Usa Coast To Coast
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Usa Coast To Coast
With two others, I am planning a USA coast to coast trip. In fact it will be a west - east transit then up the east coast, back east to west and then down the Washington/California coast.
The plan is to do it in something reasonably capable - we were thinking of a PA-44 Piper Seminole or a Beechcraft BE-76 Duchess. I did a similar trip by car years ago and amazingly enough, before I went, I met someone who had done the same sort of thing before. He was able to give me a spreadsheet with some really helpful information - and although I did his trip the other way round, it all worked a treat.
There must be someone out there who has done this sort of trip before. I would love to hear from them.
Incidentally we all have the appropriate FAA licences including the multi IR.
The plan is to do it in something reasonably capable - we were thinking of a PA-44 Piper Seminole or a Beechcraft BE-76 Duchess. I did a similar trip by car years ago and amazingly enough, before I went, I met someone who had done the same sort of thing before. He was able to give me a spreadsheet with some really helpful information - and although I did his trip the other way round, it all worked a treat.
There must be someone out there who has done this sort of trip before. I would love to hear from them.
Incidentally we all have the appropriate FAA licences including the multi IR.
Dancing with the devil, going with the flow... it's all a game to me.
Join Date: May 2000
Location: England
Posts: 1,688
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Have not done anything as ambitious as coast to coast but did do a 900+ mile Melbourne, Florida to Princeton, New Jersey and return trip in a C172 a coupla years ago. Not sure what advice I could give from that trip apart from that which you'd already be aware of but having all the relevant charts and plates is an obvious must as well as an amiable flying partner! Take blankets, refreshments (high energy foodstuffs like chocolate) and pertinent emergency equipment. Aside from that - have a great journey...... you lucky *******! 
VFE.
VFE.
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have done several tours around the western half of the US & Canada (VFR). No problem, just decide where you want to go ..... and, subject to wx, go there!
Not like all the bureaucracy & other obstacles I am faced with around Europe.
What sort of inputs are you looking for? There have been many previous threads about flying in the US.
Not like all the bureaucracy & other obstacles I am faced with around Europe.
What sort of inputs are you looking for? There have been many previous threads about flying in the US.
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Kilmacolm
Age: 47
Posts: 740
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm planning an "Eastern States" tour next year. Probably taking in a little of the Bahama's on my way back to Naples.
Planning on taking a Piper Seminole.
I'm going to try and do it in the late spring / early summer.
The reasons for these is the icing levels up north, such as those in the New York area and beyond could be quite low and the earlier in the year and the Seminole I'll be rentined does not have any de-icing equipment.
Yes I have my CPL Multi IR. I've done the western states on a plain PPL and only got stranded once. That was in San Jose and the weather was okay (2000 overcast / Broken etc) but I had to get over 10,000' mountains... there wasn't a way to get through them etc. The weather on the otherside of the mountains (in L.A. basin) was lovely for a change!!!
Best wishes,
Charlie Zulu.
Planning on taking a Piper Seminole.
I'm going to try and do it in the late spring / early summer.
The reasons for these is the icing levels up north, such as those in the New York area and beyond could be quite low and the earlier in the year and the Seminole I'll be rentined does not have any de-icing equipment.
Yes I have my CPL Multi IR. I've done the western states on a plain PPL and only got stranded once. That was in San Jose and the weather was okay (2000 overcast / Broken etc) but I had to get over 10,000' mountains... there wasn't a way to get through them etc. The weather on the otherside of the mountains (in L.A. basin) was lovely for a change!!!
Best wishes,
Charlie Zulu.
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: England
Posts: 1,006
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Two questions
1) Where are you hiring from?
2) Can you let us know how you get on.
It sounds like something I would like to do.
I wonder how much more flying it would take to get every state in the contiguous USA in your logbook. There must be a route for this.
1) Where are you hiring from?
2) Can you let us know how you get on.
It sounds like something I would like to do.
I wonder how much more flying it would take to get every state in the contiguous USA in your logbook. There must be a route for this.
Guest
Posts: n/a
Pretty much after late March or early April you don't have to worry about SNOW in the midwest (Northern Michigan, or New England), you may encounter occasional rain showers but last spring was beautiful. You can see snow up in the Rocky Mountains (in the Northwest) at higher elevations but even that shouldn't be much of a problem because it can be avoided.
An awesome place to visit is the Air Force Muesuem at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, you can not believe how awesome it is and best of all it is FREE!!! You can land at Dayton International which is just north of the city or Dayton Wright Brothers airport which is on the south side of town.
Mike
NATCA A80
An awesome place to visit is the Air Force Muesuem at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, you can not believe how awesome it is and best of all it is FREE!!! You can land at Dayton International which is just north of the city or Dayton Wright Brothers airport which is on the south side of town.
Mike
NATCA A80
Life's too short for ironing
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Scotland, & Maryland, USA
Posts: 1,146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We just had a Puss Moth and a Hornet Moth stop in at Oshkosh last week en route from San Jose to Brampton, Ontario. I think they are now on their way home to Southampton (in a container!). Sounded like a fantastic trip - I'm very envious 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 1,040
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mate of mine who was working as a CFI over there flew from Long Beach to Florida in an Archer III to pick up a student and then flew back again! So you dont even have to stick with a twin.
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: London, UK
Posts: 778
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've done it 3-up from east to west, then south, then north east in a C182 Turbo Retractable. It was February so it was damn cold in the north, -25deg on the ground, but shirtsleeve weather in southern California.
What do you want to know?
What do you want to know?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Wiltshire
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for all that. Good stuff. Like several of you I too have done a fair amount on the west coast (most of California, into McCarran, Las Vegas and as far east as Phoenix). What I am looking for is guidance on:
1. The best time of year to do it. Summer would seem to be the best choice but I suspect some of the southern states might be uncomfortable in high summer. (Alabama etc)
2. Good places to stop. The little flight guide offers all sorts of advice on places to say and so on, but we've all been disappointed at some time! Places to avoid i.e. remote airfields - a long way from local facilities. (The plan will not be to sleep under the wings but to stay in moderately priced motels ($50/night max).
3. Tips on getting fuel, particularly at card only fuel stops. I remember having to leave Casa Grande Az for Phoenix Gateway with very little fuel as I could not make my card(s) work at an unattended fuel tank.
4. Flight following coverage - any gaps?
5. The plan is to get an aircraft from Fred Sorbi's club at Montgomery Field, San Diego. I've rented there many times and have always been well received.
6. Nav - the plan will be to use victor airways throughout with GPS back up - any problems there?
7. We have worked out that we can do the whole trip within a 100hr block. Any thoughts?
Any tips on the above?
1. The best time of year to do it. Summer would seem to be the best choice but I suspect some of the southern states might be uncomfortable in high summer. (Alabama etc)
2. Good places to stop. The little flight guide offers all sorts of advice on places to say and so on, but we've all been disappointed at some time! Places to avoid i.e. remote airfields - a long way from local facilities. (The plan will not be to sleep under the wings but to stay in moderately priced motels ($50/night max).
3. Tips on getting fuel, particularly at card only fuel stops. I remember having to leave Casa Grande Az for Phoenix Gateway with very little fuel as I could not make my card(s) work at an unattended fuel tank.
4. Flight following coverage - any gaps?
5. The plan is to get an aircraft from Fred Sorbi's club at Montgomery Field, San Diego. I've rented there many times and have always been well received.
6. Nav - the plan will be to use victor airways throughout with GPS back up - any problems there?
7. We have worked out that we can do the whole trip within a 100hr block. Any thoughts?
Any tips on the above?
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: London, UK
Posts: 778
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
1. I've flown in Arizona in July. It's very very hot, obviously, but personally I didn't find it that bad. It's a dry desert heat and when you're in the air it is fine. Overall it would be enjoyable at another time of year. My cross country trip was in Feb and as I mentioned it was very very cold in the north mid-west. It was so cold much of the time that icing wasn't such a big issue. If you leave your headsets in the plane overnight make sure you warm the ear cups up before you put them on!
2. There is a great place in South California (Santa Maria I think, I can check if you're interested) where the Holiday Inn is off the taxi-way, so you can taxi right up to the lobby. I'm sure I won't be the only person to recommend a stopover at Sedona - the motel is a five minute walk from the strip. In the mid-west we didn't have motels within walking distance but they will usually pick you up from the airfield for free.
3. Given that the self-serve pumps are usually the cheapest we used them a lot. Never had any problems. Try taking multiple credit cards of different types from different issuers?
4. Yes, in the flatlands of the mid-west (and elsewhere for short patches), but as long as you're not flying IFR GPS-direct at the time it is no big deal.
5. No idea.
6. No problems. The victor airways are numerous so will normally take you where you want to go pretty directly, but don't hesitate to file GPS direct assuming you have an IFR approved GPS, provided there is radar coverage (indicated by an R on the IFR charts). Even if you are on an IFR flight plan most controllers are pretty content with requests for sightseeing detours if you cancel IFR. Also, declaring VFR on top (even when on the ground) can give you flexibility when you need it.
7. Our trip was about 50 hours @ 140knts, but was a triangle starting near Chicago rather than the square you are doing. I guess you'll have to talk to the company hiring out the plane about 50 hour checks if you're doing 100 hours in one go.
Have a great trip.
2. There is a great place in South California (Santa Maria I think, I can check if you're interested) where the Holiday Inn is off the taxi-way, so you can taxi right up to the lobby. I'm sure I won't be the only person to recommend a stopover at Sedona - the motel is a five minute walk from the strip. In the mid-west we didn't have motels within walking distance but they will usually pick you up from the airfield for free.
3. Given that the self-serve pumps are usually the cheapest we used them a lot. Never had any problems. Try taking multiple credit cards of different types from different issuers?
4. Yes, in the flatlands of the mid-west (and elsewhere for short patches), but as long as you're not flying IFR GPS-direct at the time it is no big deal.
5. No idea.
6. No problems. The victor airways are numerous so will normally take you where you want to go pretty directly, but don't hesitate to file GPS direct assuming you have an IFR approved GPS, provided there is radar coverage (indicated by an R on the IFR charts). Even if you are on an IFR flight plan most controllers are pretty content with requests for sightseeing detours if you cancel IFR. Also, declaring VFR on top (even when on the ground) can give you flexibility when you need it.
7. Our trip was about 50 hours @ 140knts, but was a triangle starting near Chicago rather than the square you are doing. I guess you'll have to talk to the company hiring out the plane about 50 hour checks if you're doing 100 hours in one go.
Have a great trip.
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Spain
Posts: 35
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Haven't done a trip as log as that but I spent nearly 3 wks in the US in Feb this year and the plan was to fly East-West-East.
We hired a PA28 from a school in Florida and flew up to Georgia, Alabama, Tenesse, then west towards Mississippi and Arkansas. That unfortunately was as far as we got due to bad weather.
We spent a lot of time up in those farming states going to many of the airports and along the way we always stayed at the Holiday Inn chain. They gave us a preferential rate ($35/night for a twin room) as an AOPA member and they even sent a cab to collect at each airport free of charge and another one to take us back the next day.
You can buy the charts along the way nearly every FBO stocks them. I personnaly would go in a single a/c you get to see more and I wouldn't plan too much. Just try to fly in a rough direction and be prepared to fly around weather and change your route from one day to the next.
Flying in the US is very easy (if on Europe was like that) and once you get away from the main tourist/major airports people are much more friendlier. This was something we noticed immediately as soon as we got out of Florida.
To check for local accomodation, fuel prices etc we used www.airnav.com.
We hired a PA28 from a school in Florida and flew up to Georgia, Alabama, Tenesse, then west towards Mississippi and Arkansas. That unfortunately was as far as we got due to bad weather.
We spent a lot of time up in those farming states going to many of the airports and along the way we always stayed at the Holiday Inn chain. They gave us a preferential rate ($35/night for a twin room) as an AOPA member and they even sent a cab to collect at each airport free of charge and another one to take us back the next day.
You can buy the charts along the way nearly every FBO stocks them. I personnaly would go in a single a/c you get to see more and I wouldn't plan too much. Just try to fly in a rough direction and be prepared to fly around weather and change your route from one day to the next.
Flying in the US is very easy (if on Europe was like that) and once you get away from the main tourist/major airports people are much more friendlier. This was something we noticed immediately as soon as we got out of Florida.
To check for local accomodation, fuel prices etc we used www.airnav.com.
