High Mileage Weekend....

[Ironflight]

How?s this for the utility of an RV?

Houston to Carlsbad (NM) to San Diego, to Big Bear Lake?.then a return through El Paso and back on to Houston. All in three and a half days, and a total flight time of a little less than seventeen hours. Along the way, we had some nice visits with friends and family, magnificent scenery ranging from deserts to sea coasts to high mountains and mountain lakes. And all flown safely and with lots of options and flexibility. Just try doing a trip like this with an airline ticket?.or a book of them!

I left Houston about noon on Thursday, stopped for inexpensive fuel in the Hill Country (it pays to shop for fuel when you can save $1.00 per gallon!), and pressed on to Carlsbad, NM, arriving easily after a three-hour flight. The whole day was VFR, with a bit of a headwind at the start, diminishing to almost calm at Carlsbad. Total time (including startup and taxi) = 3:24

Friday, Louise and I left Carlsbad at a leisurely pace, headed for Montgomery Field, San Diego. Again, a beautiful VFR day, with 10-15 knot tailwinds, just as predicted by Weathermeister. In all my years of flying GA, very little has been across the southwest, and none of it has been in southern California, so it was fun to see new types of scenery from the air, and to find out what massive restricted areas are like. Fortunately, the airways provide nice paths between them and with the three GPS?s to refer to, and the EFIS coupled to the autopilot, staying in legal airspace was easy, and keeping an eye outside for traffic (and scenery) was a piece of cake. I simply don?t find hand flying hour upon hour of straight and level to be that rewarding anymore, so I welcome the precision and tirelessness of the autopilot to free me for higher level brain functions. Like marveling at the immense nature of the ?basin and range? geology of the area. (It also helps to have a geologist on the back seat to narrate the passing mountains, deserts, and basins?.)

My first interaction with SOCAL approach was actually a bit surprising ? as we slid over the coastal range down into San Diego, I called up VFR for KMYF, and the handling was simple and straightforward. The surprise was when he terminated me to squawk VFR will still a ways out from Montgomery, and left me to fend for myself while I still had another airport?s class D to negotiate. (OK all you SOCAL guys, laugh if you want?.come to Houston, and see what Surly Texans in the TRACON can be like?.) I was glad that Louise, my GIB, has experience in the area, and had briefed me on how it works. Tuning in the tower, I wasn?t sure I could get a word in edgewise, but when I heard him call me as unknown traffic to someone headed my way, I took that as a good place to break in, and I was cleared for a straight in to 28R. The helicopter that wandered across the final approach course in front of me got a thorough chewing out from the Tower, and the rest of the landing was uneventful. With a stop in Casa Grande , AZ (KCGZ) for fuel (not actually needed, but I prefer to have extra fuel when entering a region new to me?), the trip clocked in at 4:29, block to block.

After a nice lunch on the seashore in La Jolla, and an afternoon appointment, we again saddled up the Val and headed out ? this time for a short trip up the coast to Oceanside for dinner. A low layer of clouds was hovering right at the coastline, making it interesting to set up for the noise abatement procedure into KOKB, but once again, local knowledge from the rear seat was invaluable, and we spent only twenty minutes in the air, with a block time of 0:29 for the trip. It pays to be quick with your run-up procedures when there are others slowly going through their checklists and the tower has a hole to launch someone.

In a situation where I have to fly out with the weather threatening to close in on me, I can feel pretty rushed and harried, making it hard to enjoy a nice dinner in a marina restaurant, but in this case, we were dining with family, and I knew that if the fog closed in, we?d just stay with them. Since it didn?t matter to me, naturally, the weather stayed nice, and we were able to take off again a little before 1900 local, headed for Louise?s family cabin at Big Bear Lake, up in the mountains east of LA. Since my exposure to southern California has been the occasional business trip into LAX, or flying into the Antelope Valley (Louise has gotten used to giving me California directions by referencing them to Edwards AFB), I was stunned to find such a beautiful pine-filled mountain retreat so close to the eastern edge of the LA basin. I was also impressed with the utility of an RV?s ability to shrug of a climb up to 8,000? on a short hop from the coast. In the old spam cans I grew up in, a climb to that altitude was a big deal. In the RV ? you just pull back and make the hands on the altimeter go round and round! Approaching Big Bear City airport from the west by coming in over the lake with the sun setting behind presented a gorgeous picture ? now THIS is what we built these airplanes to do! Another 0:39 on the clock, and the day ended in a nice little cabin, the smell of the forest in the air. Carlsbad ? San Diego ? Oceanside ? Big Bear in one day = 5:37 total flying time and great gobs of the U.S. swallowed up by the magic wings.

Saturday was to be spent in Carlsbad (CA) with some of Louise?s family, and we were presented with the classic aviator?s dilemma. Low clouds and visibility predicted until noonish at the destination of Palomar, then beautiful VFR, followed by more low clouds and ceilings in the early evening. Drive or fly? Once again, I hate being the one looking at my watch as the clouds begin to appear, and since we?d had a nice flight up from the coast on Friday, and I?d never seen the roads up to Big Bear, we decided to make it a driving day. I must admit, the scenery on the route is as fabulous from the ground as it is from the air ? albeit in a different way. But still a huge change from the flat Texas coast! The afternoon finished off with some of the family taking biplane rides at Palomar, and a festive time was had by all. And sure enough, a half hour before we were ready to leave, the clouds rolled in - we?d have had to go IFR to get back to the mountains. With my lack of familiarity with the area, I just wasn?t comfortable with that, so the four-wheel vehicle was the right choice.

Continued....

[Ironflight]

Sunday?s mission called for getting Louise to El Paso for a commercial flight out on a business trip by early afternoon. The working plan was to get her to Carlsbad so she could pick up her -6, and take it down to the big airport to catch her flight and give her an easy way to get back home upon her return. The forecast, however, was for showers and thunderstorms starting in eastern Arizona, and continuing across into Texas, so I flight planned to El Paso (via CGZ) in case the weather deteriorated. Sure enough, we had a magnificent VFR departure from Big Bear, and climbed to 9,500 to cross the desert. An old phrase from the Apollo Lunar missions kept creeping into my brain??Magnificent Desolation? is how the lunar surface was described by one man on the moon, and it sure fits the route across to Phoenix. Once again, we took on fuel at Casa Grande to maximize our options, and sure enough, the XM was showing building showers and storms northeast, south, and a little east of El Paso. The Carlsbad option was out for Louise, so I aimed for KELP, and we arrived just about the showers moved in from the south. Light rain, with VFR visibility and ceilings still predominating, but enough for the line guys at the fancy FBO to bring out umbrellas and a covered cart to bring us inside. I bid Louise farewell as she headed for the SWA terminal, and I cranked up the engine and the XM weather and headed east. Well, southeast, actually, then south, then east again, then more southerly?.all VFR, below the clouds, with good clearance above the MEA. It?s comforting to look down and see I-10 below you, because you know it was laid out on the easiest and lowest terrain. While there were quite a few small storms, I never got close to anything, and if fact, the only rain I got was the light patter around El Paso itself.

Watching the weather on the 396 and the terrain on my EFIS made for an interesting combination as I picked a safe route down towards Marfa and Alpine. This effectively cleared me of the worst of the weather, the big west Texas boomers that were reaching up to 55K?, all to the north. Once I was past Fort Stockton, I was left with scattered to broken cumulous which I topped at 11,500?, cruising along at 168 knots TAS sipping 7.1 gph. With spotty showers and many broken and scattered layers all the way to Eagle Lake (just west of Houston) staying on top and not stopping for fuel was the order of the day. My time to destination showed two hours and my fuel remaining was over four ? a no brainer to go non-stop. When I eventually climbed to 13.5K for the last hour of the cruise to top a few overachieving cells, the fuel flow dropped to 6.5 gph with hardly any reduction in airspeed ? and a net increase in groundspeed due to some light tailwinds. In fact, in theory, I could have made New Orleans (non stop from El Paso) ? if I had been willing to dead-stick it in on arrival?..not!

The long fast descent into Houston was made ? as predicted ? in clear sky and smooth air, with all of the clouds and showers left in the mirrors. Big Bear to CGZ was 1:49, CGZ to KELP another 2:05, and the long leg to Houston clocked in at 3:48 (lots of deviations for weather). I figure that seven hours and 43 minutes was a long enough duty day for me, and the Val is ready for an oil change. Three and a half days, Houston to SOCAL, a few great experiences, wonderful scenery, lots of fast flying time ? how can you beat it?!

I'll have to sort through the 200 or so pictures we took - there might be one or two inspirational ones to add here....

Paul

[pierre smith]

Paul,
You just made me make up my mind to just go and burn some gas for no reason at all......well, maybe a roll or two, a loop or three, just because I can....at 9:00 a.m. on a gorgeous Georgia day.........Thanks,

Pierre

Oh, all you rivetbangers just don't realize the pleasures you're working toward

[jdeas]

Wow,
I've got two years at best before I get out of rentals. Got to fly local in a Citabria but nothing like your trip. I can't even stay out after dark or overnight in the rental......

[rv7boy]

Paul,
Thanks for sharing your weekend adventures with us. I am anxious to see the photos you decide to publish. What a weekend! What a country!! What an airplane!!!
Don

[jbDC9]

Dang, makes me wanna pack a bag and head out west for a long haul 3-4 day trip... but it seems lately that due to work and family issues in Dallas there's no time. Wahhh!! Oh well, maybe in another month or two. For now I'm using my -8 as a commuter ship for a bunch of Houston-Dallas(McKinney) round trips; sure beats driving or jumping on an RJ/737!

I did manage a bit of fun flying Saturday, an evening flight back from dinner at Brenham; clear, cool, calm, smooth air... at sunset with the moon low in the eastern sky and Rush playing thru the headsets... bliss.

[Ironflight]

Guadalupe Peak and El Capitan....


The pilot and the GIB (Geologist In Back), somewhere over the desert....


Here's a link to a few more pictures from the airplane along the way...I'm always happy if I can inspire a few folks to get out in the workshop and get that airplane finished - Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Ironflig...iforniaAndBack

Paul

[txaviator]

It sure seems pretty simple to me, and I can put the MAIN response into two words:

GET MARRIED!

Geez, a woman who understands IFR, terrain, knows reg's across the country, has her own RV?

Why the heck are you typing in this forum? You should be at a jewelry store in south Texas, and on a knee within the hour

Sorry, just had to offer that expert advice I have had a "practice wife", and to find a potential spouse like you have described? Priceless!

Take care,

[Ironflight]

Well heck Gary....I've already added a rear seat throttle capability to the Val....and she's added me to the insurance on her -6.....what's more to do?!?!?

Oh....and she reads the forums as well...

So who was it that suggested that Doug add a match-making service to the forums? In truth, I think he already has....

Paul

[DeltaRomeo]

Youse guys are crackin' me up .

Great write-up, Paul. Too bad you're not getting to fly your -8 much.

b,
dr