Best VFR route from Kansas City to Sacramento

Hambone

Hambone

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Hambone
So I bought a 2004 SkyRanger Classic, and need to get it home to near Sacramento from near Kansas City. I don’t really want to pull the wings off and UHaul it home.

What are the preferable routes? I’m flying on a Sport Pilot license, so need to stay below 10,000 MSL/2,000 AGL, whichever is higher. I don’t fancy tackling the Rockies, and winds and turbulence around Amarillo look pretty brutal.

This thing only weighs 600 lbs dry, but has a 100 hp Rotax.

Routes, tips & tricks, and war stories greatly appreciated!

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easy way - down to I40, then just follow it all the way to CA. As long as the winds around ABQ are light, it'll be both straightforward and fun. Alternative is to go further south to ELP then follow I10. This has the advantage of (almost) no mountains, can actually do the whole route below 10,000', but is not as stunning (scenery wise) as I40. I've flown both a couple of times a year in my Cherokee. Once in Socal, lots of options to route to Norcal. I (only once) took the MUCH shorter northern route, following I80, but that is mountainous and I'm unaware of your aircraft's climbing ability.
 
I-40 all the way. You will see some incredible sights after KSAF. Have fun.
 
Take the scenic route. Cross in Montana below 10 000, pop over the Cascades and enjoy the scenery.
 
I won't offer routing information as I have zero experience in that area. Just wanted to say ... congrats on a nice plane!
 
Alien Mind said:
easy way - down to I40, then just follow it all the way to CA. As long as the winds around ABQ are light, it'll be both straightforward and fun. Alternative is to go further south to ELP then follow I10. This has the advantage of (almost) no mountains, can actually do the whole route below 10,000', but is not as stunning (scenery wise) as I40. I've flown both a couple of times a year in my Cherokee. Once in Socal, lots of options to route to Norcal. I (only once) took the MUCH shorter northern route, following I80, but that is mountainous and I'm unaware of your aircraft's climbing ability.
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Great advice. Speaking as someone with a 182 Turbo who flies I80 east/west based in California, you'll want the southernly route. As @Alien Mind said I40 winds permitting for your plane or more likely I10.

Your plane looks like fun.
 
Thanks to everyone for the most welcome replies!

I picked up the plane near Cincinnati, and enroute to Chanute near Kansas City had to land in 18G22 winds from variable directions. I don’t really want to do that again, so choosing a less windy route is desired.
 
Hambone said:
Thanks to everyone for the most welcome replies!

I picked up the plane near Cincinnati, and enroute to Chanute near Kansas City had to land in 18G22 winds from variable directions. I don’t really want to do that again, so choosing a less windy route is desired.
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Pick the Southerly route. You'll thank us.
 
The I-10 route is your best bet for WX avoidance. It will be hot and high DA, though. ELP is a decent fuel stop and the long runways make the DA survivable.
 
I-10 then up I-5 will be the safest and most predictable...40 and across to Bakersfield then up is also totally doable but subject to more winds whipping through the passes...not sure I would want to take any of the other alternatives in that thing without being intimately familiar with the route.
 
Thanks again for the information. I set up MSFS 2020 with the different routes and weather scenarios. I-10 does look the safest, but I-40 through Albuquerque is shorter and certainly more scenic. I'm not worried about the DA, but the surface winds and turbulence.
 
Hambone said:
Thanks again for the information. I set up MSFS 2020 with the different routes and weather scenarios. I-10 does look the safest, but I-40 through Albuquerque is shorter and certainly more scenic. I'm not worried about the DA, but the surface winds and turbulence.
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The turbulence across northern New Mexico can be quite significant. My wife and I just over a week ago returned home from St. Louis to Goodyear. CPS-GYR. The final leg of our flight was from Santa Rosa New Mexico direct to Goodyear and it was three hours of absolute turbulence hell. We tried all sorts of altitudes. Everything for mowing the lawn to 14,500, and nothing mattered. Also the big boys above us were complaining that day. I’m not saying it’s guaranteed I’m just saying it’s certainly likely along the North part.
 
Rgbeard said:
The turbulence across northern New Mexico can be quite significant. My wife and I just over a week ago returned home from St. Louis to Goodyear. CPS-GYR. The final leg of our flight was from Santa Rosa New Mexico direct to Goodyear and it was three hours of absolute turbulence hell. We tried all sorts of altitudes. Everything for mowing the lawn to 14,500, and nothing mattered. Also the big boys above us were complaining that day. I’m not saying it’s guaranteed I’m just saying it’s certainly likely along the North part.
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Thanks! That's good to know. I especially don't want to have to deal with that in a 600 lb airplane!
 
I'd suggest flying in the early part of the day, and/or late afternoon to early evening to avoid the worst of the bumps. Crossing the desert mid-day in a really light airplane is to be avoided in my book. This time of year, you have really long days, so plenty of hours to make progress without getting beaten up.

C.
 
camorton said:
I'd suggest flying in the early part of the day, and/or late afternoon to early evening to avoid the worst of the bumps. Crossing the desert mid-day in a really light airplane is to be avoided in my book. This time of year, you have really long days, so plenty of hours to make progress without getting beaten up.

C.
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Great idea. Thanks.
 
camorton said:
I'd suggest flying in the early part of the day, and/or late afternoon to early evening to avoid the worst of the bumps.
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Agreed...doing the I-10 corridor cross country we were wheels up every day right at sunrise sunrise and glad we did that. By mid day we were dodging thunder bumpers even on an ideal Wx conditions trip.
 
A 100 hp RV-12 was delivered to S. TX in November and the ferry pilot used the southern route (I-10). FWIW.
 
Looks like I should have persevered and continued the trip! Now there are afternoon t-storms forecast nearly every day in the Southwest. Perhaps I’ll need to leave it hangared until after the summer. Ugh. At least I’ve learned a lot about the weather.
 
Hambone said:
Looks like I should have persevered and continued the trip! Now there are afternoon t-storms forecast nearly every day in the Southwest. Perhaps I’ll need to leave it hangared until after the summer. Ugh. At least I’ve learned a lot about the weather.
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That's pretty much always true. However, they are usually rather scattered (though the further west you go the more the military airspace can restrict your options), and in any case, you want to be flying in the part of the day aka early morning when they aren't formed yet.
 
Hambone said:
Looks like I should have persevered and continued the trip! Now there are afternoon t-storms forecast nearly every day in the Southwest. Perhaps I’ll need to leave it hangared until after the summer. Ugh. At least I’ve learned a lot about the weather.
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I'm headed from SoCal to Kansas City, MO, later this week and at first I was going to go via Northeast AZ to Western New Mexico and then up. But based on Wx patterns I'm seeing I'm planning the Southern route now. El Monte to Santa Ana to San Diego (cooler along coast), to Yuma AZ, to Tucson AZ, to El Paso TX, then Northwest to Roswell NM, then to destination Kansas City MO, KMKC. I will avoid clouds and T-storms as I'm planning all VFR.

My first stop will be Tucson for the night, where it will likely be 100° upon landing. I plan to depart by 0700 next day and hopefully get past El Paso before any T-storms pop up...

I will post details here in case you want to follow:

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/el-monte-ca-kemt-to-kansas-city-mo-kmkc.138530/
 
Hambone said:
Looks like I should have persevered and continued the trip! Now there are afternoon t-storms forecast nearly every day in the Southwest.
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That is gonna be typical every day but there is still plenty of flyable hours in the AM and early day...we put down in the middle of nowhere New Mexico due to building afternoon thunderstorms that looked pretty ominous on Foreflight...being at a podunk airport with zero services anywhere nearby we deiced to make a run for the next airport 20 miles away a bit north of where the storms were developing to at least get somewhere that had a hotel if we were gonna be stuck. Once we got back up and saw what was actually happening with our own eyes compared to what FF was telling us it was a "oh, thats all?" and were able to safely dodge all the isolated pop up thunderstorms while always leaving an out for safety...we made it a few hundred more miles to our intended destination.

Long story short, don't let the SW afternoon buildups be a deal bearer to fly at all that day...I trained in Florida late summer and if that was the case we would have never left the airport!
 
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FPK1 said:
I'm headed from SoCal to Kansas City, MO, later this week and at first I was going to go via Northeast AZ to Western New Mexico and then up. But based on Wx patterns I'm seeing I'm planning the Southern route now. El Monte to Santa Ana to San Diego (cooler along coast), to Yuma AZ, to Tucson AZ, to El Paso TX, then Northwest to Roswell NM, then to destination Kansas City MO, KMKC. I will avoid clouds and T-storms as I'm planning all VFR.

My first stop will be Tucson for the night, where it will likely be 100° upon landing. I plan to depart by 0700 next day and hopefully get past El Paso before any T-storms pop up...

I will post details here in case you want to follow:

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/el-monte-ca-kemt-to-kansas-city-mo-kmkc.138530/
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That was my general plan in reverse, trying to avoid the brutal northwest Texas surface winds. I’ve got to airline to Kansas City from Sacramento, then Greyhound to Chanute, Kansas. There’s only one bus a day that goes through Chanute, and it leaves Kansas City at 5 am!

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The I-80 route is intriguing. I’ll look at that.
 
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The most important thing is to be flexible as to route and schedule.
 
Absolutely the I90 route is probably the most temperate one this time of the year. Kansas direct to KRAP and then follow I 90 to Oregon then down to Sacramento. Still have to deal with T-storms but where don’t you in the summer months east of the rocks?
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
Absolutely the I90 route is probably the most temperate one this time of the year. Kansas direct to KRAP and then follow I 90 to Oregon then down to Sacramento. Still have to deal with T-storms but where don’t you in the summer months east of the rocks?
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That’s a long way at 75 kts! Then again, the southern I-10 route is pretty far, too.
 
Hambone said:
That’s a long way at 75 kts! Then again, the southern I-10 route is pretty far, too.
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It's like 150 - 200 miles further compared to the southern route so an extra 2-3 hours in your plane... Not that much in return for a potentially much more pleasant flight.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
...Kansas direct to KRAP and then follow I 90 to Oregon then down to Sacramento. ...
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I-90 does not go through Oregon. It's Boston to Seattle.

If you take the I-90 route, head SE from about Coeur d'Alene, ID and pick up south Hwy97. It goes through eastern WA, and into eastern OR, through Redmond, Bend, and Klamath Falls. At Klamath Falls head for Mt. Shasta, skirt around it at Weed and pick up I-5 going south.
 
Domenick said:
If you take the I-90 route, head SE from about Coeur d'Alene, ID and pick up south Hwy97. It goes through eastern WA, and into eastern OR, through Redmond, Bend, and Klamath Falls. At Klamath Falls head for Mt. Shasta, skirt around it at Weed and pick up I-5 going south.
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I’m liking that. I’ve done the southern route in the past, so this would be a nice change.

I’ll just head out to Kansas, and decide then, based on the weather. It looks like flexibility and patience are the answer!
 
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All you gotta do is open Skyvector and see that gauntlet of convective SIGMETS covering the entire southwest. I once found myself between Albuquerque and Tucumcari mid afternoon in a Cessna 150 and it remains, to this day, the wildest ride of my life. I say "ride" because for about 75% of it I wasn't in control of the aircraft, I was just a passenger.
 
Silvaire said:
All you gotta do is open Skyvector and see that gauntlet of convective SIGMETS covering the entire southwest. I once found myself between Albuquerque and Tucumcari mid afternoon in a Cessna 150 and it remains, to this day, the wildest ride of my life. I say "ride" because for about 75% of it I wasn't in control of the aircraft, I was just a passenger.
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Another reason I’m favoring the northern route!
 
Domenick said:
I-90 does not go through Oregon. It's Boston to Seattle.

If you take the I-90 route, head SE from about Coeur d'Alene, ID and pick up south Hwy97. It goes through eastern WA, and into eastern OR, through Redmond, Bend, and Klamath Falls. At Klamath Falls head for Mt. Shasta, skirt around it at Weed and pick up I-5 going south.
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^^ That... Following this route is only 200 or so miles longer compared to the southern route but much more pleasant temperature wise and probably t-storm wise as well. And if you do opt to go that way, please come back and report as I'm planning to take that route in August to go to California as well :)
 
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