comanchepilot
En-Route
Right now I"m leaning toward diverting early to Southwest or Alaska for this - fares aren't too bad and would cost about the price of Avgas for anything reasonable.
I've looked at the routing three ways from Sunday from POC - BOI area [Ontario, etc] and my #1 goal is to avoid overflying the Nevada desert in summer. Not only do you see thunderstorms in the monsoon [which in the middle of August can reach to Canada] but there nothing down there - no town, a few ranches, no cell service - nothing - its literally a vast right wing waste land.
Plus, you've got Restricted Areas and hot MOA's EVERYWHERE - in addition to 11000' peaks scattered around. In the terms of inhospitable terrain its right up there with the Rockies as having no really good place to put an airplane down. I would only feel comfortable with at least 10 gallons of water - which kills almost 100lbs of payload as well. Maybe its the desert survival training - but thats a place where absent a PIRB you don't want to go down in August. A directish routing takes you over the southern Sierra but there China Lake which rules that out so you have to go over Vegas regardless before you turn left.
So - I'm looking at alternative routes - you have two essentially - I15 to Salt Lake and then I84 to Boise, or I5 to Klamath Falls, turn right 45 degrees until Boise.
Both are at the bleeding edge of range for 3 people in the Comanche - fuel burn at 10,500 then 11.500 after the right turn looks to be about 70 gallons. I'd have 86. I like to land with an hour reserve.
Anybody done this before or have any brilliant ideas - I want to do this nonstop because I want tobe on the ground before it gets too hot. . . . 1p is the outside edge that. Which with 5 hour trip time and loss of the hour for mountain time is 6 hours - which means a 7am wheels up - which is fine -
Anyway- anyone see any holes in my analysis?
I've looked at the routing three ways from Sunday from POC - BOI area [Ontario, etc] and my #1 goal is to avoid overflying the Nevada desert in summer. Not only do you see thunderstorms in the monsoon [which in the middle of August can reach to Canada] but there nothing down there - no town, a few ranches, no cell service - nothing - its literally a vast right wing waste land.
Plus, you've got Restricted Areas and hot MOA's EVERYWHERE - in addition to 11000' peaks scattered around. In the terms of inhospitable terrain its right up there with the Rockies as having no really good place to put an airplane down. I would only feel comfortable with at least 10 gallons of water - which kills almost 100lbs of payload as well. Maybe its the desert survival training - but thats a place where absent a PIRB you don't want to go down in August. A directish routing takes you over the southern Sierra but there China Lake which rules that out so you have to go over Vegas regardless before you turn left.
So - I'm looking at alternative routes - you have two essentially - I15 to Salt Lake and then I84 to Boise, or I5 to Klamath Falls, turn right 45 degrees until Boise.
Both are at the bleeding edge of range for 3 people in the Comanche - fuel burn at 10,500 then 11.500 after the right turn looks to be about 70 gallons. I'd have 86. I like to land with an hour reserve.
Anybody done this before or have any brilliant ideas - I want to do this nonstop because I want tobe on the ground before it gets too hot. . . . 1p is the outside edge that. Which with 5 hour trip time and loss of the hour for mountain time is 6 hours - which means a 7am wheels up - which is fine -
Anyway- anyone see any holes in my analysis?