We flew to Napa County Airport on a beautiful clear fall day, with calm winds and unlimited visibility. Sue was my co-pilot and took several videos and photos of the trip. We departed Concord with a downwind departure direct to Napa, flying over Benicia and Six Flags Marine World. There was hardly any traffic, and we were the only plane in the pattern at Napa. I landed on Runway 19L, which until recently had been Runways 18.. a year or so ago they changed due to the magnetic drift of the Earth’s pole. I learned to fly at Napa 46 years ago (September 1974) and my first solo (November 9, 1974), flying a 1968 Cessna 150H and a 1975 Cherokee Warrior. The airport has undergone a lot of changes over the years… hangars have been added on the south east side, the Japan Airlines flight school is long since closed, and the “famous” Jonsey’s Restaurant is a thing of the past. The delicious steaks cooked with a big rock to hold it onto the grill, the “special potatoes” and the fine old style lunch counter… all gone. They do still have a “Cessna Pilot Center”, but just about all the planes out on the ramp were Gulfstream G5 corporate jets, or twin turboprops. Even the old gas station out on the ramp has been replaced by fuel trucks, and the airport “observation deck” has been removed. Still, the open beauty of the surrounding fields and the waterways, and the wonderful Napa Valley to the north remain some of the best flying terrain anywhere. Our return flight was smooth, and once again, we were the only plane landing at Concord. We came in over the “Mothball Fleet” or what is left of it, and a nice final and smooth landing. A spectacular flight!
