Over the weekend, we were flying practice approaches around the So Cal basin in our Cessna 172 and it was quite hazy below 2500 feet. That layer is in part caused by all the smoke from the fires to the east and north.
We landed in Hemet-Ryan airport (KHMT) for a bit and saw the Cal Fire aircrafts stationed there. They have quite the operation on the ground.
So, we departed Hemet and climbed up to 3000 feet and made for the Long Beach coast line to fly the VOR-A into Fullerton with the procedure turn. As we were headed south, we noticed a huge plume of smoke coming from San Diego area. Another fire has sprung up in southern California. Too see the size and the distance that smoke covers from in the air sure gives you an understanding of the enormity of it.
God bless our firefighters and their efforts! We sure do appreciate all they do for us.