Flight planning western US

[Strasnuts]

KCDR MBW MMM LAS PMD KSMX I added Medicine Bow.

You can go VFR at 12500 and cruise westbound on this route. You should have radio contact most of the way including radar for flight following. They may drop you a few times but you really don't have to talk to anyone after takeoff until you get close to KSMX. I would recommend talking and getting traffic advisories along the route. You would only cross through one MOA and having flight following would help if you are concerned crossing in them.

[CODon]

Thanks for all of the replies. As a 20 year Navy pilot, I have a real appreciation for MOAs and the activities that can go on in them. I hate to think of the number of times I have operated out of places like China Lake. Good advice on the altitude, I'll just drag along an extra oxygen bottle and stay at 12.5 or above when needed. I was just trying to avoid as many MOAs as possible and the suggested routes will do that and I always use flight following when ATC is cooperative, and most of the time they are. I'll pick a couple of fuel (potty) stops and give it a shot. Hope to get some nice flying out of CDR this week as the weather looks nice all week. I'll be working in CA a great deal through the winter, so will take advantage and fly out when the weather permits. Don

[TomVal]

[quote=CODon;... As a 20 year Navy pilot, I have a real appreciation for MOAs and the activities that can go on in them. I hate to think of the number of times I have operated out of places like China Lake...[/QUOTE]

Don,

Was that you about ten years ago that scared the living &#%* out of us (thus ruining two car seats) during our drive on Hwy 395 north of Bishop!!! A pair of F-18's burnt the wax off the roof of our car during a fly-by. I wish I could have gotten a photo of the pass...with burners lit and a rooster tail of sand streaking across the desert floor, it would have been a photo fit for posting in the VAF calendar.

Regards,

[aerhed]

Did Chadron ever sort out their FBO fiasco? I came in there on fumes the day after the FBO carted their fuel to RAP and had to ferry car gas in cans.

[pkill]

Careful of the Special Use Airspace and the Military Training Routes leading to and from them. Like to see the high speed movers over here, it?s a thrill. And it?s rare that there is a problem but it does happen. This on an A6 running over an AgCat some time ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t21a6A_LuBQ

pk

[CODon]

CDR has it sorted out. FBO is A&M Aviation and Jim at the FBO is one of the nicest guys you could meet. I did final assembly on my -7A there and it was great. They now have a self serve pump nicely located near the lobby. Their gas is not the cheapest in the area, but CDR has nice cross runways and the place is well maintained. I live in Denver, bur keep my -7A and C-140 up there where we have a ranch.

And low passes - when you have .8hrs left after you dump you ordnance, what are you supposed to do on the way home? I flew A-4s and special ops 130s and they both make a respectable low pass. And when you have a couple of hundred knots speed advantage over a car they all look fast especially when you approach from the rear. But those were the "old days". Now I just try to keep the medical current and the nose pointed down the runway.

[TomVal]

Below is a more recent example of a near mid-air in a MOA. The T-38 is on a practice bomb run. IAS is approximately 360 kts. At the moment they are attempting to visually identify the bomb range. Their total attention is focused between locating the target outside and the HUD target steering information inside. They are too busy to be in a ?see and avoid? mode. The wx is CAVOK. ATC failed to call out the conflicting traffic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLVtstYAZLY

Be careful out there.

Regards,

[jtrusso]

Originally Posted by Strasnuts

Hey Codon,

I fly a lot in the Western US IFR and know pretty well what to expect. After reviewing your flight I would suggest the following:

KCDR MMM LAS DAG PMD KSMX

I'm based out of Santa Monica and have done the LAS to SBA flight many times. The route above is great but I would make one small change

KCDR MMM LAS DAG PMD FIM KSMX

By taking the turn slight south to Filmore you'll avoid flying over what is pretty hostile terrain if you have an engine out and according to my calcs it only adds 4 minutes of flight time and just under a gallon more fuel. From LAS to SMX you'll also be able to get flight following along the entire route at 8500, not sure about the KCDR to LAS part though.

While you're in the area I highly recommend a stop at Santa Ynez, it's a short and beautiful flight from SMX and a great little airport.

SBA to SMX was my first Xcountry flight ever way way back in 1996. I always have a smile on my face when I land there.

[Guy Prevost]

I'm surrounded by restricted airspace and MOAs. Much of the restricted airspace goes active and inactive with little notice. Any time I am leaving the local area, I add the faa's special use airspace map to my flight planning. It gives me a quick visual as to what is active and what is not. It is color coded by how far in the future things are active and you can filter by altitude. Click on map layers to filter. Here's the link: http://sua.faa.gov

Guy

[TomVal]

Originally Posted by Guy Prevost

I'm surrounded by restricted airspace and MOAs. Much of the restricted airspace goes active and inactive with little notice. Any time I am leaving the local area, I add the faa's special use airspace map to my flight planning. It gives me a quick visual as to what is active and what is not. It is color coded by how far in the future things are active and you can filter by altitude. Click on map layers to filter. Here's the link: http://sua.faa.gov

Guy

Guy, thanks for the excellent link.

Regards,