Big Bear, CA (L35) to Heber, UT (36U)

Last weekend I made my first long cross country in my RV-9A. Thursday I flew the plane from home base at Cable Airport (Upland, CA - KCCB), up to Big Bear. I was planning a dawn departure and I didn't want to get stuck with morning low clouds and fog that can creep into the valley's in the LA area. Turns out it was a good idea. At my departure, Big Bear was clear, the basin was IFR.

The trip was 458 nautical miles. The flight took 3:15 with a quick bathroom stop in Milford. I consumed 21 gallons of gas, and had a nice tail wind.

Route of flight; L35 - HEC - BLD - MMM - MLF - DTA - KPVU - 36U

The day before, sitting on the ramp in Big Bear.



Sunrise departure, caught a bit of MOON as well.



Flying just after dawn makes for some interesting shadows in desert.



First view of Las Vegas of my left wing. Route of flight was over Boulder City VOR, which kept me a bit South and East of town. Had 737's flying in under me, as I was at 11,500.



As I was passing Vegas, a view of Lake Mead out the back of the plane. All the shots in front were washed out in the morning sun.



A bit later on, 2,450 RPM - 7GPH Fuel Flow (yes the EFIS say's 7.7, but is reading high) - Temp's and pressure good - 192 mph ground speed - Awesome!



Starting to see the Provo Canyon Pass in the distance. Getting close!



Getting closer and closer to Provo Canyon Pass. It seems to just grow in height as you approach. The mind starts to wonder what kind of turbulence I will I hit, how bad might it get....



I got lucky. Smooth morning air had me sightseeing and taking pictures. No bumps, no mess, just a beautiful morning flight. This shot is of the North Wall of the Provo Canyon Pass. At this point you can already see the Heber airport just ahead and to the right of the water.



Passing the South wall of the canyon. Once you pass the canyon walls, time to start descending into Heber. It's only another 5 minutes up ahead.

Nice

That is one part of your country I have not seen yet. Next year. Beautiful.

Glad you are enjoying your bird. Amazing how much real estate you can cover in a few hours.

Downwind for runway 22 at Heber, UT (36U)



Final



If the cover was not messing this shot up, I would have posted this one under "Best shot of your plane sitting on the ground"...



Drove up to Park City, to attend a home owners meeting for a condo that my wife and I rent out for the ski season. After the meeting, I decided to ride the 'Summer' chair lift up the ski slope. Took this shot looking back down at the main lodge for Park City Mountain Resort.



One more shot from the chair lift. This is one of the old Silver Mining towers that carried the silver ore down the mountain in cable cars.



On Friday the forecast was for clear skies all weekend. I flew up in great weather. It changed. Saturday was strong gusty winds. Sunday morning had a line of thunderstorms in the distance and a passing front. Take off on Sunday morning had a few sprinkles and winds aloft predicted to be up to 50 mph. Of course it was a headwind. This is just after take off, with the Provo Canyon approaching quickly.



Off in the distance I could see lightening, clouds and rain. Ahead was much brighter and clearing skies. As soon as I passed Utah Lake and the airspace over Provo (KPVU), I dropped down to 500 to a 1,000 foot off the desert floor. Flying low for the first two hours kept me pretty smooth and out of the strong headwinds.



I must say flying low for a couple of hours was very interesting. Normally I am flying much higher, as I like to have altitude just in case... down low did provide for some interesting views. Here I am passing a wind farm just North of Milford, UT.



By the time I got to Las Vegas on the return trip, the front was long past. I climbed up to 10,500 and got on with ATC Flight Following to go over the Vegas airspace. This is the last shot, and shows Lake Mead again. What you can't see in this photo is the line of 737's that were lined up and passing below me. They looked HUGE as I was flying over them, but the camera didn't seem to pick any of them up.



The flight home took 3:45 and consumed 25 gallons of gas. The initial headwind slowed me down, and I was not going as fast when flying low off the desert floor. This trip was really fun. I can't wait for my next big adventure in the RV-9A.

All photography was taken with my iPhone 5. Till next time.... keep pounding those rivets. It's worth it!

Great write up and pictures. It sounds like a fun trip. I have driven through Provo Canyon many times but not flown through. I suspect it could get like Banning CA pass and be real bumpy at times.

Next time you fly out this way, drop down a bit and go through Moab and along the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs and say hello! We always have room for RV'ers!

Nice write up. My favorite route to OSH, after a fuel stop in Provo, it was thru
Provo canyon to Rock Springs then on to OSH. Great scenery.

Thanks

I enjoyed the write-up and am glad you had a good trip. I've enjoyed following your build log and this trip to my home turf was great. I live about 3 miles from the mouth of Provo canyon so you flew right over my house.

Thanks

rockwoodrv9 said:

Great write up and pictures. It sounds like a fun trip. I have driven through Provo Canyon many times but not flown through. I suspect it could get like Banning CA pass and be real bumpy at times.

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I suppose it could get bumpy, but I've flown through there many times, and it's been quite smooth. It was a favorite route to take people through, for a very scenic ride.

GREAT write-up!

Wonderful write-up, Pete. And GORGEOUS pictures! Very motivational. I estimate it's about the same flight time from our home in Oregon, and I'm definitely adding this to our bucket list.

BSwayze said:

Wonderful write-up, Pete. And GORGEOUS pictures! Very motivational. I estimate it's about the same flight time from our home in Oregon, and I'm definitely adding this to our bucket list.

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I'll meet ya there Bruce. Our daughter lives just up the road and is always open for a visit from us.

Awesome Peter! My wife and I are in the middle of a similar trip. The RV9 performs flawlessly at altitude. We are headed to Moab in about an hour.

Glad to see the trip report. Looks like you had a good time!

Ski

Pete
Did you build a ski pod into your 9A?
Sounds like you are a powder hound.
Jim F.
RV-9A 350 hrs.

Great trip write up Pete, and some awesome pictures. Great motivational tool. Hope to make a similar trip in a couple of years.

Dale

Great travelog! Well done! Dontcha love how the 9A cruises at altitude?!?!

Great Travelogue Pete! I ended up at Big Bear on Sunday night on a return trip from West Texas - the forecast winds for Carson City, and reports of extreme turbulence across Nevada, made the southern route a nice, relaxing choice. Your pictures of the Utah end confirmed I was glad I used the alternate plan. Completed my trip this morning in reasonably nice air with better winds.