Just watch out for airside access. Once you’ve been checked out, they expect you to get airside without their help, but the airport (or the DHS) won’t issue airside passes unless you’ve got a residence permit – or possibly a proper visa. Visa waiver doesn’t cut it. (Ask me how I know.)
I forgot to mention that 
The expectation is that you pack lauggages into the aircraft and “go away” (could be a hassle if you like to do local circuits at midnight)
It’s become clear that looking for PA28 rental is fairly limiting. Unlike the UK, PA28s seem to be quite uncommon at US flying schools. It seems C172 is very much the staple.
Because the plan is to only actually stay one night in San Francisco, I looked further from the bay area and found North Coast Air at Sonoma airport KSTS, which is about an hour from SF and has perfectly normal checkout requirements (no 6-8hrs minimum as many other schools did). Cheaper to with 144USD/hr wet for a 160hp 172. Will have to get some 172 familiarisation in the UK before I leave which should be easy enough.
I have reserved a rental car for the entire trip and I will be driving to Reno, so the plan is to make a number of day trips from Sonoma, or possibly an overnight stop. Does anyone have recommendations for places/airports to visit? As I hold a UK drivers licence I don’t think I’ll be able to take advantage of crew cars at airports.
Your UK driving licence is an entirely valid license in California, as long as you are not a resident. This is confirmed on the state government (DMV) website. This is important if the visitor is driving a privately owned car with (mandatory) liability insurance that requires a valid drivers license, and you will have it.
“Adults Visiting California
Visitors over 18 years old with a valid DL from their home state or country may drive in California without getting a California DL as long as their home state or country DL is valid”
Otherwise, take a look at Sonoma Sky Park and see if anything there might interest you.
It’s not the licence that’s the problem with crew cars. My UK car insurance covers third party on any car I drive with the owner’s permission.But only in the UK. Be very careful with 3rd party cover. A US car owner would be in a different situation.
Liability insurance on any US vehicle will cover any licensed driver in that car. A UK-licensed driver visiting California is a legally licensed driver, exactly the same as a locally licensed driver and should be covered by the owner’s liability insurance when driving that car, unless for some reason the insurance policy was cancelled by the owner after the last license plate registration renewal.
Conversely, damage you may inflict on a borrowed car is unlikely to be covered by the owner personally and he won’t likely want to make an insurance claim. Be prepared to pay for any damage you might cause to the car. This is also BTW likely to be the case for a US resident who has his own cars insured for damage because although some US car insurance policies will also cover the insured when he damages other cars he might be driving, it is often not the case or limited specifically to rental cars. None of the above is particularly alarming to me, if I damage somebody else’s property when using it, I pay to fix it. Crew cars are are often not very valuable, and worst case you buy the car.
This is not as simple as it seems because some (many) courtesy cars won’t have any insurance cover of their own. It’s a minefield for foreign drivers. Fortunately there is a solution: Uber. Uber has transformed the utility of GA travel in the rural US with the ability to get an affordable taxi to your actual location at a predictable time and cost. No more waiting for hours, “went to wrong airport”, gross overcharging, etc etc that dogged conventional taxis back in the day. In my book Uber is the second biggest innovation in GA as a means of travel after ForeFlight.
As I hold a UK drivers licence I don’t think I’ll be able to take advantage of crew cars at airports.
They don’t check anything anyway, they don’t check you have a licence? or if it’s valid? or if you are insured? also, they don’t care if you say jeez it’s automatic before breaking hard as you leave the ramp !
In the eyes of FBO, you are a pilot = senior citizen with reputation and financially very liquid still drive at own risk as car hull value comes from your pocket (3rd party is covered with huge excess)
Ibra wrote:
They don’t check anything anyway, they don’t check you have a licence? or if it’s valid? or if you are insured?
That’s because they don’t care very much. It’s just a old car for God’s sake and you’ll doubtless be careful.
To many Europeans operating a car, as with flying and seemingly everything else, is something necessarily very complicated and scary. One false move and you’ll face the gallows 
I think it would be better if they would just relax, especially when in the US. You’re freaking us out
Aveling wrote:
This is not as simple as it seems because some (many) courtesy cars won’t have any insurance cover of their own.
I don’t know what “insurance of their own” is intended to mean in terms of liability and/or collision coverage, but regardless and as explained, any car registered in either California or Nevada will be covered by legally required liability insurance if it has a current registration sticker, and that will be applicable to damage or injury inflicted on others by any legally licensed driver operating the car. In California they take it so far that if liability insurance is canceled during the period of registration the insurance company if required by law to notify it, and the owner starts getting threatening official nasty-grams even if the car has only been sold out of state.
That is not true for every US state, the insurance documentation required to periodically re-register a car varies between states. Seven of 50 states (Arizona, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin) do not require proof of liability insurance for registration, you only need to have proof of whatever insurance is required in the car when its operated. Should you be in one of those states, it might be worth looking for current proof of insurance in the glovebox before setting off.
Ibra wrote:
car hull value comes from your pocket
Correct, typically, and as explained the owner of the car will likely expect you to pay for anything you break, if he notices & cares and/or if you’re honest, up to the full value of the car. I cannot imagine anybody is going to make a claim on collision insurance for their crew car, if it exists, unless you refuse to pay and skip the country. Which is BTW an option if the owner of the car tries to take advantage of you
Uber is indeed awesome if you’re not in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes even if you are.
Aveling wrote:
Fortunately there is a solution: Uber.
If only. Just try to get an Uber at any of the many smaller airfields that dot the West. Good luck – you’ll need it. This is even true for popular destinations near L.A. such as Big Bear or Santa Ynez. Uber works well above a certain size of town, e.g. Paso Robles. Crew cars usually work out fine, but they are on a first come – first served basis and you can usually only have them for a few hours. If staying overnight at a small place it’s a good idea to call the hotel and see if they can pick you up. In these places the hotel(s) often also know of someone who operates an informal taxi / rental service.
It would be interesting to call an Uber in Wickenburg AZ, let’s say after dropping a plane off at the paint shop there, and seeing if you could get to the commercial airport in Phoenix I’d say zero chance.
Years ago I walked up to a guy fueling his car at a gas station in Buckeye and talked him into giving two of us a ride to the local airport. I think he was a little drunk that morning but he had a 1981 Cadillac and apparently needed $20. I tried other more reputable looking people but oddly enough they ignored me when I asked if they could take us to our airplane. It was interesting, but luckily our ‘81 Cimmaron driver was a pilot. Uber might have worked in Buckeye, don’t know.
