Plan a Trip: Salinas to Hollister

Let's put it all together. Today we fly Salinas to Hollister, so grab your kneeboard. Frequencies first. Salinas ATIS is 124.85, and the tower is 119.525. Ground isn't in the block. It's in the tower table on the side of the chart: 121.7.

For flight following, the magenta box gives NorCal Approach on 133.0. The Chart Supplement adds 124.525 for the Hollister area. Hollister has no tower. Write down AWOS-3 on 120.425 and the CTAF, 123.0. Now the route. A straight line runs right over a ridge, past towers that top out at 3,482 feet.

That's a big climb for a trainer on a short hop. Let's take the scenic route instead. Follow the highway northwest past Santa Rita, turn at Prunedale, and head for San Juan Bautista. Hollister will be right in front of you. Time for the navlog. Draw each leg, lay the plotter on it, and read the true course where it crosses a line of longitude.

Next, find the variation. The nearest isogonic line, this dashed magenta line, reads 12°30' east. East is least, so subtract it. San Juan Bautista to the lake is 106 true, about 094 magnetic, and 4 nautical miles. A complete navlog also uses the winds aloft and your true airspeed. That gives you a ground speed and a time for every leg.

The highest spot elevation along the way is 1,076 feet, so cruise at 2,500 feet or higher. Today the wind favors runway 26 at Salinas, so ask the tower for a right turn to the northwest. At Hollister it favors runway 24. There's no RP in the data block, so that's left traffic.

The little lake south of the road makes a great landmark. From there, enter on the 45 for a left downwind to runway 24. In the air, check off each waypoint on your navlog as you pass it. Have a great flight!