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Flying into
New Cuyama ! |
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N4201B on the Ramp at New Cuyama
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Best time of the year to go? |
Anytime, it does get hot in the summer. |
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Flight time in a Super Viking from KAJO? |
0.8 |
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Food on the airport? |
No, within walking distance. |
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Fuel on airport? |
No |
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Landing or Handling fees? |
No |
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Comments about arriving and departing. |
The runway and ramp are in very bad
condition. |
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Things to do at or near the airport. |
Eat, wave at cars going by. |
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Rate this stop with 10 being best, 5 average. |
5.0. I'd up it to a 7.0 if the runway and
ramp was repaved, sealed even. |
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Where's New Cuyama? |
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New Cuyama is located in a little valley
about 20 miles southwest of Taft, Taft is west of Bakersfield. Okay,
it's a little in the middle of no where but that's what makes this
an adventure.
I've always wanted to make
this stop but heard the runway was in real bad condition. Car and
bike clubs frequent the Cuyama Buckhorn for BBQ, I've heard pilots
talk about it too, but few pilots make the trek. I had a day to kill
so I set my course for New Cuyama.
Before landing I made a pass
over the runway, it didn't look that bad so I landed. It's worse
than it looked. Someone had recently patched the pot holes but left
a lot of loose debris on the runway. Large pieces of asphalt had
broken loose and were laying on the runway too. The ramp is almost
dirt and just falling apart. Those using this airport should have a
lot of prop clearance to avoid damage to the prop and the airframe.
I
parked the plane and headed off to town. The Cuyama Buckhorn has
closed their doors, the place is for sale. If you look though the
window there are menus on the table and the cash register is waiting for it's next sale,
like they didn't plan on closing . I walked
over to the Burger Barn. They were BBQ'ing in the parking lot so I
had the tri-tip, it's a California thing. It wasn't bad, the burgers looked pretty good too. It was a Sunday
afternoon and the off road crowd heading back to Los Angeles was
hitting the Burger Barn pretty hard.
New Cuyama is a dying town
and not having a usable airport is making it worse. Re-paving or at
least slurry sealing the runway would bring some much needed dollars
into this area. Between the FAA Airport Fund and Obama stimulus
money this airport could be saved.
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The runway and ramp are in deplorable
condition. |
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All in one picture. The FBO, Security,
Pilots Lounge and the Airport Car. |
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I think this was the airport bathroom. A
bush looked a little more attractive to me. |
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Town is a short walk from the airport. |
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Old Farm Equipment in New Cuyama |
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Old Farm Equipment in New Cuyama |
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The Cuyama Buckhorn has closed it's
doors. |
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Parking in New Cuyama. |
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The Burger Barn is the first business
you'll see walking in from the airport. The white Easy-Up is
for the BBQ. |
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The Fellows VOR from the air. |
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