i am looking for some expert opinions. I am planning to fly our Cardinal 177a from LA, Calif to Charlotte NC. The route I have planed is kwhp, khii, kgup, kdux, kgcm, khzd, to final destination 14a. I am looking for as much information as I can get and suggestions as far as the route I have planned. Thanks POA members
Coast to Coast Almost
- Thread starter Flybynite
- Start date
Shawn
En-Route
Go IFR (I Follow Roads)
Weather dependent...track I-10 all the way east. Easy peasy.
Weather dependent...track I-10 all the way east. Easy peasy.
PeterNSteinmetz
Ejection Handle Pulled
KGUP has an old airport terminal that is fun to see. Go through the darker hallway to the west after you enter the new FBO building.
If you flew a bit further north you could take a bit of a side trip to cross the Grand Canyon. Also pass near Chinle and see Canyon de Chelly. All depends on how much time you have.
If you flew a bit further north you could take a bit of a side trip to cross the Grand Canyon. Also pass near Chinle and see Canyon de Chelly. All depends on how much time you have.
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2005
- Messages
- 9,486
- Display Name
Display name:
Pilawt
joycem137
Pre-takeoff checklist
I'm doing something really similar to this in May, 2020. I'm planning to fly from San Jose to Boston and back again, visiting a whole bunch of spots along the way, including the Grand Canyon and stopping into Texas for some legit Texas BBQ.
joycem137
Pre-takeoff checklist
I'd encourage you to deviate north a bit from doing KHII KGUP direct and fly over the Grand Canyon. It's quite a site to behold. Maybe stop in at KGCN if you've got the time. Make sure you've got the special Grand Canyon charts if you decide to do any flying in that area. If you have good high desert experience, consider checking out Bar 10 (1Z1). Aviation101 did a video on that on youtube and it looks like a breathtaking place to fly into.
I've done a little bit of flying in the high desert, and here are some of the considerations I've had related to flying there. I don't know if you've got a lot of experience out there or not, but if you don't, here's what I considered going out there. If you *do* then I'm leaving this for folks that don't, and I'd love to hear your high desert flying tips!
Minimally, you'll want to consider weather, high altitude operations, and things to help with emergency survival.
Weather: Time of year can change quite a bit in terms of how much weather you'll have to navigate around. Make sure to have plenty of alternate airports in mind in case thunderstorms or other inclement weather pops up in your route of flight. If you don't have ADS-B In with NEXRAD on board, I'd recommend considering getting one of those devices that give you access to such. Make sure you're comfortable talking to Flight Service during the flight and getting up to date weather reports to check your thinking against. Carry extra fuel to handle potential weather related deviations.
High Altitude: Make sure you do your density altitude calculations and consider carrying less weight and/or flying in the early morning to avoid the worst of it, especially when leaving KGUP. Leaving early can also help reduce the turbulence you generally get later in the day in the high desert. If you can, get some time with an instructor doing high density altitude operations.
Survival: The route you've planned can be fairly remote in places. I'd encourage you to file a flight plan for each leg and make position reports along the way. Also carry the usual basic survival gear in case you go down in the desert. Plenty of water, a first aid kit, etc. One of those personal locator beacons can be really handy if you don't have time to get a position report out before a forced landing. Possibly consider making sure your route follows major highways so that finding help is easier.
I've done a little bit of flying in the high desert, and here are some of the considerations I've had related to flying there. I don't know if you've got a lot of experience out there or not, but if you don't, here's what I considered going out there. If you *do* then I'm leaving this for folks that don't, and I'd love to hear your high desert flying tips!
Minimally, you'll want to consider weather, high altitude operations, and things to help with emergency survival.
Weather: Time of year can change quite a bit in terms of how much weather you'll have to navigate around. Make sure to have plenty of alternate airports in mind in case thunderstorms or other inclement weather pops up in your route of flight. If you don't have ADS-B In with NEXRAD on board, I'd recommend considering getting one of those devices that give you access to such. Make sure you're comfortable talking to Flight Service during the flight and getting up to date weather reports to check your thinking against. Carry extra fuel to handle potential weather related deviations.
High Altitude: Make sure you do your density altitude calculations and consider carrying less weight and/or flying in the early morning to avoid the worst of it, especially when leaving KGUP. Leaving early can also help reduce the turbulence you generally get later in the day in the high desert. If you can, get some time with an instructor doing high density altitude operations.
Survival: The route you've planned can be fairly remote in places. I'd encourage you to file a flight plan for each leg and make position reports along the way. Also carry the usual basic survival gear in case you go down in the desert. Plenty of water, a first aid kit, etc. One of those personal locator beacons can be really handy if you don't have time to get a position report out before a forced landing. Possibly consider making sure your route follows major highways so that finding help is easier.
Zeldman
Touchdown! Greaser!
As much as I hate to say this, Gallup is not that great of a stop anymore. The old terminal is fun to see, but the FBO has no services and office hours are Mon - Fri 7:00 AM to 6:00 pm Sat - Sun 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. There is a T-38 on a stick out front. Also a just Ok restaurant, The Badlands Grill, is right across the parking lot, but I believe they open at 4:30p. They do have self serve fuel, but the air ambulance service will sometimes block the pumps. They have been getting better about not doing that. If you are looking to get in and out fairly quickly than that is not a problem here.
The air ambulance has a guy that can do maintenance, but he does it on the side. I trust his work and so do the other aircraft owners on the field.
Density Altitude is still pretty high. In the middle of summer the DA can be 10,000. Even in winter it can still be around 4500 feet. Check your performance charts.
If you have time, might check out Grants/Milan airport (KGNT, I think) Visit the Airway Heritage Museum.
http://www.cibolahistory.org/airway-heritage-museum.html
The air ambulance has a guy that can do maintenance, but he does it on the side. I trust his work and so do the other aircraft owners on the field.
Density Altitude is still pretty high. In the middle of summer the DA can be 10,000. Even in winter it can still be around 4500 feet. Check your performance charts.
If you have time, might check out Grants/Milan airport (KGNT, I think) Visit the Airway Heritage Museum.
http://www.cibolahistory.org/airway-heritage-museum.html
SoCal RV Flyer
En-Route
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2016
- Messages
- 3,037
- Display Name
Display name:
SoCal RV Flyer
Make sure to leave at zero-dark-early so you can get through AZ and NM before the thunderstorms start to develop. Grants-Milan is a favorite stop of mine to/from Oshkosh.
PeterNSteinmetz
Ejection Handle Pulled
That is a very challenging airport to land at (effectively no go around). I consider it the most challenging paved airport in AZ. Mountain and high desert experience are handy.
Shawn
En-Route
Agreed...we were wheels up just before sunrise every morning and gave us many more worry free flyable hours per day that we were not dodging weather. That was true the whole route.
sourdough44
En-Route
Look over the route, adjust for weather, hit some sights along the way.
charheep
Cleared for Takeoff
Everytime I see a picture like that, I just want to fly there and land someplace 50 miles away from anyone. No traffic, no cars, no people.
I wouldnt, but with that much empty space, the temptation is there.
I wouldnt, but with that much empty space, the temptation is there.