Review
Clayton is publishing perhaps the most comprehensive GPS guide I've ever seen, and it's only peripherally related to aviation. The waypoints identified are so numerous, in fact, that it's not practical to publish one edition for the entire country. Instead, Clayton publishes one for each state. As this is written, Wendt has GPS Companion guides out for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida and California, and he's working on the other states as quickly as he can.
With Wendt's handy little 4x5 book in my flight bag, I'll now be able to fly directly to Mount Whitney at 36 34 45N 118 70 30W and point out the peak with confidence. Alternately, I'll be able to zero in on Hearst Castle at 35 41 07N 121 10 00W and fly directly over the huge, rectangular reflecting pool.
If you're looking for something other than an airport such as Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite (37 43 00N 119 38 45W), you'll find Wendt's California GPS Companion an indispensable guide. -- Excerpts from article by Sr. Editor Bill Cox, Plane & Pilot Magazine, March 1998
From the Publisher
The California Companion is the fifth book in the series. It was originally issued in 1997 and was updated and re-issued in 1998. The Companions are intended to fill a gap between the GPS units themselves and the available maps and charts. They list Latitude, Longitude and in many cases elevation for thousands of named geographic points.
It is comprehensive! A typical California road map will list about 1700 cities and towns in its index. The GPS Companion lists 5338! The California book contains over 8100 locations in all, on 393 pages.
It is Readable! The index of a road map is printed in condensed 5 point type. The GPS Companion is printed in 9 point courier type.
Elevations are included for every location possible, over 6100 in all. In fact, 5313 of the 5338 cities and towns include the elevation. Of course all of the 267 airports are listed with elevation. And there are 369 mountain summits with elevation as well.
Here is a summary of the points included. Airports 267 Beaches 221 Bridges 11 Buildings, misc. 163 Cape, Islands, etc. 83 Cities & towns 5338 Dams 45 Gardens, Conservatory 14 Golf Courses 385 Harbor, Marina, Bay 80 Lighthouses 30 Locales, misc. 122 Military 30 Museums 121 Observatories 13 Scenic overlooks 14 Ski Areas 49 State & National Parks 229 Pier & Wharf 32 University, College 181 Stadium 30 Summit (mountain) 369 Tracks (race) 20 Waterfalls 144 Winery, Vineyards 48
Buildings include landmarks like the Hearst Castle and the Cliff House as well as exhibition halls and pavilions. Locales include a wide variety of areas like the Cannery in San Francisco, Sandia Labs, and the Queen Mary.
