The US Trip!

[Keef]

Many thanks to all those who posted or sent Cusco and me their suggestions on places to fly. We went to LA, and picked up an Arrow from ADP. The hourly rate was excellent (we paid upfront for a 40-hour block).

We didn't take the advice to fly to Florida and back, but we did fly well over 3,000nm across California, Arizona, and Nevada. Many thanks for the excellent suggestions from many PPRuNers - we took up as many as we could fit in.

The weather was kind to us, too - it was IMC the first day, which made the BFR and IPC easier. We then filed IFR from Brackett to Santa Barbara (which was VFR but very windy when we got close), and IFR back after lunch - through some seriously turbulent clag. That prepared us reasonably for all that was to come.

After that it was scorchingly hot (hottest days for N years were reported several times as we flew around - maybe we were towing the hot weather behind us!). We used Big Bear (6,748amsl) as our cooling-off resort.

The whole route was
Brackett - Palm Springs - Chino - Brackett - Big Bear - Brackett (BFR and IPC for two of us). Then Brackett - Santa Barbara - Brackett for some IFR practice. That was day 1.

Then Brackett - North Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Page - North Las Vegas - Furnace Creek (Death Valley) - California City - San Luis Obispo - Monterey - San Francisco and the Bay Tour, Golden Gate Bridge Overflight, Alcatraz (from a safe distance) - Napa County. There we had a day off flying to sample the scenery and the wine (well, it was Cusco's birthday).

Then from Napa County to Van Nuys - the busiest GA airport in the world, they told us. It was certainly busy when we were there, but we got the same courteous and helpful handling as the Citations and Lears etc that were arriving and departing.

From Van Nuys we went to the Flyer List fly-in at Chiriaco Summit, then Big Bear - Lake Havasu City - Palm Springs - Big Bear - Agua Dulce - Santa Barbara - Chino (for the Planes of Fame Museum) - Brackett. Then by BA from LAX to Heathrow.

Places we'd recommend: all of them, maybe with the exception of Las Vegas. The airport was fine, but the town...

Scary experiences:
crossing the Grand Canyon via the corridor - stunning views but not many places to go if the engine quits;
flying towards Tehachapi from Death Valley with the ASI indicating 130 knots and the DME showing 45 - not that it was windy ;)
some stonking crosswinds at some desert airstrips (fortunately none above the Arrow's or our limits).

Good experiences: too many to mention! The FBOs everywhere were extremely courteous and helpful to two scruffy Brits in a dirty old Arrer, despite all the glossy bizjets and smart folks with collars and ties and epaulettes that were coming at them from other directions. And the scenery - well! There's nothing like it anywhere round here.

Flying in mountains seems not to be the big deal it is in Europe. The safety rules need to be followed (2000 feet above, work out where the up and downdrafts are, cross at 45 degrees), but there isn't the sharp intake of breath through teeth when you mention it. We had no frights whatever - but then, we had flight following on radar wherever we went.

Places to visit again: most of them!

[Mr Wolfie]

Keef,

I'm more than a little envious. Having travelled pretty much the exact same route a few years ago, (but my rented motorbike) I can imagine that the view "from above" must be truly awesome.

Are you going to post any piccies?

Regards,
Mr. W

[rustle]

Sounds brilliant, Keef :) Where's the pics?

[Keef]

Pix are largely on 35mm film... I took a few with the digicam but they are mostly of rogues standing by an aircraft in various unlikely places. Once the films are developed, hopefully there will be a few of interesting places. I have high hopes for the Grand Canyon transit ones.

I forgot to take a picture of the rattlesnake en croute that I had for dinner in Death Valley, so unless someone else has one of those...

[FWA NATCA]

Keef,

I'm glad that you enjoyed flying around the Southwest. For your next flying vacation try coming during the EAA Air Venture show at OSH (Oshkosh WI). The experience is unbelievable, and flying around the midwest/Great Lakes is awesome.

Mike
NATCA FWA

[The Nr Fairy]

Aaaah, memories. I did some hour buiilding around Southern California in 2002, in an R22.

In particular, Furnace Creek sticks in the mind because the refueller knew where I lived (he'd been based at Fairford with the USAF).

[Charlie Zulu]

Hi Keef,

Sounds like you had a fabulous trip, something that I've done twice before but without an IR. I'd like to go again now that I have that little bit of paper.

Anyway the Arrer III... I know which one it was. Question is was it in as good a condition as it was when we were flying it back in 2001?

Only 8 weeks until I'm off to Florida again... :O

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[knobbygb]

Never did get round to posting about my trip back in February.

I'm jealous that you got to go into Furnace Creek - we couldn't get there as I don't have an IR and there was a huge storm hanging over those mountains West of Vegas (it dropped around a foot of snow overnight apparently) so we headed East into Utah instead.

The only destinations we had in common with you were North Vegas and Grand Canyon. I too did the overflight of the canyon north to south after flying across southern Utah. Didn't worry too much about what'd happen if the engine quit - kinda not much point really, although I suspect there's probably only three or four minutes where you couldn't reach one rim or the other.

Anyway, can't wait to see a few pics. I must get round to posting mine at some point (warning of imminent thread hijacking).

[Whirlybird]

Ahhhh, brings back memories for me too, Keef. I was helicopter hourbuilding in California in Spring 2002...still a long thread about it on Rotorheads, I expect, if you do a search...I posted a diary from there at the time.

Different memories though...

I did a week's Traffic Watch flying out of Van Nuys - flying along the freeways in a Jet Ranger with another pilot and a radio guy. I don't remember Van Nuys being crowded. But, then, we left at 6am, just as dawn was breaking, getting back at 9am; then 4pm to 6pm in the afternoon. Not really peak times for GA, I guess.

I was based at Long Beach, but flew to Big Bear with an instructor, my first taste of real mountain flying, and of the effects of density altitude on the underpowered R22. We came to a hover, then as we turned out of wind to hover taxi and park, the RRPM dropped, the horn came on, and the poor little helicopter just couldn't fly. We'd worked out the figures before we left, thought it would be OK, but conditions changed. The wind picked up before we left, so I didn't get to do my first running take-off for real.

I flew to Santa Barbara too, to visit a friend I've known since I was eight, but not seen for many years. It was my first really long US solo trip, so I took along a nearly qualified PPL(H) for company, support, and to help me find my way through LA. He was still studying his GPS when I abandoned following freeways just before we busted Class B airspace...I went back to basic nav - there's the coast; we need a heading of .... We got there though, and it was a fun trip. And I took my friend's husband flying; she was too nervous to go herself.

Other highlights for me were Catalina Island, San Diego (where I infuriated the instructor along for the ride by asking the military controllers if I could fly round the bay - strictly forbidden - as I was from the UK and might never get the chance again!), canyon flying low-level, and auto-rotating off a 10,000 ft mountain.

Ah, those were the days.....

[Keef]

Charlie Zulu - yes, it was the same Arrer we all fly. She's showing her age a bit now, I'm afraid - flew absolutely fine, but the radios are past their prime, the VORs within tolerance but only just, and the airframe, well, "tired".

Although we only used our IRs on two of the 14 days, it was a great comfort knowing that we had the option if the weather turned out grotty. In the UK, the primary consideration is freezing level - that never got to us in California. Or rather, we never got to it: the best we managed was 10,500 feet and the FZL was usually around 13,000.

Big Bear is one of my favourite airfields, but needs that extra bit of work: try to take off with all three knobs fully forward, and you run off the end into the lake. Landing isn't the usual "reds, blues, greens" either! Anyway, we landed and departed from there a good few times (I have a favourite hotel up in the mountains, owned by a friend who flies a 182 out of Big Bear).

Chilli Monster was over there doing his CPL/ME/IR at the same time, so we met up several times. He seemed to be having a whale of a time, too. No doubt he'll have some pix to post when he gets back (about now, IIRC).

[Chilli Monster]

Wot - no mention of the sticky tape holding down the oil inspection hatch Keef ;)

Yes - got back in the early hours of Sunday to a Cat III approach at Heathrow. Had a great time, made some good new friends and am looking forward to going and doing a lot more flying out there.

The only problem is the photos - Having brutally got rid of lots I've still got 230 to choose from over the entire holiday!. Putting the web page together isn't going to be easy (though thankfully 'Eric' has his own page). There are a couple here (http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5821) though.

Memories for me. No.1 has to be Harris Ranch. 2800ft runway in the middle of nowhere, next to a great restaurant. Self service fuel and lit :) Concentrated the mind somewhat for my first night departure in a long time. The Seneca coped beautifully however. Then 8000ft cruise under a wonderful starry sky to a real ILS at Oakland (400ft cloudbase).

Others have to be IFR to San Bernadino, again at night. ILS (for fun) onto a lit, 10000ft, unmanned runway. Then going back to Long Beach and having to do it all again for real as the coastal fog moved in with low cloud and a crosswind. - the needles never left the donut all the way to minima.

I love California :D