NASCAR weekend at KAPC

drl5555 · June 25th, 2005, 15:51

Well, it's NASCAR weekend over in Sonoma, CA, so we're besieged here at the airport in Napa with an incredible number of jets and heavy twins. It's normally pretty quiet here (if you don't count the JAL guys that come to Napa from Japan for Private/Instrument/Commercial/Multi training who you can't understand a word of on the radio), but this weekend has been insane. A new jet at least every 5 minutes. After we run out of ramp space sometime today we'll start parking them on the taxiways. Incredible!

Flight_Watch · June 26th, 2005, 01:10

Sounds like a good time watching all those planes fly in. They are probably all the private jets for the race car drivers and their families.

I fly to KAPC every other week or so and know what you mean about the JAL guys. I don't know what they are saying half the time. Sometimes my instructor and I just look at eachother confused.

If you get a chance, post some photos of the airport with all the planes parked. That would be quite a sight to see.

drl5555 · June 26th, 2005, 01:18

I took some pics when I was at work today, and I'll take some tomorrow too, then see what I can do about getting them hosted. I think you're right about the planes being for the drivers and their families, as well as pit crews and broadcasters, etc. Tomorrow there will be a constant flow of helicopters to/from Infineon from Napa, should be fairly interesting trying to teach my pre-solo student with all this activity going on!

The problem with the JAL guys is that they're only taught ICAO english, so when something abnormal happens or the tower tries to tell them something in plain english, they're lost. They only understand a few bits and pieces of english.

JDE · June 26th, 2005, 01:49

When I worked at Flower in Salina, NASCAR weekend on the west coast was always fun since all the planes would stop and get fuel. It was one plane after another...good times! Can't wait to see the pics!

A few weeks ago for the Bombardier Learjet 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, two Learjet 40's flew in formation over the track...too bad I missed it

aloft · June 26th, 2005, 01:52

I did about 20 hrs of flying toward my PPL out of APC back when I lived in Marin a couple years ago. Awesome scenery, nothing like doing ground reference maneuvers over the sprawling vineyards (though you're screwed if you lose an engine as all those wires supporting the vines will really mess you up if you have to put it down in a "field".

ROFCIBC · June 26th, 2005, 09:13

[ QUOTE ]
When I worked at Flower in Salina, NASCAR weekend on the west coast was always fun since all the planes would stop and get fuel. It was one plane after another...good times! Can't wait to see the pics!

A few weeks ago for the Bombardier Learjet 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, two Learjet 40's flew in formation over the track...too bad I missed it

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah yes, Flower Aviation at Salina. Brings back fond memories of 20 years ago. SAC (which did actually exist back then) from time to time would have these exercises where they would return to former SAC bases and play a "reconstitution" game. Pretend they were deploying forces as a way of dispersing the fleet if the nuke sub threat got closer to US soil. Anyhow...

We flew a KC10 in there. A couple of lovely young lasses in their Flower uniforms come out to marshall us in. As we pulled up, getting closer and closer, hence bigger and bigger their eyes kept also getting bigger and bigger, and their marshalling instructions smaller and smaller. I guess they were used to an ocassional twin or maybe even a jet or two, but not some behemoth with monster engines on the wings!

At some point where we got really, really close they just gave up, stopped marshalling, turned and ran away.

Later on we gave them, and anyone else aroudn the two bit tour of the plane. They were pretty good sports about the whole thing and when we left actually came out to marshall us out.

Ah yes...nothing like a trip down memory lane...from Kansas, land of Toto!

Saw that flyover at TMS. Wasn’t too bad, but personally not up to the BUF or like at Indianapolis the B2. But then I’m kind of partial to big planes!

The real impressive part of the IRL race that night was the presentation of the Lear Jet bike the guys from Orange County Choppers did. Paul Sr, Paul Jr and Mikey were all there. They invited anybody with a bike to pay $40 toward Kyle Petty’s Victory Junction Gang charity, and do a lap around the track before the race. Literally thousands showed up! By the time the last ones passed the start/finish line, the first ones were coming around to it. One and a half miles of bikes, mostly Harley’s but a lot of others too, four wide around the entire track. Then Paul Sr. led the first parade lap with the Lear Jet bike. All in all a GREAT evening…not to mention the race! They ended up with the last 132 laps (out of 200) run under green flag conditions. Wheel to wheel, two by two racing at 214 mph! Take THAT NASCAR! The winning margin was by less than a car length, with the Chebbie of Tomas Scheckter beating out Sam Hornish Jr’s Toyota.

Cav · June 26th, 2005, 09:29

Not NASCAR related but I had Danica Patrick on board the other day. She's very attractive in person...very short as well.

MrSandman · June 26th, 2005, 14:19

[ QUOTE ]
Well, it's NASCAR weekend over in Sonoma, CA, so we're besieged here at the airport in Napa with an incredible number of jets and heavy twins. It's normally pretty quiet here (if you don't count the JAL guys that come to Napa from Japan for Private/Instrument/Commercial/Multi training who you can't understand a word of on the radio), but this weekend has been insane. A new jet at least every 5 minutes. After we run out of ramp space sometime today we'll start parking them on the taxiways. Incredible!

[/ QUOTE ]

Napa is a fun little airport. If you think all those jets are impressive, wait till after the race. Within a few hours, most of them will be gone.

Did Rousch get his 727 in there? It will have a blue tail with his portrait painted in gold.

drl5555 · June 26th, 2005, 20:39

[ QUOTE ]
Did Rousch get his 727 in there? It will have a blue tail with his portrait painted in gold.

[/ QUOTE ]
Nope, didn't see it, and it would have been pretty hard to miss had it been there.

I uploaded some pictures here. I used my dad's Skylane 182 to get to/from work this weekend (or else I would have had to drive right past the raceway and get caught in horrendous traffic) so I just snapped some pics while taxiing, which explains the poor quality. Enjoy.

BrianNC · June 26th, 2005, 21:46

[ QUOTE ]
Did Rousch get his 727 in there? It will have a blue tail with his portrait painted in gold.

[/ QUOTE ]

Here in Concord NC (JQF) where a lot of them are based, they just finished the extension to the runway here. I was told that it was done so Rousch could get his 727 in here.

Flight_Watch · June 27th, 2005, 02:48

Cool. Thanks for the pics. It is funny to see so many jets, let alone planes at Napa airport. I would hate to be ATC an hour or so after the race when they are all trying to leave.

June 25th, 2005, 15:51	#1
drl5555 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 149	NASCAR weekend at KAPC Well, it's NASCAR weekend over in Sonoma, CA, so we're besieged here at the airport in Napa with an incredible number of jets and heavy twins. It's normally pretty quiet here (if you don't count the JAL guys that come to Napa from Japan for Private/Instrument/Commercial/Multi training who you can't understand a word of on the radio), but this weekend has been insane. A new jet at least every 5 minutes. After we run out of ramp space sometime today we'll start parking them on the taxiways. Incredible!

June 26th, 2005, 01:10	#2
Flight_Watch Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 96	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC Sounds like a good time watching all those planes fly in. They are probably all the private jets for the race car drivers and their families. I fly to KAPC every other week or so and know what you mean about the JAL guys. I don't know what they are saying half the time. Sometimes my instructor and I just look at eachother confused. If you get a chance, post some photos of the airport with all the planes parked. That would be quite a sight to see.

June 26th, 2005, 01:18	#3
drl5555 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 149	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC I took some pics when I was at work today, and I'll take some tomorrow too, then see what I can do about getting them hosted. I think you're right about the planes being for the drivers and their families, as well as pit crews and broadcasters, etc. Tomorrow there will be a constant flow of helicopters to/from Infineon from Napa, should be fairly interesting trying to teach my pre-solo student with all this activity going on! The problem with the JAL guys is that they're only taught ICAO english, so when something abnormal happens or the tower tries to tell them something in plain english, they're lost. They only understand a few bits and pieces of english.

June 26th, 2005, 01:49	#4
JDE Old Skool Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 1,558	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC When I worked at Flower in Salina, NASCAR weekend on the west coast was always fun since all the planes would stop and get fuel. It was one plane after another...good times! Can't wait to see the pics! A few weeks ago for the Bombardier Learjet 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, two Learjet 40's flew in formation over the track...too bad I missed it

June 26th, 2005, 01:52	#5
aloft Old Skool Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Inside your OODA loop Posts: 6,998	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC I did about 20 hrs of flying toward my PPL out of APC back when I lived in Marin a couple years ago. Awesome scenery, nothing like doing ground reference maneuvers over the sprawling vineyards (though you're screwed if you lose an engine as all those wires supporting the vines will really mess you up if you have to put it down in a "field".

June 26th, 2005, 09:13	#6
ROFCIBC Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bossier City, Louisiana Posts: 591	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC [ QUOTE ] When I worked at Flower in Salina, NASCAR weekend on the west coast was always fun since all the planes would stop and get fuel. It was one plane after another...good times! Can't wait to see the pics! A few weeks ago for the Bombardier Learjet 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, two Learjet 40's flew in formation over the track...too bad I missed it [/ QUOTE ] Ah yes, Flower Aviation at Salina. Brings back fond memories of 20 years ago. SAC (which did actually exist back then) from time to time would have these exercises where they would return to former SAC bases and play a "reconstitution" game. Pretend they were deploying forces as a way of dispersing the fleet if the nuke sub threat got closer to US soil. Anyhow... We flew a KC10 in there. A couple of lovely young lasses in their Flower uniforms come out to marshall us in. As we pulled up, getting closer and closer, hence bigger and bigger their eyes kept also getting bigger and bigger, and their marshalling instructions smaller and smaller. I guess they were used to an ocassional twin or maybe even a jet or two, but not some behemoth with monster engines on the wings! At some point where we got really, really close they just gave up, stopped marshalling, turned and ran away. Later on we gave them, and anyone else aroudn the two bit tour of the plane. They were pretty good sports about the whole thing and when we left actually came out to marshall us out. Ah yes...nothing like a trip down memory lane...from Kansas, land of Toto! Saw that flyover at TMS. Wasn’t too bad, but personally not up to the BUF or like at Indianapolis the B2. But then I’m kind of partial to big planes! The real impressive part of the IRL race that night was the presentation of the Lear Jet bike the guys from Orange County Choppers did. Paul Sr, Paul Jr and Mikey were all there. They invited anybody with a bike to pay $40 toward Kyle Petty’s Victory Junction Gang charity, and do a lap around the track before the race. Literally thousands showed up! By the time the last ones passed the start/finish line, the first ones were coming around to it. One and a half miles of bikes, mostly Harley’s but a lot of others too, four wide around the entire track. Then Paul Sr. led the first parade lap with the Lear Jet bike. All in all a GREAT evening…not to mention the race! They ended up with the last 132 laps (out of 200) run under green flag conditions. Wheel to wheel, two by two racing at 214 mph! Take THAT NASCAR! The winning margin was by less than a car length, with the Chebbie of Tomas Scheckter beating out Sam Hornish Jr’s Toyota.

June 26th, 2005, 09:29	#7
Cav Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Let me look, I forgot. Posts: 666	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC Not NASCAR related but I had Danica Patrick on board the other day. She's very attractive in person...very short as well.

June 26th, 2005, 14:19	#8
MrSandman Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 67	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC [ QUOTE ] Well, it's NASCAR weekend over in Sonoma, CA, so we're besieged here at the airport in Napa with an incredible number of jets and heavy twins. It's normally pretty quiet here (if you don't count the JAL guys that come to Napa from Japan for Private/Instrument/Commercial/Multi training who you can't understand a word of on the radio), but this weekend has been insane. A new jet at least every 5 minutes. After we run out of ramp space sometime today we'll start parking them on the taxiways. Incredible! [/ QUOTE ] Napa is a fun little airport. If you think all those jets are impressive, wait till after the race. Within a few hours, most of them will be gone. Did Rousch get his 727 in there? It will have a blue tail with his portrait painted in gold.

June 26th, 2005, 20:39	#9
drl5555 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 149	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC [ QUOTE ] Did Rousch get his 727 in there? It will have a blue tail with his portrait painted in gold. [/ QUOTE ] Nope, didn't see it, and it would have been pretty hard to miss had it been there. I uploaded some pictures here. I used my dad's Skylane 182 to get to/from work this weekend (or else I would have had to drive right past the raceway and get caught in horrendous traffic) so I just snapped some pics while taxiing, which explains the poor quality. Enjoy.

June 26th, 2005, 21:46	#10
BrianNC Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 817	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC [ QUOTE ] Did Rousch get his 727 in there? It will have a blue tail with his portrait painted in gold. [/ QUOTE ] Here in Concord NC (JQF) where a lot of them are based, they just finished the extension to the runway here. I was told that it was done so Rousch could get his 727 in here.

June 27th, 2005, 02:48	#11
Flight_Watch Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 96	Re: NASCAR weekend at KAPC Cool. Thanks for the pics. It is funny to see so many jets, let alone planes at Napa airport. I would hate to be ATC an hour or so after the race when they are all trying to leave.

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