Moving to Michigan

joycem137

joycem137

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Messages
199
Location
Novi, MI
Display Name
Display name:
Robin
I'm moving to Michigan at the end of the month. I'm building a house in Ypsilanti and have a temporary rental in Novi while we wait. Gonna be hangaring at Y47 while we wait for the house to be built, and at KYIP or KARB once the house is finished, and my turn comes up on the waiting list for a hangar down there. I fly a PA32-300 that I've owned for 3 years now.

Since I've only ever really flown in sunny cloudless California, what should I expect in the new place? Any tips or suggestions? I've added engine block heaters to the aircraft and have started working on my instrument rating to fly through what I understand are very cloudy skies out there.

I'm really excited about how much more stuff is accessible out in the midwest. So many big and small cities within a couple hours flight. Very exciting.
 
joycem137 said:
I'm moving to Michigan at the end of the month. I'm building a house in Ypsilanti and have a temporary rental in Novi while we wait. Gonna be hangaring at Y47 while we wait for the house to be built, and at KYIP or KARB once the house is finished, and my turn comes up on the waiting list for a hangar down there. I fly a PA32-300 that I've owned for 3 years now.

Since I've only ever really flown in sunny cloudless California, what should I expect in the new place? Any tips or suggestions? I've added engine block heaters to the aircraft and have started working on my instrument rating to fly through what I understand are very cloudy skies out there.

I'm really excited about how much more stuff is accessible out in the midwest. So many big and small cities within a couple hours flight. Very exciting.
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First off, don't wear any scarlet and gray in that area. Expect a little more than half the days to be not sunny. So you can get quite a bit of actual IMC. We will go weeks without seeing the sun, and then a few weeks without ever seeing a cloud. Expect icing to be possible below 10,000 from as early as mid to late October through early to mid May, and snow is possible in that time frame as well. Thunderstorms start in April and run through October. Sometimes frontal (avoid), sometimes airmass (easy to weave through). I'm on the west side of the state near Grand Rapids. Everything in the state south of US10 is handled by Great Lakes Approach with the exception of Detroit who handles the metro area and even Ann Arbor (I think). Put MCD on your destination list, along with (shameless plug) 6Y9.

Got any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer.
 
No one deliberately moves to Michigan.
People born there, stay. They don't know anything is wrong.

A number of years ago a friend of mine took his family to the upper peninsula on a summer vacation. They loved it so much they sold their home in New Jersey and moved there. He has one of those jobs where he can work from anywhere, but does, occasionally, have to travel.
They lasted one winter.
They live in Savannah now.
 
champ driver said:
I would advise you that north facing hangars are the KID in northern States.
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I have a north facing hangar at ONZ (Grosse Ile Municipal). Yea. Sucks.
This year has been OK so far. Only had the snow blower out once to clear the drift in front of the door.
 
champ driver said:
Boy are you in for a wake up call.
I would advise you that north facing hangars are the KID in northern States.
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Don't know what the KID is but yeah, you don't want a hangar or driveway or sidewalk that faces North or has anything tall on its South side.
 
joycem137 said:
I'm moving to Michigan at the end of the month. I'm building a house in Ypsilanti and have a temporary rental in Novi while we wait. Gonna be hangaring at Y47 while we wait for the house to be built, and at KYIP or KARB once the house is finished, and my turn comes up on the waiting list for a hangar down there. I fly a PA32-300 that I've owned for 3 years now.

Since I've only ever really flown in sunny cloudless California, what should I expect in the new place? Any tips or suggestions? I've added engine block heaters to the aircraft and have started working on my instrument rating to fly through what I understand are very cloudy skies out there.

I'm really excited about how much more stuff is accessible out in the midwest. So many big and small cities within a couple hours flight. Very exciting.
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Sorry for you.
 
Shepherd said:
A number of years ago a friend of mine took his family to the upper peninsula on a summer vacation. They loved it so much they sold their home in New Jersey and moved there. He has one of those jobs where he can work from anywhere, but does, occasionally, have to travel.
They lasted one winter.
They live in Savannah now.
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That had me laughing. I can’t wait to live in the SE again. If I had the option, I’d have done the same after my first winter...and every one since.
 
Michigan summers are wonderful, with low humidity and temps in the upper 80’s, but the winter months are quite dreadful.

Many of my relatives lived in Rochester Hills. Born, raised and lived a good portion of their adult lives there, before taking the plunge and moving to FL. I always enjoyed visiting and still do, but it’ll definitely be culture shock moving from NorCal.
 
Lots of freezing rain and sleet. Surprising how much better the weather can be in southern Wisconsin or southern Minnesota. Still cold in winter, but more manageable if coming from California. I'm from MN and moved to CA, but looking at moving back to escape the craziness here we are all familiar with and discussed before.

Housing prices drop remarkably with each poor season. 1 poor season and prices drop 60-75% from the best parts of CA. If you can find a 2 bedroom apartment in San Jose for $2K or less, you're probably familiar a firearm.
 
My best advice is to stock up on good mosquito repellant before the thaw comes.

I grew up there. Moved away to Northern California in 1984. I get to sleep with the windows open and no screens. I have been bitten by more mosquitos in 1 day in Michigan than I have in the entire 35+ years I've lived in California. You'll also need a rain coat....and a snow shovel
 
NordicDave said:
Lots of freezing rain and sleet. Surprising how much better the weather can be in southern Wisconsin or southern Minnesota. Still cold in winter, but more manageable if coming from California. I'm from MN and moved to CA, but looking at moving back to escape the craziness here we are all familiar with and discussed before.

Housing prices drop remarkably with each poor season. 1 poor season and prices drop 60-75% from the best parts of CA. If you can find a 2 bedroom apartment in San Jose for $2K or less, you're probably familiar a firearm.
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Haven't had any of that this year or last year it happened maybe once if that.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
I have a north facing hangar at ONZ (Grosse Ile Municipal). Yea. Sucks.
This year has been OK so far. Only had the snow blower out once to clear the drift in front of the door.
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Yep, I'm in C11 at ONZ, north facing :( I've been asking about moving to a south facing hanger for a while but apparently I'm not asking the right way....

Op. In the winter IMC flying is almost never a good bet. We get some clear cold days. Wait till you take off on a sunny 10*F day! You will think your Piper was magically turned into an F16! Spring - summer and even fall are excellent in my opinion. Lost of great places within a 2 hour window in your plane. Stretch it to 3 hours and there are a ton more!
 
Bigmikeh24 said:
My best advice is to stock up on good mosquito repellant before the thaw comes.

I grew up there. Moved away to Northern California in 1984. I get to sleep with the windows open and no screens. I have been bitten by more mosquitos in 1 day in Michigan than I have in the entire 35+ years I've lived in California. You'll also need a rain coat....and a snow shovel
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The Mosquito is the Michigan State bird..
 
Good luck getting a south facing hangar. I’ve had nothing but north facing hangars for nearly 30 years, and I’ve been on the waiting list for south facing for many, many years. Every snow, I clean off my driveway then drive to the airport to clean off my approach...if I don’t, the approach ices up, and then I say “bye” to flying until a good thaw.
You most likely won’t have a problem with mosquitoes in Ypsi unless you live on a lake.
KARB has a good/active EAA group, and good training/schools too.
 
Shepherd said:
No one deliberately moves to Michigan.
People born there, stay. They don't know anything is wrong.

A number of years ago a friend of mine took his family to the upper peninsula on a summer vacation. They loved it so much they sold their home in New Jersey and moved there. He has one of those jobs where he can work from anywhere, but does, occasionally, have to travel.
They lasted one winter.
They live in Savannah now.
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The upper peninsula and the lower peninsula are completely different. I think it was Ernest Hemingway who was quoted to say “The coldest winter I ever endured was the summer I spent in Michigan’s upper peninsula “
 
I grew up in Cleveland, OH, so I'm used to something like Michigan weather, at least on the ground. Totally new to it in terms of aviation, though. Sounds like I really need to get the IFR ticket finished so I can actually fly during the summer. Yeesh! Y'all are making me wonder if moving there to be around family is really the best idea or not...

The hangar I got at Y47 is south facing for now. No idea what I'm going to get at KYIP. The hangars there are new construction, so it's gonna be whatever the waiting list there gets me, probably. I'll make sure to mention that when my name comes up in the list. Last I checked I'm #25 on the list at KARB, so I have no expectation of getting in there.

Next up on my long long list of things to do: Find a new mechanic out that way. I have an A&P friend out of Minneapolis area that is willing to help me out until I find someone local, but no one local yet.
 
EdFred said:
Thin blooded weenies!

I like the seasons, and even like the snow.
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I love snow! And seasons! Can't wait to actually experience *weather* again. Though I'm sure it will hamper my flying.

Bigmikeh24 said:
My best advice is to stock up on good mosquito repellant before the thaw comes.

I grew up there. Moved away to Northern California in 1984. I get to sleep with the windows open and no screens. I have been bitten by more mosquitos in 1 day in Michigan than I have in the entire 35+ years I've lived in California. You'll also need a rain coat....and a snow shovel
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I moved to San Jose, CA in early 2007 from Cleveland, OH. After 14 years here, I think I'm ready to go back to a place that feels like home. Even with all the frustrations of home. :p

EdFred said:
First off, don't wear any scarlet and gray in that area. Expect a little more than half the days to be not sunny. So you can get quite a bit of actual IMC. We will go weeks without seeing the sun, and then a few weeks without ever seeing a cloud. Expect icing to be possible below 10,000 from as early as mid to late October through early to mid May, and snow is possible in that time frame as well. Thunderstorms start in April and run through October. Sometimes frontal (avoid), sometimes airmass (easy to weave through). I'm on the west side of the state near Grand Rapids. Everything in the state south of US10 is handled by Great Lakes Approach with the exception of Detroit who handles the metro area and even Ann Arbor (I think). Put MCD on your destination list, along with (shameless plug) 6Y9.

Got any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer.
Click to expand...
Gosh thank you! This is all super helpful advice!

AlphaMike said:
The Mosquito is the Michigan State bird..
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Oh no.
 
AlphaMike said:
The upper peninsula and the lower peninsula are completely different. I think it was Ernest Hemingway who was quoted to say “The coldest winter I ever endured was the summer I spent in Michigan’s upper peninsula “
Click to expand...

Did a moto trip a few years back into the UP, loved Copper Harbor, want to go back.
 
If you will be in Ypsilanti get a place at KARB. I am in a club there. Great airport... hangars are east west facing and they do a good job keeping asphalt snow free. There are mechanics there. Solo Aviation is who we use but many also fly to KDUH toledo for a great group of mechanics. KARB is great. Also Costco is next door... Weather is good May to Oct then gets spotty. Lots of gread places to fly to on less than a tank. Mackinac..beaver island.... KTVC.. Upper Peninsula...so on.
 
joycem137 said:
Sounds like I really need to get the IFR ticket finished so I can actually fly during the summer.
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I won't argue with anyone getting an IFR ticket but what makes you think you won't be able to fly here without it? There are plenty of VFR days here in summer.
 
Flying Doc said:
If you will be in Ypsilanti get a place at KARB. I am in a club there. Great airport... hangars are east west facing and they do a good job keeping asphalt snow free. There are mechanics there. Solo Aviation is who we use but many also fly to KDUH toledo for a great group of mechanics. KARB is great. Also Costco is next door... Weather is good May to Oct then gets spotty. Lots of gread places to fly to on less than a tank. Mackinac..beaver island.... KTVC.. Upper Peninsula...so on.
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I'm legit excited. KARB is where I want to end up eventually, it's about 10 minutes west of my house-to-be, but given that I've been #25 on the waiting list for 6 months... it might be a little while until I can get a hangar there, and folks tell me I *need* one if I want to have a plane up there.

Juliet Hotel said:
I won't argue with anyone getting an IFR ticket but what makes you think you won't be able to fly here without it? There are plenty of VFR days here in summer.
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TBH, it's just what I'm learning about and hearing about. I'm also used to non-VFR days being rare out here in Cali, so if I want to have approaching similar levels of utility, I'll need that ticket. But yeah, we flew out there in July to look at houses in our plane, and we didn't find it too bad. A few days we couldn't fly, but otherwise, easily able to get out and around all the storms and clouds.
 
Juliet Hotel said:
I won't argue with anyone getting an IFR ticket but what makes you think you won't be able to fly here without it? There are plenty of VFR days here in summer.
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I agree with this! Truth is, it’s not easy to stay proficient here. You can definitely do Foggles with a safety pilot and stay current but over the winter it’s not easy to get into actual IMC. Too much ice! I flew a couple VFR practice approaches yesterday. This winter hasn’t been bad, so far. Actually the last 3 winters have been on the mild side. Shoot... I shouldn’t have said that! Probably snow 3 foot next week :(
 
There is more to quality of life than just the weather. I can 100% understand your move out of California... for just about anywhere.

I remember some friends saying they wouldn’t move out of Southern California because they just couldn’t - oh couldn’t! - face an actual winter. Kind of infantile, no?
 
Oh in the summer, the clouds are usually high enough to go VFR 80% of the time, but when you've got that pesky OVC015 tops at 050 and its clear at Mackinac Island, the IFR helps a lot. Every trip I've gone to Louisville in June I have needed the IFR ticket to either get there or get back or both.
 
Welcome to Michigan!

Lot of things to explore and great destinations. Weather might be a challenge depending on where you lived in California. Icing should be a concern during winter but you will find a lot of flyable days year round.:)
 
Used to go to Keweenaw County in the UP every summer in High School. Great places around Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor. We stayed in old Copper Miner Barracks. Little “Brisk” swimming in Lake Superior.

Other than that, no need to go to Michigan:D

Welcome to POA.

Cheers
 
EdFred said:
Thin blooded weenies!

I like the seasons, and even like the snow.
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LOL. I was in Barcelona in January a few years ago. The Spaniards were bundled up in coats and gloves. The Germans who were tourists were running around in shorts and T-shirts.
 
I live just north of your new place in Milford. Home airport is PTK, but I do fly a Cirrus based in ARB in E row, NE hangars.

Get the instrument ticket. Many days are low grey overcast but its often a thin layer and you early get on top and go places. I flew out of ARB both Monday and Tuesday this week....grey misty and yucky on the surface but nice sun and clear skies above 4500.

Only down side to ARB is the lights are kinda dim and it tends to be a very fog prone airport. Nice people and Solo is a great FBO. I am a CFII so if you ever want to go play in the clouds let me know. Welcome to the frigid north!

Seth
 
Eastern Michigan where you're moving to, and you have Ann Arbor next door - nice college towns! Understand wanting to be closer to family. Good luck with the move!
 
joycem137 said:
I grew up in Cleveland, OH, so I'm used to something like Michigan weather, at least on the ground.
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I spent three years just outside Cleveland in Parma. Couldn't stand the weather. When summer came we hoped it would be on the weekend. That was back in the Brian Sipe/Ozzie Newsome days of the Cardiac Kids!
 
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