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San Diego to Baltimore Oct 1

foxflyer

foxflyer

Registered User
Just south of the Mason Dixon Line
I know it's not a long wing, and it doesn't have bushwheels but I thought some of you may be able to help.

My friend just bought a Decathlon in San Diego asked me if I would help bring it back. Looking to bring it back sometime after Oct. 1. I need to get back in time to get out to John's OBP fly-in on the 16th.

Having never flown out west I'm looking for any advice I can get. My great circle route puts me just North of Prescott, Winslow, probably stop near Taos at the end of the 1st day. Then end up near Kansas City for the second night. Maybe somewhere near Zanesville, OH on the third night. Ending at Essex Skypark W48 on day four. All this is subject to immediate and drastic change.

Was thinking of maybe heading up towards the Grand Canyon and over towards monument valley. Then Overnight near Durango. Leave early and head through the cumbres pass to the east

Unfortunately this Taildragger has wheel pants, so not looking for anything to rough but am looking for some real gem airports along the way. Gas on grass. Places with food or courtesy car to go to town for eats. I am bringing a tent so camp friendly places too.

I'm really getting stoked about this and looking foward to any input you guys have.

Thanks,
Nick W.
 
Your destination will taken you into more (and more) volatile weather. Be careful thru "tornado alley" (New Mexico, Texas, OK, KS etc)! That area can get crazy. W map.jpgTstormFreq.jpg
 

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This is the best time of the year. Thunderstorms and tornadoes are becoming rare, and it is still plenty warm.

I thought I knew all the Decathlons in San Diego - I think there are only three at MYF, including mine.

These are not off- airport airplanes. They can be landed in dirt, but are not STOL. They are designed to go fairly fast and to fly inverted. I have had mine in a mountain strip east of San Diego, where the Super Cubs all use 26" tires or better, and the wheel pants survived.

I recommend going just south of Santa Fe, over Las Vegas NM, then north to Raton. Raton is an excellent overnight. If you are a railroad buff, come see me before you leave. Durango and Chama are wonderful destinations, but a bit out of your way.
 
Thanks Bob,
The plane is based at kcrq. I'm just helping a buddy bring it back. My plane doesn't go upside down but likes to play off airport.

Thanks for the route suggestion. I thought this would be a good time of year also. The winds should be dying down, not to cold yet. Trying to time moisture off the Gulf is going to be a challenge. This time of year the weather systems seem to be more organized as opposed to the summer months with unstable air and convection with wide spread thunderstorms. I'm under no time constraints so we plan to play it safe with weather.
 
depending on your time to travel...

Get the 'fill up flyer' list of cheap fuel... (what ever it is called now). has distances and such right on it so you can plan off of it.

Figure out where the weather is favorable, and going to be favorable, and fly till you feel like stoping. work towards good weather, use the sheet for finding cheap fuel. Stay where you can fly the next day.
 
Just spent the night in Grants NM (GNT) great place and nice people. Cross the pass mountain South of Santa Fe. Las Vegas NM is a **** hole don't get stuck there. They are building some new faculties might be very nice soon. Beaumont Hotel in KS will be right on your path. Don't want to miss that stop. Watch your fuel, airports with fuel can be a long ways apart in the western states, and its becoming more common to find them on bankers hours and locked up or not having any fuel. Carry extra oil, that can be harder to find than gas with all the self serve pumps and unattended airports. Lots of great sights to see along the way. It will be a fun trip.
 
OLDCROWE said:
Hardly... absolute best time of the year in the west and mid-west.
Click to expand...

you sure about that...

right through and between the swing states headed to election time...:peeper (please don't send this to r&r for that )


But it is funny for me, I don't ever consider tornados and hurricanes in my travels... though we get the hurricane winds and I plan to stop and avoid them...
 
Looking at the previously recorded information, a tornado is "unlikely" after September. Thank you for correcting me.

My concern is that the weather patterns will change as you move east! Cold upper dry air (continental) and warm moist (low level) Gulf air can make conditions more severe than in SoCal... Just beware as you move east.

Hurricane season goes until November! (Same as in Hawaii)
 
I would recommend staying farther south and not flying over the Rockies unless you have a good reason to do so. From San Diego I suggest you head towards Sedona or Winlsow, AZ and then on towards Albuquerque, NM. Las Vegas NM is the first good place to turn north, but as a stop there isn't much to recommend it and the fuel prices are pretty high. There is also no big hurry to head north since you have plenty of ground to cover between there and southern Ohio. Don't forget to check out fuel prices at AirNav.com as they can vary by a buck or more per gallon within a 50 mile radius.
 
No - a lightplane can get in trouble. It's just that some of us have done this before. I have 15 transcontinentals in a J-3, and can tell you that things lurk out there. But early October is practically benign.

The best way, in my opinion, is south of Santa Fe, with Las Vegas as a turn point and Raton as a fuel point. Next best is east of Belen. With Mountainair and santa Rosa as potential stops. No fuel at Mountainair. Truly beautiful, but requiring 11,000', is over Angel Fire and the pole line to Raton. I have done them all in a 65 HP J-3.

I too spent the night at Grants. You can walk to town. Whilst camping, at two AM a twin came in to unload. You can bet I was real quiet. Real quiet.
 
...The following regulation is not unheard of...

FAR says:

§ 91.103 Preflight action.
Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include—
(a) For a flight under IFR or a flight not in the vicinity of an airport, weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed, and any known traffic delays of which the pilot in command has been advised by ATC;
(b) For any flight, runway lengths at airports of intended use, and the following takeoff and landing....
 
Yes, Grants is a nice stop. Pricy fuel, but Wes is about as nice of a guy as you'll find. Also has a couple of airport cars to loan out. I fly there for breakfast regularly. Make a fuel stop just southwest of Grants at St Johns, AZ. Gary is also really nice and has crew cars to send you to town for lunch. St Johns will be the cheapest 100LL you find anywhere along the route. Taos is also a nice stop (I'll be flying Young Eagles there this Saturday in my SC). It's pretty high terrain headed west over Angel Fire from Taos, but easy enough to do in a Decathlon. I would invite you to put your plane up for the night in my hangar at Los Alamos, but I'll be out wandering around in the Carolinas that week in my KR. I should be back home around Oct 11, so if your trip gets delayed, you're welcome to hangar space and spend the night at my place. As stated earlier, Las Vegas is kind of a pit. Wouldn't stop there. Santa Fe can be OK. Air Center has crew cars, but you're competing with the Jet jockeys for a car and they buy more fuel. Good restaurant on the field.

This time of year is about as nice of weather as you'll find in the SouthWest, so it should be a good trip.

-CubBuilder
 
Wow Guys thanks for all the help and keep it coming.
Sounds like Grant is going to be layover number one with gas, stretch and eat at Wickenburg, AZ. Bill where did you stay in Grant?

The Beaumont looks fun not many taxi up hotels around.

Thanks for the hospitality offer CB if we get delayed may just have to take you up on that.
Looking for gas and food somewhere between Grant and Wichita think GUY they have a car to go to town with.
 
Great time of the year, easily predicted weather (don't worry about the sky falling), the Beaumont is a great stop in the middle of tall grass prairie. Have fun and if you take a mid-south route lots of good stops here in eastern Oklahoma.
 
If you are interested in Native American culture you might consider a stop in Gallup or Window Rock. Lots of famous artists in the area: silver work, rugs, pottery, sand paintings, etc. Also good photography in the early mornings and late afternoons. I've enjoyed spending time in Santa Fe, too (good chow, good galleries). Wichita is on your route: maybe a visit to Beech and Cessna? You can stop in at Lee Bottom - a nice grass strip in Southern Indiana on the Ohio River. Don't forget about the permanent TFR around DC: you have to do special training to fly in that airspace.
 
Sbrookfield said:
Where in Baltimore are you heading? I fly out of GAI.
Click to expand...

You are brave operating out of GAI. That SFRA stuff scares me.
The plane is going to w48 Essex. I have a 1000' strip at my house. I'm a mile below the Pa Line North of Baltimore. Nearest is airport is 0p2

Speedo said:
If you are interested in Native American culture you might consider a stop in Gallup or Window Rock. Lots of famous artists in the area: silver work, rugs, pottery, sand paintings, etc. Also good photography in the early mornings and late afternoons. I've enjoyed spending time in Santa Fe, too (good chow, good galleries). Wichita is on your route: maybe a visit to Beech and Cessna? You can stop in at Lee Bottom - a nice grass strip in Southern Indiana on the Ohio River. Don't forget about the permanent TFR around DC: you have to do special training to fly in that airspace.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. I am well aware of the SFRA. The special training is watching a video on the computer.
 
Flying out to San Diego tomorrow evening. Be leaving sometime Monday. Trying to get to Grant for the 1st night.
 
The weather looks good... some rainfall in the Southeast but otherwise favorable. I have found my best long x-country experiences were when I was not in a hurry. Take your time and split it up into comfortable legs. Most of all... have fun.
 
foxflyer said:
Then end up near Kansas City for the second night.
Click to expand...
Nick, if you end up south of there, you are welcome to fly into our farm and spend the night. I'll fix you something to eat, too. If my husband cooks, the food will likely taste better. :lol: I'll be home until I fly out of here on Oct 5th.

A nice stop for food and fuel south of Kansas City is at Miami Co. near Paola, KS (K81). BBQ restaurant right on the field. One of my favorite places to fly for food. :)

The Beaumont Hotel (SN07), east of Wichita, as others have mentioned, is a fun place to fly into. Land in the grass outside of town, taxi down a side street, stop at the stop sign and park in the grass next to the hotel. Food isn't bad. We've never spent the night there, but I plan to some day. They don't have fuel, though. Last time I landed there, there were a few chug holes with rocks at the south end of the strip, so you might want to keep that in mind with those wheel pants. Those spots are pretty easy to taxi around.
 
Oh, I forgot to mention that Miami County (K81) has a grass runway, in addition to the asphalt runway. One time when I was announcing about 10 miles out that I was landing on Runway 15, a Bonanza pilot, who was also inbound, tried to correct me on the radio telling me that there was only one runway at Miami County. :smile: Silly guy.

Actually, the grass runway there is really just a '75 mile final for Runway 33' from our farm.

Here is a link to the BBQ restaurant with their hours. They are closed on Monday.

http://www.websmokin.com/
 
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