Scenic Flight around PHX

azpilot

azpilot

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azpilot
Do any of you have a standardized "scenic flight" when you take people flying for the first time in a GA aircraft. I came up with one and took a friend and his two boys in the 172 I rent this morning, it worked out really well.

We departed Chandler Airport and transitioned Gateway airspace to the East. Then we headed out over the Superstition Mountains. We circled counter-clockwise around the mountains and got a good look at Weaver's Needle. After that we headed North and flew over Canyon Lake, then turned West and transitioned Fountain Hills (and yes, the fountain was going). From there we caught the Bravo transition Southbound, flew over Firebird lake and made a greaser landing back at KCHD.

This flight pushed me over 120 hours total time. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out the "perfect" scenic flight in the Phoenix area.

Total time was 1.3 on the Hobbs. The rental will come to about $150, and we split it in half, so it works out to be cheap flying too!
 
azpilot said:
Do any of you have a standardized "scenic flight" when you take people flying for the first time in a GA aircraft.
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Yes. I will usually fly up to Augusta and over the Augusta National Golf Course where the Masters golf tournament is played. After viewing the city we fly up the Savannah River to Clarks Hill Lake and circle the dam. From there we head over to Aiken to see the horse tracks and polo fields. After that we head back toward 2J5 overflying the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant. It is roughly an hour, maybe a little more, depending on how much circling around we do over various sites.
 
it's pretty easy for me to get Bravo clearance and fly around downtown Charlotte. people love it. you get to see BoA stadium where the panthers choke I mean play and it's a quick and easy flight from any of the places I fly out of. it's usually either that or the pig.
 
Juneau Ice fields to view several glaciers 8000ft peaks then down the Taku River and back to Juneau, about an hour flight.
 

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Bay Tours around San Francisco. Always a hit!
 
azpilot said:
Do any of you have a standardized "scenic flight" when you take people flying for the first time in a GA aircraft. I came up with one and took a friend and his two boys in the 172 I rent this morning, it worked out really well.

We departed Chandler Airport and transitioned Gateway airspace to the East. Then we headed out over the Superstition Mountains. We circled counter-clockwise around the mountains and got a good look at Weaver's Needle. After that we headed North and flew over Canyon Lake, then turned West and transitioned Fountain Hills (and yes, the fountain was going). From there we caught the Bravo transition Southbound, flew over Firebird lake and made a greaser landing back at KCHD.

...

Total time was 1.3 on the Hobbs.
Click to expand...

I believe this is pretty close to the "standard" sight seeing your used by Chandler Air Service, with the exception of the Bravo transition, for when they want to keep it to an hour.
 
azpilot said:
Do any of you have a standardized "scenic flight" when you take people flying for the first time in a GA aircraft. I came up with one and took a friend and his two boys in the 172 I rent this morning, it worked out really well.

We departed Chandler Airport and transitioned Gateway airspace to the East. Then we headed out over the Superstition Mountains. We circled counter-clockwise around the mountains and got a good look at Weaver's Needle. After that we headed North and flew over Canyon Lake, then turned West and transitioned Fountain Hills (and yes, the fountain was going). From there we caught the Bravo transition Southbound, flew over Firebird lake and made a greaser landing back at KCHD.

This flight pushed me over 120 hours total time. I can't believe it took me this long to figure out the "perfect" scenic flight in the Phoenix area.

Total time was 1.3 on the Hobbs. The rental will come to about $150, and we split it in half, so it works out to be cheap flying too!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great route. KCHD is where I fly into when visiting family in Glibert/Mesa. I was planing on taking some of them up along the Salt River Lakes, over Lake Roosevelt and then landing in Payson for some breakfast or lunch depending on the timing. I think I'll file your route away for future use too.

Here in SoCal I like taking someone up over Big Bear Lake and Lake Arrowhead, a short flight from Corona. The other fun thing is to head south from Corona past Santiago Peak and then out to the coast near Dana Point, fly north along the coast and transition over mid-field at John Wayne, then around the Disneyland TFR before going back to Corona. Picking up flight following for the trip makes all the transitions through KSNA, KSLI, and KFUL seamless.
 
I usually take them for a Boston city tour. I've never had a problem getting cleared into the Class B.
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We have three standard sightseeing tours for Detroit. :) If no stadium TFR is in place, we usually fly via Belle Isle otherwise South of downtown Detroit along the Detroit River. If possible, flying back to Mettetal which gets us over KDTW. Passengers love to see the big jets flying below them. ;):):cool:

That was a flight with passengers while the USS Detroit was in town:

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Look at downtown Detroit from the South tour:

P1150338_S.jpg

Also flew to Ann Arbor and had a look at the MU stadium.

P1150673_S.jpg

Personally, I prefer the Detroit River Tour.
 
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