Backcountry Fly-In Pilot Survey

Welcome to the 1st Annual KERN VALLEY AIRPORT BACKCOUNTRY FLY-IN located in the beautiful southern Sierra Nevada mountains of Southern California. Bring your planes and your families as we will have backcountry strip flying for the pilots, river and camping activities for the non-pilots, and fun for the whole family.  Plenty of airplane camping is available at our airport campground with bonfire pits and basic shower/toilets. Breakfast and lunch is available at the airport café, and we’ll arrange for group dinner plans including a BBQ and a run to the famous Kern River Brewing Company.
RAFFLE PRIZE GIVEAWAY!
We're gathering some great sponsors for our raffle prize giveaway to raise money to improve our airport campground for you!!  You guys are gonna love what we have to offer with swag, gift certificates, and gear so far from:
What to do
There will be plenty of activities for both the recreational/backcountry pilots and their families alike including:
  • airplane camping on the airport campground with bonfire pits and basic shower/toilets
  • discounted rates with local lodges in town just up the road
  • breakfast and lunch is available at the airport café everyday
  • an optional Friday, Saturday, and Sunday family-friendly river raft run on the Kern River, picked up and dropped off from the airport campground
  • a Friday night dinner/microbrewery tour at the famous local Kern River Brewing Company
  • a Saturday night airport campground Tri-tip BBQ with all the fixin’s by Sierra Vista Restaurant
  • Free shuttle rides from the Kernville Rotary Club to their annual Rotary Car Club show in downtown Kernville.
  • an optional Saturday afternoon STOL performance evaluation for interested pilots
  • a set of Saturday and Sunday morning backcountry airstrip runs to both high sierra strips and desert strips
  • a raffle prize giveaway with tons of merch, gear, and gift certificates sponsored by local river rafting companies, restaurants, RAF, Aircraft Spruce, and Alaskan Bushwheels including as a grand prize a full set of 31” Alaskan Bushwheel tires! (buy your tickets on our webpage early!)
DISCOUNTED EVENT LODGING
LODGING WITH SPECIAL FLY-IN EVENT DISCOUNTS:
CAMPING
We have great camping on the airport, over an acre of grass, bonfire pits, bath facilities, picnic tables, water spigots, and you are welcome to park your airplane on the grass border or on the adjacent paved parking area. Camping is $15/night/plane.  Pay at the airport or reserve here on the website.
EVENT SCHEDULE
(subject to change slightly as we finalize event details)

FRIDAY:
11:00am: Event start time, attendee arrival
11:00am-5:00pm: Free time, lunch (café or self-serve), setup camp in airport campground
Activities:
  • Walk to river from campground
  • Horseshoes next to airport café
  • Bike (some available at airport) or walk to town (2.5 miles away)
     12:00pm: Shuttle into town from airport campground for optional:
  • 2hr family-friendly level river rafting with Sierra South Mountain Sports (call ahead and ask for ‘Kern Valley Airport Fly-in special rate’, 800-457-2082)
  • Other activities available with Sierra South Mountain Sports but call ahead to check for availability and ask for ‘Kern Valley Airport Fly-In special rate’
  • Walk around town of Kernville, visit shops, restaurants, river park, and grocery store
(Shuttle returns to airport campground at 5:00pm)
5:00pm: Airstrips briefing for both the High Sierra route and the Desert route.  MANDATORY - DON'T MISS THIS IF YOU'RE FLYING!!
6:00pm: Dinner and tour of the Kern River Brewing Company, shuttle into town from airport campground
8:00pm: Campground bonfire
 
SATURDAY:
7:00am: Breakfast/coffee at (café or self-serve)
8:00am-2:00pm: Backcountry strips run with lunch somewhere along the way.  Group 1 - Desert route, Group 2 - High Sierra route
8:00am-3:00pm: leisure activity time for those not flying
Activities:
  • Walk to river from campground
  • Horseshoes next to airport café
  • Bike (some available at airport) or walk to town (2.5 miles away)
9:00am: Shuttle into town from airport campground for optional:
  • 2hr family-friendly level river rafting with Sierra South Mountain Sports (call ahead and ask for ‘Kern Valley Airport Fly-in special rate’, 800-457-2082) down the fun "Lickety Blaster" run back into town.
  • Other activities available with Sierra South Mountain Sports but call ahead to check for availability and ask for ‘Kern Valley Airport Fly-In special rate’
  • Walk around town of Kernville, visit shops, restaurants, river park, and grocery store
(Shuttle returns to airport campground at 1:00pm)
3pm: STOL performance evaluation IF winds allow for it
5:30pm: TriTip BBQ dinner at airport ($15/pp), music, RAFFLE PRIZE GIVEAWAY!
8:00pm: Campground bonfire
 
SUNDAY:
7:00am: Breakfast/coffee (café or self-serve)
8:00am-2:00pm: Backcountry strips run with lunch somewhere along the way.  ​Group 1 - Desert route 
Group 2 - High Sierra route
8:00am-3:00pm: leisure activity time for those not flying
Activities:
  • Walk to river from campground
  • Horseshoes next to airport café
  • Bike (some available at airport) or walk to town (2.5 miles away)
9:00am: Shuttle into town from airport campground for optional:
  • 2hr family-friendly level river rafting with Sierra South Mountain Sports (call ahead and ask for ‘Kern Valley Airport Fly-in special rate’, 800-457-2082)  down the fun "Lickety Blaster" run back into town.
  • Other activities available with Sierra South Mountain Sports but call ahead to check for availability and ask for ‘Kern Valley Airport Fly-In special rate’
  • Walk around town of Kernville, visit shops, restaurants, river park, and grocery store
(Shuttle returns to airport campground at 1:00pm)
3:00pm: Attendees return home
 

NEarest fuel
  • KPTV - Porterville Municipal Airport (36 nm NW)
  • L45 - Bakersfield Airport (37 nm SW)
  • KMIT - Shafter Airport-Minter Field (40 nm E)
  • KTSP – Tehachapi (36 nm S)
  • KIYK - Inyokern Airport (29 nm E)
  • A SMALL amount of emergency fuel will be available in jerry cans at the fly-in
DISCOUNTED EVENT WHITEWATER RAFTING
For the fly-in event, we've partnered with Kernville's Sierra South Paddle Sports to offer a family-friendly, fun, Class II, "Lickety Blaster" 2+hr ride on the Kern River including:
  • pickup available at the airport campsite
  • life vest/helmet outfitting and a safety briefing with your guide at their store in town
  • ending the raft trip at their store
  • allowing for a little extra time to walk around afterwards, check out the cute western setting of downtown Kernville, or walk to the grocery store
  • and finally ending with Sierra South shuttling you back to the airport campground afterwards.  

The three separate discounted "Kern Valley Airport Fly-In" trips are:
  • Friday, May 5th @ 12:30pm: $55.75
  • Saturday, May 6th @ 9:30am: $61.42
  • Sunday, May 7th @ 9:30am: $55.75

The Saturday and Sunday trips are scheduled to allow those who aren't flying the backcountry runs, to have to something fun to do with their friends and family during that time.  

Please call Sierra South Paddle Sports reservations at 760-376-3746 to schedule your preferred trip.  
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We must give them advance notice in order to facilitate them picking up folks at the airport campground.
ROTARY club CAR show in downtown kernville
The Rotary Club of Kernville is excited to partner with us in offering pilots who fly-in to camp a ride from the airport campground to their annual car show in downtown Kernville which happens to be the Saturday of our fly-in weekend.  They will have someone at the airport campground who will get you a ride to the car show should you like to go into town and see it.  
EVENT Guidelines
  1. SAFETY FIRST!
  2. CTAF 122.8
  3. FUEL: we have none at the field.  See above section for "Nearest Fuel".  Manage your fuel - maintain 30-minute reserves per FAA requirements.
  4. No hand propping of aircraft without someone at the controls, wheels chocked, or with the the tail tied down.
  5. Bring your own tie-downs (capable of anchoring to grass field or cable tiedowns on pavement depending on your parking place).
  6. Bring your own camping chairs, tents, equipment etc as need for yourself.
  7. Please be honest with us and yourself about your ability to fly your aircraft into different short, terrain-surrounded, backcountry airstrips.  Please attend the briefing Friday night at 5pm for both the High Sierra circuit and the Desert circuit.  DON'T MISS THIS IF YOU'RE FLYING!!

Questions? Call 919-457-2855
Step 1: To register for the event and unlock access to the the SoCal Backcountry Airstrips Guide, fill out and sign the registration and liability waiver below. 
    ​By clicking submit, I intend to operate my aircraft for the purposes of safe takeoff and landing at the Kern Valley Airport and the backcountry airstrips we might go into at the event. I agree and understand that doing so is solely at my own risk and expense. I further understand and agree that the backcountry airstrips are not improved airstrips and that any operations from those airstrips are considered unimproved landings/take-off areas. I further agree and understand that I am responsible for evaluating the landing/take-off area and making the determination for myself as to the safety of using the unimproved field for such a purpose.
    I also agree that neither Kern Valley Airport nor any of its employees, representatives, staff, or hosts nor any of the airstrip owners have made any representations as to the safety of using the unimproved backcountry airstrips for operating my aircraft, and my use of the airstrip is being undertaken at my own risk. I alone am responsible for determining whether my aircraft is suitable for operating in and out of these unimproved airstrips. I further agree and understand that fly-in hosts or airstrip owners may place cones or other boundary or signaling devices at the respective airstrips and that any reliance upon the same for safety is taken at my own risk, and that neither the fly-in hosts or airstrip owners is responsible for the same.
    I hereby waive and release Kern Valley Airport nor any of its employees, representatives, staff, or hosts nor any of the airstrip owners from any liability for any damages of any kind including, but not limited to, property damage, bodily injury, and death in any way related to the operation of my aircraft on the Kern Valley Airport or any of the unimproved airstrips the fly-in hosts take me to.  
Step 2: Now to access the SoCal Backcountry Airstrips Guide, click on the button below- and enter the access code provided in the previous confirmation message.

FYI: for the Kern Valley fly-in event we will be hitting most of the strips we have in the guide booklet that we have permission to use.  Please have this booklet printed off and with you at the fly-in.
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Fri, May 5th @ 5pm:
MANDATORY briefing 
Sat, May 6th @ 8:00am:
Group 1 - Desert route 
Group 2 - High Sierra route
Sun, May 7th @ 8:00am: 
Group 1 - High Sierra route
Group 2 - Desert route
Step 3: To pay for camping fees, BBQ meal, and raffle prize tickets, etc, select the items below to add to your cart, adjust the quantity needed in your cart, then checkout!

KVA Camping fee per night/per plane

$20.00
Add to cart

KVA Fly-In Saturday night TriTip BBQ ticket

$15.00
Add to cart

Raffle Prize Giveaway Ticket

$5.00
Add to cart

Location