LAX Flying

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Anyone have any experience and knowledge of weather condifitions for VFR flying in and around Los Angeles at the end of October? I was hoping to do a week of hour building and am not IR rated.

[slim_slag]

During the summer you get the marine layer causing difficulties, but it should be over by now. Smog and haze in the LA Basin can cause problems at any time really, especially when the sun is low over the Pacific and you are flying towards the west. Reported conditions can be VFR but you cannot see a thing, if you get the drift.

If you are there for a week hour-building, why would you want to stay around somewhere like LA? There are plenty of far nicer places to go. Head north towards San Francisco, and/or into the deserts towards Vegas, Grand Canyon, Phoenix and back via Palm Springs or San Diego. Make a proper holiday of it!

[Julian]

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I fly in CA quite a bit and what slim slag says is basically the sum of it. If you hang round the coast you will get the marine layer in the AM and smog can be an issue at any time.

The best thing to do is head inland to the East, you dont have to go far before improves vastly and there are loads of intersting places to visit. Try flying out to Las Vegas which will impress the girlfriend if she has to put up with flying for a couple or weeks or on the other hand I have flown into some strange remote airfields in the US where the locals have been like something out of 'Deliverance' ! :D

Out of interest there is an advert in the back of this months 'Flyer' where an FBO in La Verne CA is offering IFR Senecas for $119/Hr! Absolute bargain, just hope the wings stay on when you take off ;)

Julian.

[no sponsor]

Thanks for the replies.

I was intending to fly out to the East from LA, but just want to be sure that fronts/low pressures are not rolling in dumping vast amounts of snow inland, or rain in the basin at the end of Oct. I hope to fly to Big Bear and onto Vegas.

[slim_slag]

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Where you are planning to go, at that time of year the weather is extremely friendly to VFR pilots. If you are used to flying in the UK you will find it very straightforward. It's a great time of year to fly over the western deserts, lovely smooth air after the summer bumps, and visibility of over 100 miles is usual. Have fun, and rent something which will get you up to 11500 ft, you need to be that high to fly over the Grand Canyon, which is something you should definitely do. If you do fly that route take a GPS, the corridors are quite narrow and it's quite easy to mistake one landmark for another.

[englishal]

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I also fly in CA a lot, and just to add to the other good points....

LA BAsin, vis can be rubbish, even on a VFR day. Go east out into the deserts and you are pretty much guaranteed 100 mile vis, and clear skies. LA doesn't suffer from too much frontal stuff, mainly Marine layer IFR stuff (low stratus cloud caused by the cold ocean) which tends to roll in in the late afternoon / evening, and burn off by 11am, tops around 1500'. June is the worst month for this (June gloom) and October / Nov should be ok.

Heading North can be ok, or you can get caught IFR. Northern California tends to get more frontal systems, and also the San Wankeen (never did find out how to spell it:-)) can suffer from dense fog / marine layer, called Tulle fog. However, during the hrs of daylight you should be ok. I did my IR last November, and we had a fair amount of IMC, especially when returning late at night (mainly marine layer).

There are some great places to go East of LA basin, Phoenix, Vegas, Sedona, Laughlin etc etc......

Have fun and maybe see you out there as a few of us will be flying out of Long Beach during October...

Rgds
EA:)

[no sponsor]

Thanks guys.

I will be flying out of Longbeach in one of Rainbow Air's steeds.

[englishal]

OK, then we'll try and bring them back without any dents :D

Cheers
EA;)

[Julian]

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What dates are you at Rainbow and whats your name?
I will be out 12th Oct-2 Nov so may bump into you.

Hopefully undertaking an epic IFR trip to Dallas/New Orleans (barring any hurricanes!)

Julian.

[The Nr Fairy]

englishal :

San Joaquin.