What is it like flying a 58 year old airplane to Napa Valley? — featuring Hayley Herberg
In this video: Flying my 58 year old airplane to Napa Valley, California | Wine Tour
Hayley Herberg · 2 years ago
How long is the total flight from Tahoe to Napa?
The video shows a one-hour flight from Minden-Tahoe Airport to Buchanan Field (near Concord), followed by a 30-minute drive to the Napa wineries. Total travel time from departure to first tasting is roughly 90 minutes.
What this video answers
How long is the total flight from Tahoe to Napa?
Is this flight safe for first-time flyers?
Can you actually feed horses wine at Shady Brook Winery?
What's the difference between the two wineries visited?
Do you need a pilot's license to book a seat on this flight?
Flying a Private Plane to Napa Valley Wine Country
This video follows pilot Hayley Herberg as she flies her 58-year-old Bonanza aircraft from Minden-Tahoe Airport in Nevada to Buchanan Field near Napa Valley, California for a wine-tasting adventure. The journey spans roughly two hours of flying time, departing at 10,500 feet over the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe before descending to sea level near the Bay Area. Along the way, passengers experience sweeping aerial views of the California landscape, including mountain passes, forests, and the transition from alpine terrain to wine country.
This experience suits anyone drawn to combining scenic aviation tours with wine tasting, or travelers curious about what a private plane journey feels like from a passenger's perspective. You don't need flying knowledge—the video captures the genuine first-time-flyer experience of Ryan, who narrates much of the journey with wonder at the views below. If you're considering a small-plane wine country getaway or simply fascinated by what life looks like from 10,500 feet, this video gives a candid, unfiltered look at the reality.
Key Moments
Scenic Highlights and Stops on the Flight Route
Departure from Minden-Tahoe Airport with full pre-flight checks and radio communications, climbing to altitude over the eastern Sierra Nevada
Aerial passage over South Lake Tahoe at 10,500 feet, including observation of contrail formation in cold air
Descent through Highway 50 corridor toward sea level, with a ground speed around 150–200 knots
Landing at Buchanan Field (Concord, California) and parking among dozens of other Bonanzas at the FBO
First winery stop at Shady Brook, featuring horse feeding and wine tasting on vineyard grounds with mountain views
Second tasting at Hall Winery, a member-exclusive property with a walk-through vineyard and shaded seating areas
What to Expect Before You Book This Flight Adventure
Flight duration: Approximately one hour from Minden-Tahoe to Buchanan Field, plus ground transportation to Napa wineries (roughly 30 minutes by car)
Aircraft type: A Beechcraft Bonanza, a single-engine piston plane built in 1966, cruising at roughly 14 gallons per hour of fuel
Capacity and crew: The plane carries multiple passengers; flights are piloted by a licensed commercial pilot with over 1,300 flight hours
Weather conditions: Clear, sunny day with light haze observed en route; plan for variable mountain weather, especially in early fall (video was filmed near summer's end)
Winery reservations: Book in advance; the second winery (Hall) required a member introduction to secure a tasting spot
Clothing and comfort: The video shows 90-degree heat at the wineries by afternoon; bring sun protection and water, as some tasting areas have limited shade
Frequently Asked Questions About This Napa Valley Plane Tour
How long is the total flight from Tahoe to Napa?
The video shows a one-hour flight from Minden-Tahoe Airport to Buchanan Field (near Concord), followed by a 30-minute drive to the Napa wineries. Total travel time from departure to first tasting is roughly 90 minutes.
Is this flight safe for first-time flyers?
Yes. The video features a first-time passenger (Ryan) who experiences the full journey without incident. The pilot conducts thorough pre-flight checks, maintains radio communication with air traffic control, and handles takeoff and landing smoothly. The plane is well-maintained, and the conditions shown are clear and favorable.
Can you actually feed horses wine at Shady Brook Winery?
The video suggests horses can be fed wine (as a humorous aside), but the primary animal-interaction activity is feeding carrots to horses before or after wine tasting. Shady Brook offers the option to ride horses through the vineyards, though riders must be sober—horses, apparently, have no such restriction.
What's the difference between the two wineries visited?
Shady Brook (first stop) is a casual, outdoor-focused winery with horses, sunny vineyard grounds, and a relaxed tasting experience. Hall Winery (second stop) is member-exclusive with more formal seating and grounds; access required an introduction through members, suggesting a higher-end experience.
Do you need a pilot's license to book a seat on this flight?
No. The video is entirely from a passenger's perspective. You book a seat with a licensed pilot; no flying knowledge or certification is required to enjoy the journey or the destination wineries.
A single-engine piston aircraft made by Beechcraft, commonly used for personal and charter flying.
FBO (Fixed Base Operator)
A facility at an airport that provides services like fuel, parking, and maintenance for private aircraft.
Tailwheel endorsement
An additional pilot certification that allows flying aircraft with a rear-mounted wheel, typically older or specialty planes.
Contour flying
Flying at lower altitude while following terrain; not performed in this video, but the contrail discussion relates to high-altitude atmospheric effects.
Ground speed
The aircraft's actual speed relative to the ground, accounting for wind; shown as 150–200 knots during this flight.
This video is invaluable if you're considering a small-plane wine-country getaway or simply curious what the experience actually feels like from a passenger's seat. It captures the reality—pre-flight procedures, genuine first-timer reactions, the stunning aerial views, and the practical details of transitioning from a rural Nevada airport to wine-tasting in California—without glossing over the heat, wait times, or logistics.
What I loved most was watching Ryan's unfiltered wonder at the landscape below and the seamless blend of aviation and wine culture. The video doesn't oversell the experience; it shows you exactly what a day like this entails, from radio chatter to horse encounters to afternoon sun on a terrace. If you're an adventurous traveler who values authentic, multi-part experiences, this is genuinely worth booking.
Years on the front lines of helicopter tour coordination — not as a travel blogger, but as the person responsible for making every guest experience go right. Managed 2,000+ cruise guests weekly as Shore Excursions staff aboard the Pride of America in Hawaii
Personally coordinated with helicopter tour operators to confirm age, weight, and safety requirements.
Today we're flying from my home airport Minden-Tahoe (KMEV) to Buchanan Field (KCCR) to go wine tasting in the Napa Valley!
We visited two wineries, drank some of the best wine I've ever had, and stayed in Alamo, California in another fun trip to the Bay Area.
Hope you all enjoy flying along with us!
My Amelia Aviators | Use "HAYLEY" for 10% Discount
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Music:
More Than This by Joshua Hyslop
Joy River by The Dramatics
The World Is Ours for the Taking by Marie Hines
Licenses Held:
Commercial Pilot Instrument Rated SEL/MEL
Certified Flight Instructor
Tailwheel Endorsement
Hours as of this Video:
1,300 TT
Editing removes context, this video should not be used for instructional purposes.
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#bonanza #napavalley #winetasting #pilotlife
Video transcript for “Flying my 58 year old airplane to Napa Valley, California | Wine Tour” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
[Music] hello sir how you doing today good how are you good can can you get me your name yes my name is Ryan Donnelly okay my girlfriend's name is Kelsey Anna herberg and uh that's me we are back baby let us have a word hey Mark what are you doing over there hey
Mark holy That's So Sick Bay that controls the PO is down here you'll injected meter through these ports here's the oil Sun [Music]
y simply just put this up okay and here I'm going to have you behind me with your butt going to be be there you go yep there we go all right y can watch me here this is going to be kind of tricky actually all right here we go
it okay we're on here we go well we're off to Napa right here and it's a beautiful day at Mid let's go all right prop is full everything looks good everything's ready to go clearing up here GNA turn on my sry and traffic air5 departing off rway 34 left down we're going to be climbing for altitude to the
South traffic 17 Tangles Midfield left down with all right everyone ready yeah got it good baby we have children on board hanging in hanging out hanging over let's light this here we go all right one more time everything's in the green full [Music]
power you're [Music] swinging pit for 100 everything looks good Gear Up gear confront up bird we're going to beat a very untimely death there they were closeing po off the red line all right guys if you any other airplanes make sure to let me know traffic minut
traffic left down Runway 3 minute and I got traffic to my left minute traffic de air 5 about Midfield left down Runway 34 departing to the South we're going to be circling for altitude then heading to the West over Kingsbury grade over there is there's a care flight Area traffic care Flight 2 is
about a half mile Le 5,400 will be L at hospital 5 miles out the airport how it's so flat and there random ass mountains out of nowhere right and look at that road they literally had to cut through the mountain it's so wild looking it's just so cool seeing the world from up here I know I love flying
know it's pretty amazing what it is it is crazy we get to do this I know we just departed at a Mt we got we've got about an hour flight over to the Canon field and then we're going to meet up with Mark's parents and drive up to the winery hi Mom so we're uh we're very excited it's going to be a good day Taho traffic
de air 15 November Charlie 9,800 climbing 10,500 over Kingsbury grade going to be overflying South Lake to the West scary part that's Heaven I know that cool right what they call it you have plane flies by and you see like uh that uh that trail they leave that smoke Trail cloud trail yeah that's the
exhaust freezing in the High Altitude Tahoe traffic de air 15 Charlie 10,500 over flying South Lake Tahoe Airport to the West one of the things just came out hit me in the head oh I'm sorry gotta clean out these it's just rubber it's just a rubber coating we are 10,500 level got a ground speed of about 150
knots she's a little slower with more weight it's still cruising along doing about 14 gallons an hour we got some light Haze ahead we've got one guy below us coming up here all right we are just coming through the pass right now following Highway 50 we're up here at about 10,500 going to start a gentle descent slowly
down to sea level where the be Canon field rests at we're getting to California we are 30 minutes out 30 minutes 30 minutes until touchdown yep you're killing it this is so than Ryan I'm happy you're enjoying it a great first flight nice and space we are descending we're doing 180 knots over
the ground guys we're doing 200 miles hour 88,200 for sea level to pick up the weather Tower de Air 1 to 5 November Charlie about 10 miles to the Northeast and down with India aircraft down the conquer tower Tower about 6 miles to the Northeast up with
India 32 right right base for 32 [Music] right number two following the RV heading to your right at one M Runway 32 right clear land number two follow the RV and clear land Runway 32 right all right we're up for 32 left
we've got a Runway s look at that Mansion holy coming full forward down flaps we'll do first Notch we in flap range shorter you put me on the harder Runway you got this [Music]
[Music] we're here with a great landing I'm actually super proud of that Landing that was really well done all right now over to ground Brian successfully completed his first flight which is exciting we just got a lot of Taxi instructions but we are heading over to Pacific States FBO we are clear I don't
know if they're going to Marshall me in so let's just go see look they were in Somalia oh another uh deire fun there's a lot of deir here wow I see two more we're going to join the Deon a party I feel amazing honey home I'm high honey home I'm high and we get to uh put her away with the rest of the
bonanzas so that's [Music] fun let's go we're here are just getting quick maneuvering there yep through San Francisco on our way to Napa Valley got about 30 minutes to go until we get to our reservation and the first first Vineyard we're going
to is sh Shady Brick we're going to Shady Brook so we will go see how that flight is and then we're going to um Hall is our last stop so just a couple wineries today but um really that we started out the morning in Lake Tahoe now we're down in Napa
soon yay grapes we made it pretty thank you so 2023 Ros it can happen that way time between South my parents so in our welcome packets we're going to have a a choice of two different ttings to so we have a white followed by three red just depends on
what you guys like they we'll bring out your cheese [Music] awesome I love oh my God that's so I feel Exquisite happy to be here happy to you
be alive is the cheese carrying your hangover no every time that the wind blows we get a whiff of horse it's delicious and I want to go fed those horses right now it's really fun though it's very subtle so I love I just want to rub oh is it one of those things
so this is how you know glasses are that is the coest thing [Music] ever famous care stop struggling us um little little
and get nervous I just open hand and go like right where the lip isss he almost ran me over today I
haven't even again so of about R hey not good horse a biter he's just mouthy and he's so young and no one all right so we just finished our wine tasting at Shadow Shady Shady Brook and it was lovely there was horses there was
just a sunny afternoon with really nice wines and highly recommend Shady Brook and you can you can actually ride horses in The Vineyards before you go wine tasting so feed the horses you can feed the horses sometimes they you got to tip them yeah you got to tip them in carrots and you can feed them
wine too before you before you ride the horse you're not allowed to drink but the horse can drink which is a interesting concept so I think the charder the rosette would be great for that equestrian bear backed on all right well we're going to test that I guess in the future I mean can you get a DUI if
your hor is drunk I think you can get a drunk driving riding a horse you guys will have to tell me Well what if you're not drunk what have the horses though I don't know if I've ever seen a drunk horse feed a horse a bunch of shrooms and mushrooms and and wine Like You P I don't know if I've ever seen Dr but we
are on our way to Hall winery CU his parents are members there and they were very nice to get us a reservation so we're heading that way we're a little bit late but hopefully it works out and we can have our flight there sendell road it's so pretty [Music]
thanks for [Music] parking so how are we feeling over here hot neglected very neglected we've been waiting a few minutes one more 15 we've already finished our first glass so it wasn't really a glass it is a little Sunny very pretty though they s us right next to the
winery about legs baby sitting in the sun the end of summer here 90° but the wine is good I know what have we been doing are we able to sit up here are you for real yeah she said that if you find a shadier spot you can go enjoy here J in that so I think we were supposed to I
think we were supposed to walk around the vineyard and not just sit there it's kind of nice over here oh my God I bet you they frown if the members jump in the I bet so too oh guys we've getting we're getting the fall leaves too about to jump in dude I already like jacket
we should we should all right guys we're uh 17 minutes to the Rams kick off so
we're going touch down in 10 minutes we're going to make it bang bang ner gang bang bang ner gang yep we are ners fans we [Music] got and we've made it home from a really nice trip [Music]
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