Finally got to stretch the legs on the RV-9A! My longest trip prior to this was Santa Barbara, so this was a Big Deal for me, and a chance to brush up on the flight following radio skills.
Great conditions for the flight...pre monsoon in Phoenix, so no real thunderstorms, especially in the morning. I was flying there to meet a couple of good friends on a road trip, who were checking out some golf community properties. We're all crazy golf nerds, and they had told me about Top Golf in Gilbert, where you hit balls from a three-story driving range to greens that are segmented with nets. Each ball contains a microchip, so it scores where you hit it on the green...sorta like darts. Each hitting stall has a couch and coffee table, and you can order food and drink served to your table. Too fun!
I had a little tailwind on the way out, so ground speed was between 165 and 180 mph; heading back a headwind slowed me to about 155-165 mph. At about 2500 rpm at 8500' (on the way back), it worked out to a TAS of 148 kts at a 6.7 gph burn. OAT was about 75 F at that altitude (it was 112 F in Phoenix!) and the oil temp stayed rock solid at 180. The highest CHT was, of course, No. 3, but it stayed at 398-399 F.
Chandler was easy to spot, and has perfect, recently resurfaced runways. ATC had me come in from the south...around southern tip of the Sierra Estrella range, and the tower gave me a straight-in on 4L. A great experience!
Palm Springs and I-10, heading eastbound.
Chuckwalla racetrack, just north of Desert Center. Handy airstrip too for the arrive-and-drive crowd!
Flying over Blythe, CA. State line defined by the Colorado River.
The Sierra Estrella range. Almost there!
KCHD straight ahead. Very easy to spot from the air. Firebird Lake (artificial, for drag boat racing) is a great reporting point.
All tucked in for overnight stay.
Top Golf!
Aqueduct and neat desert topography.
SoCal to Chandler, AZ
Great motivator for the builders!
Linear Mode
