USA cross country help

[BarnabasLawson]

HI I'm writing to ask for help for me and my friend who are planning to do a trip across America with four passengers. We are both CAA PPL's and we don't now where to start to look for prices and places to hire a suitable aircraft, where to get the kind of equipment to plan for the journey. Which at the moment is a vague return trip route from Atlanta to somewhere in California visiting Hollywood and passing the Arizona Dessert to visit the plane graveyard. Please could we have advice on anything and everything to do with planning something like this.

Yours Thankfully Barnabas Lawson:cool: :confused: :)

[BayAreaLondoner]

First thing to do is to take a look at the Private Flying forum here since there are quite a few US-based GA pilots as well as GA pilots who have flown in the US quite a bit in the areas that you mention. They can probably give you some good advice in terms of places to rent from.

The second thing you need to do is to investigate what it is going to take to get an FAA sign-off - numerous threads going on this. Take a look at the FAA's new procedure for non-US pilots here:
http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2002/020729fsdo.pdf

There are many good resources for flight planning. Aeroplanner.com is good and so is airstripamerica.com

If you are the San Francisco Bay Area, give me a shout!

[Julian]

Get yourself an airport guide as soon as you get there, they are excellent and very cheap ($15), charts are also cheap at roughly $7 each - laminated ones can be bought for about $12.

If you know roughly which way you want to head I would kit yourself out and then do some proper flight planning the first day or two. Obviously if you have access to aeroplanner (its a subscription service), you will be able to do a lot more before you go.

Not sure if Transair stock any US charts but you could also try them.

The main thing you will find about the US is there are airfields just about everywhere! So handy if you want to stop off at a small town for the night, be aware that it does not mean they will have fuel though...

Julian.

[N Reg Aztec]

Barnabas,

I fly in the US fairly regularly although I'm based in the UK. Did all my licenses and ratings FAA aswell.

GA flying in the US is a lot more tolerated than anywhere in Europe but there are new FAA restrictions on foreign pilots flying in the US. Check www.aopa.org for details.

Feel free to drop me an email with any questions you have - I'd be happy to try to help.

[email protected]

[slim_slag]

HI I'm writing to ask for help for me and my friend who are planning to do a trip across America with four passengers.

Are there six of you? How many planes? Are you going to be fully loaded? You need to consider density altitude in the West and the Rockies in between, though the southern route is not too bad.

Airnav (http://www.airnav.com/) is a great resource. Find a GA airport near to where you want to depart and call around. You will need to find a place which will give you a plane for a week or two, which will not be a problem, but you need to consider scheduling issues.

You might consider getting some World Aeronautical Charts (http://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/chart/9.asp) before you come out. This will give you a rough idea of distances and airfields. I wouldn't bother doing any detailed planning before you arrive. There is so much to see and do, you will change your plans on a daily basis. On such a long journey you will probably find non VFR weather at some stage of your trip, so may get grounded.

As others have suggested, GA in the US is totally different from Europe. The plane graveyard (and there are a few) in AZ is neat, but nowhere near the best the US can offer. Ask around and you will get plenty of suggestions.

For instance, overflying the Grand Canyon is amazing, but you need to be above 10500 ft, which takes me back to my first paragraph.

[a pilot]

First is having the faa ticket,see all other remarks.How many people,weight,luggage.If 6 ppl and luggage u ll need 2 182 at over 100$ an hour each or at least 180 hp other planes.You can get hi performance endorsement and a bit flying with a local will help.Planning and flying here is easy but the weather can get real bad,be ready.Any decent gps is a very very good idea!

[englishal]

A multi prehaps?

EA

[slim_slag]

The problem with hiring a twin is insurance requirements.

For example, some places demand an IR. Others several hundred PIC hours and 50 hours in type. Sometimes you can avoid the high experience requirements if you do a 25 hour course with that FBO. All require a FAA multi-certificate, and now it looks like INS/FBI are getting involved too.

Even to hire a 182 now, some places require 100 hours PIC or 10 hours in type. This will differ between FBOs, but the original poster should be aware of this potential problem. I agree with a pilot that a 182 is a sensible choice of chariot, this is a true four person plane and will still climb like a bat out of hell at high DA when over-gross. Or so I have been told :D

In this situation I'd come over and take the FAA private checkride. Get a cross country under your belt with a CFI so you know how the system works, in the air and at airfields. It's not the same as the UK, you need to know how to take advantage of the added opportunities here. You will also need to fly with a CFI so he can sign you off for the checkride (see FAR 61.39, Prerequisites for practical tests). Dual is always a good thing.

Also, when you approach the mountains, take a mountain flying course. Mountain flying is no big deal, but you need to know about a few "gotchas".

Have fun.

[FWA NATCA]

BarnabasLawson,

The aircraft Bone Yard outside Tucson Az is a must see, they have air conditioned bus tours though the bone yard. Call the Pima Air and Space Museum at 520-574-0462 and ask for Ed Santiago.

Another museum that you would like to see and it's FREE is the US Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton Ohio, it's the largest aviation museum in the world.

Mike