Photos Here. with Captions
It's been a while since I've posted and this trip may be the best excuse to write again. It was a last minute plan so thanks to friends, coworkers and family who let me go. I had just updated my exhaust system on the glasair from mild to stainless steel and made a few test flights. I was planning to fly to Arizona sometime but no reason to go if its too close to summer. Mothers day was coming and everything was right.
Wednesday May 7th, 2014:
A test flight, all systems good but weather moving in for the morning with wind and low clouds. It looked like no way to get out after 10 am. I go to underwater hockey in the evening as usual.
Thursday May 8th:
I pack a bag with clothes and go to work, check the weather, check my routes, check with my boss and off I go to the plane with a plan to fly to Arizona.
Paine Field, Everett, WA - Fuel up while the winds are picking up and starting to drizzle, I take off and fly east to Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascades knowing if I make it past there, it should be easy to beat this small storm. I can hear other planes calling and diverting to other airports because of the weather behind me. All is good and just one town/airport at a time till I am clear of the weather but no problems so far. Yes, this is making my hands sweat! The plane is flying good and I am beating the weather.
I slow the plane down to about 150 mph and stay low as I can while still clearing all the hills en route. I love to cruise low and fairly slow sometimes to enjoy the views!
Camera isn't taking great photos due to weather but pictures are
here. Note the Captions on the photos. They tell most of the story of the flight. I divert my plans along the way for fuel and pitstops but press on.
Its a blur to know what state your in on a big cross country trip as the sectional maps are just made to indicate best airports, best flight paths, topography and military areas to avoid or deal with. The state lines are vague at best but its OK. I have a Nexus 7 pad with sectionals from
Flightplan and created a line to follow for my destinations. Its amazing, I had no idea the path would cross
Owyhee Idaho where I flew my Cessna 150 a few years back on my way down to Arizona. The runway wasn't paved back then but there was still no town! The glasair does way better between stops so even though the route was similar, I got to skip a few detours that I did previously in the 150 just for fuel.
The highlands across Nevada and Idaho are very pretty. There are some huge snow capped mountains along this route. I was lucky with the weather. Southern Nevada is a descent into Mosquite to fuel before crossing the Grand Canyon. Because of the high pressure weather and evening approaching, not many Grand Canyon photos.
Summary flying south from Washington to Arizona:
Paine Field, Everett, WA to Pendleton, OR - 1 hr 38 min
Pendleton, to Baker City, OR - 38 min.
Baker City to Owyhee, Idaho - 1 hr 28 min. (Owyhee to go pee hee :) )
Owyhee to Mosquite, Nevada - 2 hrs 24 min
Mosquite to Flagstaff, Arizona - 1 hr 11 min
Flagstaff to Rimrock, Arizona - 25 minutes night flying.
Rimrock to Mesa, Arizona - 35 minutes or so on Friday 5/9.
There was only a small amount of weather to dodge. Some places, the ground was 6,000 ft + above sea level but still very enjoyable. Very light winds, snow in some hills, able to pick up local fm radio stations to listen to music and still made Flagstaff but evening. I intended to stay in Flagstaff but there was a search and rescue operation at the airport and no courtesy cars or rental cars. I called my friends, John and Julie in Rimrock at the airport and they turn the lights on for me to fly to their airport, Rimrock and stay the night. Very nice overnight and to visit with my friends. Friday afternoon, I flew to Mesa, Az, Falcon field to tie down for a few days visit for mothers day.
During my stay in the Phoenix area (Mesa is part of Phoenix), I flew to an arts and crafts festival in Prescott, AZ to meet family and enjoy this area. Prescott is in the hills out of Phoenix, about 5,000 ft so a little cooler then Phoenix. I had a good few day sometimes working virtually, visiting friends, family and a local
Arizona Hang Gliding and Paragliding meeting. Motorcycle riding and enjoying the heat, usually in the 90 F range. I took my friend, Bill Comstock for a flight to visit Bill Poore in Payson. Both are great friends, Bill Poore is building a light experimental plane we got to see and we had dinner in town before flying back to Falcon Field at night. Fueled in Payson as it was $5:35/gal aviation fuel.
Thursday, May 15th, 2014:
Time to head north. There's supposed to be weather in the Seattle area Friday/Saturday and people are expecting my back this week. Pack up and head out! Looks like I have fuel to make Bishop, California, a new route I haven't gone and morning is smoother then afternoon. I fly out of Phoenix, past Wickenberg, Needles California across deserts south of Las Vegas, Nevada and find some strange light reflectors in the desert. View in the photos. It's
Ivanpah Solar Power Facility . This is one of the last areas before crossing Death Valley (Lowest spot in the USA), Saline Valley where I've camped, over the White Mountains, into Owens Valley and land at Bishop, California. I love this area but its vast, dry and hot! I can see Mt. Whitney, highest point in the US (besides McKinley in Alaska) on the Sierra Mts. I fuel up and head north as the valley floor seems to go over 8,000 ft and my plane struggles to cool off. I fly past Mono Lake northbound hoping to see more civilization along the way. No problem as the highways go north and I go into Nevada, recognizing Pyramid Lake northeast of Reno, NV, northbound past the dry lakes of eastern Oregon, flying east of Mt Shasta and crossing highway 395 by Lakeview, OR where I competed in the 1993 Hang Gliding Nationals. Many Valley's and hills before decending into Redmond, Oregon for fuel at $4.99 least expensive along this route. I rest for a short while they fly northbound. Sailplanes are flying around and disassembling at Redmond but I see a few. I fly east of Mt St Helens, west of Mt Adams and Mt Rainier and pick up Seattle Center at 10 miles west of Mt Rainier. Mt Rainier is forming a wave cloud. Seattle Center allows me through class B airspace so I can stay at 10,000 ft and make good time. I descend into Paine Field, my home field and park the plane! And, I think my plane for doing well!
Summary Home:
Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona to Bishop, California - 2 hrs 52 minutes
Bishop to Redmond, Oregon - 2 hrs 27 minutes
Redmond to Paine Field, Everett, WA - 1 hr 30 minutes home!
Total route
Link on Skyvector.
