Best VFR route from Midwest to Mesa/Tucson AZ??

[lancef53]

Not sure where this belongs, but looking for info on the best/easiest route from Fargo, ND (FAR) to Tucson.

VFR flight, and it doesn't need to be a straight line flight. Any good places to stop for fuel, stretch legs, etc?

The timeline will be around Thanksgiving, depending on weather.

Thanks in advance, Mods feel free to move this if it should be somewhere else.

[Ron Lee]

I would head to the Albuquerque area which keeps you out of the mountains then on to Tucson. You may fly east of ABQ or land at AEG if you need fuel. Just a function of your specifics.

Check charts for MOAs/restricted areas. If unfamiliar with high density altitude ops (less critical in November) and mountain flying, review the AOPA courses on them. It is unlikely that density altitude will be a barrier to your RV...just have to make sure you are used to it...primarily higher ground speed at normal airspeed when landing.

Check airnav.com for fuel

If you want to fly in the mountains, advise and a route for that can be suggested. Possible higher winds may make that a less desirable option this time of year (see mountain flying course for reason).

A glancing mountainous route would be FAR - LVS (Las Vegas, NM) - Socorro, NM (KONM) then follow I-25 South short distance then turn right towards Deming NM to pick up that expressway into Tucson. Some slight diversion for restricted areas may be needed.

[gbrasch]

If you go that route, a nice place to stop for fuel with a good little cafe on the field is Las Cruces, NM. (LRU). Also, you will have to learn to spell Tucson correctly to become a true snowbird!

[az_gila]

Originally Posted by Ron Lee

I.....
A glancing mountainous route would be FAR - LVS (Las Vegas, NM) - Socorro, NM (KONM) then follow I-25 South short distance then turn right towards Deming NM to pick up that expressway into Tucson. Some slight diversion for restricted areas may be needed.

...the route I took back from Rapid City home to Tucson.

Along the way, we enjoyed Ft. Collins as a nice college town, and a stop at Santa Fe is always worthwhile - the DA should not be as bad this time of year.

Las Cruces has the airport restaurant as Glenn says, but Deming is good for a fast fuel turn-around. If you do stay overnight in Las Cruces, make sure you get an Enterprise car (same price as two cab rides) and visit Mesilla, the old part of Las Cruces. The high end Hotel Encanto has reasonable rates and is a really nice stay, we have spent Christmas there.

[RV7Guy]

I'm from South Dakota (Aberdeen area) and fly there a couple of times a year from the Phoenix area. It is a one stop flight most of the time.

Fly South to Dalhart TX. (KDHT) Go to Bailey's flying service on the North side of the hangars for fuel. It is much cheaper than the vendor on the first ramp you come to. RV7 owner Brent Colvin works there as a crop duster.

From there, direct into the Phoenix area. This will have you just South of the ABQ area. You can definitely go more direct but I'd prefer to not deal with the potential winds and weather over the Rockies. Lots of mountains in AZ so plan to fly high.

[rvbuilder2002]

Originally Posted by Ron Lee

A glancing mountainous route would be FAR - LVS (Las Vegas, NM) - Socorro, NM (KONM) then follow I-25 South short distance then turn right towards Deming NM to pick up that expressway into Tucson. Some slight diversion for restricted areas may be needed.

The exact path I used to use when I lived in Phoenix.

Las Vegas, NM is pretty much the corner turn point of the south end of the Rocky Mountain range from most of the mid-west if you are wishing to avoid mountains when headed to the southwest.
Back in the day when there were multiple regional FSS's you could get a fast in person briefing in either LVS or Deming, along with quick fuel service as Gil mentioned (the pumps and FSS were pretty much right next to each other). I think those days are long gone though.

[L.Adamson]

Just a note about mountain flying. Some of my smoothest flights have been in November over mountain areas (the Rocky's). It all depends on the weather. In warmer months, you can always count on mid day turbulence, but you can go for hours in the winter months with hardly a bump & much clearer skies. If the weather is unstable, then fly somewhere else. Traveling from Salt Lake City to Lake Powell & Monument Valley just before Thanksgiving has been one of my favorite time frames for this flight. Has worked for the Jackson Hole area also...........but sometimes various airports will be clouded over. This is where it helps to have had experience with mountain flights. XM weather is a nice addition too.

L.Adamson --- RV6A

[lancef53]

Thanks for the tips, sounds like a good route.

I am not ready to be a snowbird yet, maybe in another 30 years

Just going down to watch some dirt track racing, nothing real important.

[lancef53]

Yep, coming for the modified races, Got a couple buddies running. We had toyed with coming to Las cruces the 5-6-7, but harvest got in the way.

[rv9av8tr]

I flew through KABR to and from OSH and can say the folks at Hanger 9 FBO are wonderful. Fuel is 5.20; they put our planes inside their big hanger for no charge and gave us the owners new car to overnight with in town! AND they met us in the morning at 0600 so we could get out early! Wonderful fresh banana bread and free drinks in the FBO.