...

Jim