Long XC advice: Washington <> California

[flyingpoodle]

Hey all,

I want to make a VFR trip between KLS and RDD. Assuming I don’t go the coastal route and prefer 10,500 or below, what are the best ways up and down generally? Mostly wondering about the pass around Mt. Shasta. My longest XC was only about 250NM over peaks around 5-7000.

I will of course sit down properly with a CFI to plan, but I wanted to ask here knowing local knowledge always helps. And maybe there are high-time pilots out there who have made the same trip, or those who make long trips regularly.

Thanks!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I want to make a VFR trip between KLS and RDD. Assuming I don’t go the coastal route and prefer 10,500 or below, what are the best ways up and down generally? Mostly wondering about the pass around Mt. Shasta. My longest XC was only about 250NM over peaks around 5-7000.

I will of course sit down properly with a CFI to plan, but I wanted to ask here knowing local knowledge always helps. And maybe there are high-time pilots out there who have made the same trip, or those who make long trips regularly.

What is your experience level?

What type aircraft are you taking?

What are you doing when you get there, and how much schedule flexibility do you have?

I'm from Wisconsin and so I don't fly in that area a whole bunch, but I have flown through there. I was in a 182 so it wasn't really a challenge to climb. I'm not sure what you mean by "the pass around Mt. Shasta." If you mean between Mt. Shasta and Mt. Eddy, it's not really much of a pass, it's miles wide. To give you an idea, here's a picture I took at the Weed airport (O46), elevation 2943 MSL:



I'd generally head for OED/Medford and follow I-5 down past Shasta. If you really want to keep away from terrain and/or plug something into your GPS, try KKLS EUG OED LEAFF S03 GRENA O46 KNUTT KRDD. That route should be easy peasy at 7,500 MSL or higher.

Bottom line: Don't be in a hurry. If you really have to be there on a schedule, leave early enough that if something happens you can drive the rest of the way. Ensure that the weather is such that you'll be able to see the rocks, and then don't hit the rocks. If winds aloft at 6,000 are 30+ knots, you might want to go a few thousand feet higher and/or wait for a better day (or go early in the morning). Make plans A, B, C, D, and E, and be ready to throw them all out. Most of this is good advice for traveling on any route via GA.

Hope this helps... Enjoy the trip!

 

[Domenick]

From Kelso to Redding I-5 is the logical choice given good, reliable weather.
Another more interesting route could be either divert north, then east over I-90 or south then east over the Gorge. Once east of the Cascades, head south to Klamath Falls, then Weed, jog around Mt. Shasta and pick up I-5. If the west side weathers in, you can hunker down in a number of places east of the Cascades.

Taking the eastern route will give you an opportunity to overfly Crater Lake.

And follow FlyingCheesehead's advice above.

 

[MRC01]

I've flown from Seattle to Marin every year for the past 15+ years. The quickest route is over I-5, something like BTG LATHE CHEEZ MOURN OED S03 (fuel stop) GRENA RDD RBL. The only part that requires climb rate & altitude is the section from S03 to RDD. After departing S03, you may need to fly a couple of big circles to gain altitude before heading S to cross the mountains. And stay at 9500 past Mt. Shasta and over Shasta Lake until you get to RDD where you're back in the valley and can descend if you want to.

One hazard can be the forest fires that pick up in the summer. Watch for the TFRs and reports of limited visiblity and smoke. We're mostly past that season now, I see fewer TFRs today than a month ago.

 

[MIFlyer]

Hey all,

I want to make a VFR trip between KLS and RDD. Assuming I don’t go the coastal route and prefer 10,500 or below, what are the best ways up and down generally? Mostly wondering about the pass around Mt. Shasta. My longest XC was only about 250NM over peaks around 5-7000.

I will of course sit down properly with a CFI to plan, but I wanted to ask here knowing local knowledge always helps. And maybe there are high-time pilots out there who have made the same trip, or those who make long trips regularly.

Thanks!

Hi! You're getting some great advice from folks that have run up and down I5. I'm from KLS but up in Seattle now. Hope to see you around the airport when I'm home next time.

 

[sansoneservices]

Hey all,

I want to make a VFR trip between KLS and RDD. Assuming I don’t go the coastal route and prefer 10,500 or below, what are the best ways up and down generally? Mostly wondering about the pass around Mt. Shasta. My longest XC was only about 250NM over peaks around 5-7000.

I will of course sit down properly with a CFI to plan, but I wanted to ask here knowing local knowledge always helps. And maybe there are high-time pilots out there who have made the same trip, or those who make long trips regularly.

Thanks!

Watch weather carefully and Be prepared to sit for a day if weather goes sour. If using an iPad for moving map, have a spare.

 

[Palmpilot]

I have flown between California and the Pacific Northwest many times. My route was sometimes dictated by the weather (including smoke), but when that wasn't a factor, it was just a matter of what I wanted to see.

 

[MooneyDriver78]

Watch weather carefully and Be prepared to sit for a day if weather goes sour. If using an iPad for moving map, have a spare.

iPhone makes a good backup to the iPad. If this trip was scheduled in the winter you could be grounded for a week or more.

 

[MRC01]

I'll add that the coastal route is longer, the fuel stops are further apart, and may be inaccessible IMC on days when the marine layer is persistent.