We stood and watched t'he planes taking off from the temple above the plane taking of and landing and there didn't seem to be any cause for concer at all (at least in th dry season).- have certainly flown from much more risky places in Asia and Africa. T'he rainy season may present different chalenges of course!

thanks! yes, we will be doing this Nov. 12.
After much deliberation, and taking out lots of destinations due to distance or time, here is our tentative itinerary. Would you please look at it and comment?
~Chiang Mai 3-4 nights (after 2 days of traveling and little sleep)
~Asian Oasis - LNEX2P Khum Lanna thai Contry living 2 days 1 night (cooking experience, biking, rice fields, massage)
Guide/driver/van for 7-8 days
~Flight or drive to Mae Hong Son - 2 nights - 1 or 2 temples, Thampla-Phasua Waterfalls, Mae Surin National Park, Thung Bua Thong, Wild Orchid Conservation Center, hiking,
~Soppong - 2 nights-Than Lod, village/school visit
~Chiang Dao area 1 or 2 nights - Tham Tab Tao or another cave
~Mae salong area - 1or 2 nights
~Chiang Rai - 1 or 2 nights
Thanks so much,

3-4 nights is a good amount of time for C, particularly after a long flight. Lots to see and some great food (northern Thai food, along with Issan is my favourite Thai cuisine) Can't really comment on Khum lanna except that we did look at it but decided on Chiang Mai Thai Cookery school instead (and had a fantastic time).

If flying to MHS it doesn't seem to make much sense to hire a van for the whole time (unless I have misunderstood). Better to hire a driver guide in MHS. Soppong is a great little town with some great hikes around the area etc and is still very Thai, as opposed to MHS which is now more geared towards toursism. I really liked both places and particularly staying at the Fern Resort and the Soppong River View.

If you decide on driving then, Chiang Dao could be visited (with a slight detour) en-route to/from CM - MHS - the hike to the top of the mountain there is a goodie. Otherwise it is just a couple of hours by taxi from CM

Chiang Rai is ok but not really my favourite place in Northern Thailand. I have visited a few times, usually en-route to Laos. Mai Salong and some of the other border towns are intersting, particularly some of the minority peoples villages that surround them, but I haven't been there for years. Its just my subjective view but, unless you are travelling on to Lao why not spend a bit more time around MHS, maybe continuing around the loop to Doi Inthanon NP (although you could do that from CM). Hope this helps a little rather than confuses matters!