Butte County Air Tour
I had someone call yesterday wanting to take photos of Chico from the air. They were a little shocked at what it costs to hire me, so it didn’t pan out. It did get me thinking of what a pilot friend of mine calls his “Butte County” quick tour. It goes like this: Depart Chico Muni about 1 hour before sunset, skirt Chico on its west side at about 1000 feet, pointing out Chico State, Downtown and the old Diamond Match property. From there circle east and follow Butte Creek up into the canyon, pointing out Bidwell Park and Canyon Oaks to the left, the Skyway to the right, and the Honey Run Covered Bridge below as you climb to 2000 feet to clear terrain. This sets you up for an optional landing at Paradise Skypark before moving south to check out Lime Saddle Marina, then further south to see the Oroville Dam and Bidwell Marina. Now turn west for a quick touch and go landing at Oroville Airport. Continuing west you get a good look at the afterbay before moving into the rice country. Here its surprising to note the many manmade waterski lakes and also a few private airstrips on the way to the Sacramento River. The Llano Seco Rancho is worth seeing from the air before following the snaking river north to Hamilton City, easy to spot because of the old sugar plant. This sets you up perfectly for a post sunset approach back to Chico with a new appreciation of this amazing place in which we live.