Excellent event: https://fathersdayflyin.org/ Well run (in…read morethe middle of) California, Tuolumne County Columbia Airport. Short walk to historical (no cars allowed) Columbia, CA gold town. Also best breakfast, lunch in the county is just a short walk from landing at Mandy's Cafe.

Oscar 22 (Columbia) is my absolute favorite municipality airport to fly-in to. Located just 52…read morenautical miles (30 minutes) from Tracy, it's a fast day trip to make. The airports runway and grounds are well kept and the staff at both the FBO and restaurant have been friendly and helpful each time I've gone. Once you're on the ground, a short walk on a nature trail will lead you to the historical gold rush mining town at Columbia State Park. There, you will find places to eat and shop and if you bring young children (or maybe old ones), they'll have a blast panning for gold. Make sure you try the home-made ice cream and the town's home brewed root beer. Before you depart the airport, make sure to check your weights & balances and the weather. The density altitude leaving could be hazardous to your health.

Perfect little airport…read more The Stockton Metro Airport might just be the most convenient airport there is. If you drive yourself there, you will see two large parking lots where they offer paid overnight parking. There are plenty of spots available so there is no need to arrive extremely early to hunt for an open spot. There is a kiosk inside where you can conveniently pay for parking when you wait for your belongings at baggage claim. This is definitely not an airport where you have to follow the general rule of showing up two hours early. I have shown up less than 30 minutes from boarding time and made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare. If you do decide to come early and have daytime/early evening flight, you can stop by the small restaurant for a bite. Since the only flights out of STK Airport are to Phoenix and Las Vegas, the majority of travelers don't check a bag. This makes the bag check line super short and quick. The TSA line also goes by super quickly. There is only one agent to check IDs, but there is never any hold up. Even through the government shutdown, I experienced no TSA delays. For travelers with TSA Pre-Check, you'll likely be the only person in line and will get through even quicker. It only takes a few moments to get through the security clearance before you're greeted by a large waiting area and bar. The waiting area by the gates is quite spacious. Right before the flight boards, it can get quite packed but there are typically still seats available. The intercom system is awful. It sounds like static. If you pay attention or sit closer to the gate, it shouldn't be an issue though. The bar is the perfect addition, especially before Vegas flights. Many people taking that weekend night flight to Vegas uses the bar as a pre-game for their night out. Don't expect to sleep on those flights, they're super rowdy! The drinks at the airport bar are typical for airport prices. We got three drinks for $27. The bar, of course, is limited on what they can make due to their few ingredients. My margarita was made with mixer and had nothing on the rim. Despite being super busy, the bartender got the drinks out super fast. He ran that bar by himself like the military and with style. He slid the drinks across the bar top giving everyone a little show too. Because the departing flight is directly dependent on the flight coming in, there are sometimes small flight delays. They have to deboard everyone and do a quick pass through to let everyone else on which can take a while. Despite what you may think about Allegiant Airlines itself, this is a fantastic airport, especially for those wanting a weekend getaway or a connection to a larger airport.

The place was empty. No one to ask questions. I wanted to check luggage size because my carry on…read morewas about an inch too big and I didn't know if I would have to check it and pay extra or not. Waited about 15 minutes in case they were at lunch. No one showed up so I drove back to Modesto. I will just get a smaller bag

There wasn't much traffic when we got dropped off at the Alaska airlines gate. We were able to…read morecatch a tram immediately to take us to the B gates. The security line was super short and we got through in 5 minutes. You no longer have to take your shoes off when you go through security which is really nice! If you're wearing a sweatshirt, and have shirt on underneath they will ask if you're comfortable removing it. After making it through I was very surprised to see all of the food choices have changed and 100% for the better! I grabbed a coffee at temple which I thought would eat some spare time but the whole process was surprisingly quick. You order and pay at the kiosks up front which helps the like go quickly. Then once your order is ready your name is called out. I think I only waited a total of 10 minutes! The one thing I will say is that sometimes they don't call names out very loudly so you have to stand close.

Thank you SMF for being consistent and reliable when it comes to travelling. I know what to expect…read morefrom this airport and I'm rarely disappointed or surprised. With that being said, they are making changes to the airport to expand it and hopefully improve it even more, but there are fears that with growth there will be some hurdles and drawbacks. For now, they have made some fun changes including many local businesses being featured in Terminals A and B. I love that they're sharing local flavors with the people passing through our airport and highlighting some of the cool places in our city. From our trips the airport is easy to arrive to, pick others up from, check into flights and navigate, they offer some decent food and drink options, and have a good amount of seating for those waiting on their flights. They also fly to a good amount of places with non-stop or connecting flights. Security is typically very efficient and we always arrive early for our flights and find ourselves with plenty of time ahead of takeoff to visit the restroom, pick up some bites or sips, and walk around. Baggage claim is also pretty straight forward and we've never had a problem picking up luggage after a trip and getting picked up or requesting a ride from Uber/Lyft. This airport is one of the more comfortable and easy to navigate airports that we've been through.

I flew into Modesto this past Saturday to take advantage of the $6 dollar breakfast put on by the…read moreCommemorative Air Force. After being handed off by NORCAL and switching to Modesto's Control Tower, I thought I was in the wrong place. The air traffic communications were nasty with noise and chatter from pilots in seek of their $6 breakfast and who were looking to land at Modesto. If I hadn't know any better, I would have thought I was flying into a Class "Charlie" Airport. After getting clearance to land, taxi and park. I secured my plane and enjoyed the always delicious breakfast put on by the folks at the CAF. When I was ready to depart, I had to hold short for approximately 15 minutes so ATC could clear out all the other aircraft who were looking to land and depart. While waiting, I couldn't help but think how great the controllers at Modesto were doing with all the air traffic communications bombarding them. Without missing a beat, they were keeping up with in-bound, out-bound, taxi and hold-shorts like the pro's at bigger airports do. If no one else tells them, the guys working ATC at Modesto's Tower on Saturday, January 12, 2013 Rocked!

The The Central California Valley Squadron (CCVS), puts on a breakfast every 2nd Saturday of the…read moremonth. The$7.00 they charge is well worth it. You get your choice of eggs...over easy, scrambled or scrambled with ham and peppers. (My favorite) choice of 2 pancakes...plane ( get it? Ha ha) , pecan or chocolate chip. Bacon, biscuit with gravy, campfire beans and a fruit cup. They have regular and sugar free syrup on hand and coffee, water and o.j. for your choice to drink. Check out the planes, the museum and chat with new friends. A awsome way to start a Saturday if you ask me. Check out the website https://www.cafvalleysquadron.org for more information. I found out about this from a friend and have been every month since. Everyone is welcome and this is a great place to make new friends. Super welcoming!

A short 45 minute flight takes me to Columbia Airport, one of the few airports in California that…read morehas both paved and grass runways. There is usually someone ministering the Unicom to let you know the conditions. They have a courtesy car which you can drive into town, but the walk into town is much nicer. There is a flight school at the airport, gas is fairly priced and there is a well worn bench for Airport Bums. Right next to the grass runway is a campground with hot showers. A great destination!

Sister bonding trip to wrap up Summer break! What better way than to have a helicopter ride…read moretogether! The airport was clean and lobby was comfortable. "Helicopter Tour" sign was easy to find and our pilot, Levi was waiting for us. Levi was friendly and accommodating! We all want to go back for another ride! Highly recommend!

We stopped for lunch at Flight Deck . We're locals and it was our first time. What a great remodel!…read moreThe food is excellent too. We ordered the Large House Salad and Loaded Steak Sandwich with waffles fries. Our waitress Zoe friendly and attentive. The view is beautiful! Enjoyed watching planes land & take off. Definitely will return.

What a fabulous place. Went to Capital Airshow. Being…read moreable to walk the tarmac and view all the flying birds.

While still a functioning airport, this is the place known by locals more as the "airshow" airport…read more Every year, at least before COVID, you would come here to see an impressive display of flying might and the famous Blue Angels, who always delighted me with their incredible air maneuvers. I haven't been back in two years (again, blame COVID) but I remember this both as the place I have always enjoyed personally and then again through the eyes of my son. They bring in some impressive aircraft from across decades for the airshows. You can walk on the tramac, learn about the planes and even sit inside the cockpits if you're lucky. As I said, this is also an actual airport. It started strictly as a military setup but now businesses regularly shuttle in employees and land their jets here. A lot of private pilots, like those flying little cessnas, stop in here as well. Whatever the reason to visit, it's the kind of place you go if you love airplanes like I do.