AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2015 - R-4

TOP 10
REASONS
TO COME
TO SALINAS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

OLDTOWN SALINAS. Neat buildings,
great food, shops.
JOHN STEINBECK. See his childhood home and visit the National
Steinbeck Center.
CANNERY ROW. Tour the redeveloped sardine canneries along
the former Ocean View Avenue
in nearby Monterey, the setting
for Steinbeck's book of the same
name.
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM. Check
it out while you're on Cannery
Row-it's right there.
GOLF! Play without leaving the airport at the Salinas Fairways Golf
Course at the end of Runway 13.
CARMEL BY-THE-SEA is also located
in Monterey County, just south of
Monterey.
AEROBATIC PASSION. Watch as
longtime aerobatic pilot Yuichi
Takagi performs his first aerobatic
demonstration.
MILITARY HISTORY. Visit the Castle
Air Museum, adjacent to Castle
Airport (the former Castle Air
Force Base) in Atwater, California,
65 nm northeast, if it's along your
route.
BARNSTORMERS PARTY. Join us
Friday night for food and fellowship-and a special screening of
Living in the Age of Airplanes.

SALADS! They'll taste fresher here
than anywhere else in the
country.

R-4 | AOPA PILOT May 2015

Passionate performer debuts
Sean Tucker protege excited about first demo

YUICHI TAKAGI will perform his first aerobatic demonstration during the AOPA
Fly-In at Salinas, California, May 16-but the enthusiastic performer has been flying competitive aerobatics since 2004. A flight instructor since 2000, he's logged
6,200 hours, including 2,200 hours of aerobatic instruction at legendary aerobatic
pilot Sean Tucker's Tukima Academy in nearby King City, California.
As a teenager, Takagi read a book by a Reno biplane racer and airshow pilot,
and was enthralled. "I've liked airplanes since I was a kid," he said. In Watsonville,
California, he he learned basic aerobatics flying "an underpowered, 85-horsepower clipped-wing Cub." Takagi went back to Japan and trained as a mechanic,
returning to the United States in 1999.
Working as both a mechanic and CFI, he couldn't afford to pursue aerobatics
until he bought an airplane in 2002. "After I got my Pitts S-2B, my dream came
true," Takagi said. He worked his way up in aerobatic competition, progressing
from Sportsman through Intermediate and Advanced to Unlimited. "I'm always
looking for my next step," he said. "I fly at the top category, so my next goal is to fly
in airshows in my Pitts S-2S, and show people my passion for flying and aerobatics."
Because his Pitts does not have the vertical capabilities of an airplane like an
Extra, Takagi's performance will include many complex maneuvers-including
torque rolls and tumbles-in a short period of time. "I'm going to show my energy,
and not the airplane's energy," he said. "I hope it's going to be a fun sequence."
Takagi, 43 and the only Japanese pilot flying airshows in the United States,
has other shows scheduled this year in California. This September he plans to
compete for the first time in the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships, held
in Denison, Texas.

Salinas Municipal Airport (SNS)
Location: Three miles southeast
of Salinas
Pattern altitude: Light aircraft,
885 feet msl; turbine aircraft,
1,509 feet msl
Runways: 8/26, 6,004 feet by 150
feet; 13/31, 4,825 feet by 150 feet.

FLY-IN TIPS
* Marine-layer fog is sometimes present at
Salinas in the morning, typically rolling out
by 10 a.m. It occasionally returns late in the
afternoon. Consider coming in on Friday!
* On arrival watch for the charted mountaintop antenna, reaching up to 3,482 feet
msl, about halfway between Salinas and
Hollister, California.
* Tiedowns are not provided for flyin parking, most of which will be on hard

surfaces. They can be used in the aircraft
camping area. Bring your own tiedowns.
* Self-serve fueling will not be available during the AOPA Fly-In because of the
pump's location.
* If you fly along the coastline south of
Monterey, keep in mind that flight below
1,000 feet agl above designated areas of the
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
violates NOAA regulations.

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2015