Ok, comments/answers first...
tigerpic, just looked at the LA terminal area chart as you suggested. Good idea, a much more manageable size than the heli route chart. I won't need the colour coding, as I pretty much know the freeways now, but that'll help make sure I don't bust any airspace. Thanks a lot.
Bert, I will cut the cord, in my own time. What's the rush? I know how to fly cross country, this other stuff is more fun. But unless plans change, I have an R22 booked for next Friday and Saturday, to fly to Vegas. I'll give you a call and let you know definitely later in the week. That'll probably be the only long cross country I do, as I don't really get off on long cross countries in the R22, and I've done loads back home. I'd rather do shorter trips and mountain flying and pinnacles and stuff. There's a limit to what you can learn flying across the desert following a freeway. But I hope to see you soon.
pilotwolf, I'm driving back to Long Beach tomorrow, and will drop in and see Kevin when I get there, or on Sunday to fly if I do too much sightseeing on the way down. I'll tell him hi, but from whom? I'm based at LGB for the rest of the trip.
Right, to continue...
Fri 19th April
I'm totally, utterly, and completely knackered! I've done about 7 hours flying today, and I'm glad I didn't plan to drive back to Long Beach tonight, as I could barely drive to where I'm staying. Three hours this morning, doing the grand tour, all of LA county North to South and East to West, following the coast for miles including the shoreline transition past LAX for the second time, looking at seals and dolphins barely 100 ft below us, great fun. Then into ground school and the start up and how not to do hot starts. Then nearly three hours flying for the transition, doing just about every sort of auto there is, all to the area we were using north of LA, landing on a small area between trees by a river. Then hydraulic failure, and the ****** made me hover it, wouldn't let me do a run on landing! Closest I've ever come to bursting into tears while flying a helicopter, and my shoulders still ache. Can't remember what we did next, but there was more. When we got back to Van Nuys we had to hover for ages while two f/w aircraft sorted out how to leave. Finally landed, got my log book signed etc for the week, and staggered out, with the world rocking like I'd been on a boat for a week. It's been a good week, and I thoroughly recommend Philippe for anyone wanting to do the same thing - see his ad in JustHelicopters for details (Heliclass). And no, I didn't check what the CAA think of the hours.
I'm having a day off tomorrow, driving back to Long Beach, sightseeing as I go. Sunday I'm hopefully flying with an instructor to get LGB procedures etc sorted out, Monday doing some local stuff alone, Tuesday flying to Santa Barbara to visit some old friends, Wednesday maybe Catalina, or Big Bear, or Palm Springs, not sure, Thursday the Robinson factory tour, Friday and Saturday Las Vegas. After that I'll see. If I can get on Kevin's PC I'll post more when I can.