First looooong Comanche trip

[Chrisgoesflying]

Our first long Comanche trip is in the books. While we did several 2-3 hour x-country trips with the plane throughout the summer, we always stayed in the Canadian Prairies. However, this trip took us all the way to southern Ontario. Total flight time: 8.5 hours. Was able to pick up flight following for most of the flight. The weather was a mixed bag. The first half of the trip was really nice and smooth. The second half of the trip was rainy, low(ish) ceilings and bumpy as it gets, plus a sporty landing in 15G25 winds. This was my first flight with my Stratux and I'm very pleased with it. Especially in the Chicago area, there were so many airplanes at our altitude, being able to see them increased my situational awareness tremendously. Also, seeing where the rain showers were was of great help since temps at altitude were around the freezing mark, hence icing was a concern at least during the second half of the flight. The turbulences towards the end of the flight were terrible, one jolt popped the door latch open. It got really cold inside the cabin but I was able to latch it again once I figured out why it became so cold.

 

[iamtheari]

It looks like you did customs at KMOT. Where else did you stop along the way?

Edit to add: Looks like KRST. How was it? More importantly, how did the 450-mile legs feel in the new plane? That was my limit in the Arrow but in the RV-14 (which, since I haven't got the wheel pants done yet, is still probably a little slower than a Comanche) I've found 650 to be tolerable, at least flying solo.

 

[edessa]

Just remember that the weather from the Stratux is delayed. I wouldn’t rely on it to avoid storms.

 

[TCABM]

Just remember that the weather from the Stratux is delayed. I wouldn’t rely on it to avoid storms.

Not just Stratux, all ADS-B and satellite weather has significant latency. Unless you’ve got an onboard weather RADAR, you don’t have real-time weather. Some will argue strikefinders are real time weather, but their only detecting lightning.

 

[Chrisgoesflying]

It looks like you did customs at KMOT. Where else did you stop along the way?

Edit to add: Looks like KRST. How was it? More importantly, how did the 450-mile legs feel in the new plane? That was my limit in the Arrow but in the RV-14 (which, since I haven't got the wheel pants done yet, is still probably a little slower than a Comanche) I've found 650 to be tolerable, at least flying solo.

We stopped at KMOT for customs (easy peasy, took less than 5 minutes), KRST, C56 and KAZO. The longest leg was just under 3 hours. All the other legs only took between 1-2 hours. Stopped more often than I normally would and KAZO was actually somewhat unplanned, but when we got to C56, Canadian customs was a PITA to reach, the weather was dicey and night was approaching so I changed plans to spend the night in KAZO and cross the border the next day. I personally can outlast the plane in terms of endurance (I don't have tips tanks so endurance is really just 4 hours max) but with my wife, puppy and kitten on board, realistically, three hours is probably the most we can do in one leg. At one point I saw 220 mph ground speed though - at that speed we could clear 660 statute miles (sounds more impressive than 573 nautical miles lol) in one go .

Just remember that the weather from the Stratux is delayed. I wouldn’t rely on it to avoid storms.

Not just Stratux, all ADS-B and satellite weather has significant latency. Unless you’ve got an onboard weather RADAR, you don’t have real-time weather. Some will argue strikefinders are real time weather, but their only detecting lightning.

Yeah, I know it's delayed but you can see the movement and kind of estimate where it is along the route. I wouldn't use it to dodge thunderstorms but all I had to deal with were light rain showers. It kept us out of those for the most part. Normally I would just fly through those rain showers if I can see through them, but with temps hovering at around 0C at cruising altitude, I didn't want to risk icing. Having said that, had I flown into one and see ice build up, I could have easily descended 1,000 feet to get into warmer air so I always had an "out" if needed.

 

[morleyz]

We stopped at KMOT for customs (easy peasy, took less than 5 minutes), KRST, C56 and KAZO. The longest leg was just under 3 hours. All the other legs only took between 1-2 hours. Stopped more often than I normally would and KAZO was actually somewhat unplanned, but when we got to C56, Canadian customs was a PITA to reach, the weather was dicey and night was approaching so I changed plans to spend the night in KAZO and cross the border the next day. I personally can outlast the plane in terms of endurance (I don't have tips tanks so endurance is really just 4 hours max) but with my wife, puppy and kitten on board, realistically, three hours is probably the most we can do in one leg. At one point I saw 220 mph ground speed though - at that speed we could clear 660 statute miles (sounds more impressive than 573 nautical miles lol) in one go .




Yeah, I know it's delayed but you can see the movement and kind of estimate where it is along the route. I wouldn't use it to dodge thunderstorms but all I had to deal with were light rain showers. It kept us out of those for the most part. Normally I would just fly through those rain showers if I can see through them, but with temps hovering at around 0C at cruising altitude, I didn't want to risk icing. Having said that, had I flown into one and see ice build up, I could have easily descended 1,000 feet to get into warmer air so I always had an "out" if needed.

I'm based out of C56. I would have brought out the welcoming committee if I knew you were stopping by.

That area you flew through to the southwest of O'Hare, around the JOT VOR, is known as the "training area" for KARR, KLOT, KDPA and 1C5. I usually avoid it like the plague because there are so many planes with students conducting practice maneuvers, all at 2500 (recommended VFR flyway altitude around that part of the bravo) or below when Midway is arriving/departing that way. My iPad and IFD are just filled with blue chevrons all in that area.

 

[Terry M - 3CK (Chicago)]

Agree with @morleyz - I trained at an airport (1C2) east of JOT and we would practice all over there. Flying out of 06C now and we go West but flight schools all along there hang out in that SW corner.

Sounds like an awesome adventure! What, if anything, would you do differently?

 

[midwestpa24]

We stopped at KMOT for customs (easy peasy, took less than 5 minutes), KRST, C56 and KAZO. The longest leg was just under 3 hours. All the other legs only took between 1-2 hours. Stopped more often than I normally would and KAZO was actually somewhat unplanned, but when we got to C56, Canadian customs was a PITA to reach, the weather was dicey and night was approaching so I changed plans to spend the night in KAZO and cross the border the next day. I personally can outlast the plane in terms of endurance (I don't have tips tanks so endurance is really just 4 hours max) but with my wife, puppy and kitten on board, realistically, three hours is probably the most we can do in one leg. At one point I saw 220 mph ground speed though - at that speed we could clear 660 statute miles (sounds more impressive than 573 nautical miles lol) in one go .

Our Comanche has aux tanks, but not the tip tanks. This gives it 6 hours endurance. My longest flight was just over 4.5 hours, and I was ready to stretch my legs by then.

 

[Chrisgoesflying]

Sounds like an awesome adventure! What, if anything, would you do differently?

On this trip, I think nothing. I considered three routes and ultimately opted for the one going via Chicago. Glad I did as the weather for the other two routes (one going north of lake Superior, the other one going through Duluth) were MVFR or IFR. Maybe I could have gotten up a little earlier on Sunday and skip the extra stop and sleepover in KAZO but then I would have been tired and would have enjoyed the flight less. We didn't have to arrive in Canada on Sunday. The things that somewhat bugged me (e.g. no rental cars available, crappy FBO service in Canada, etc.) are things you can't really plan for. Oh, maybe I know one thing I would have done differently: Buy more southern sweet tea to bring to Canada. We don't have proper sweet tea, only that crappy, chemical tasting lemon or peach iced tea up north.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

I've heard of a twin Comanche, but never a long Comanche...

 

[Chrisgoesflying]

I've heard of a twin Comanche, but never a long Comanche...

This one? Really never heard of the long Comanche?

 

[MajorTurbulence]

Not just Stratux, all ADS-B and satellite weather has significant latency. Unless you’ve got an onboard weather RADAR, you don’t have real-time weather. Some will argue strikefinders are real time weather, but their only detecting lightning.

The Stormscope/Strikefinder is real time for lightning. But where there is lightning there are cumulus clouds, turbulence with updrafts and downdrafts and precipitation, the icy or liquid kind-so very handy. Use the XM/ADSB weather together with the Stormscope, and by considering where the heaviest precip is moving away from, and the lightning strikes are elsewhere by a good margin, you will get a pretty good picture to stay out of trouble.