First LONG flight in a small plane

G

gator4798

Well-Known Member
Yo folks, Me and another pilot are taking a time building trip. Leaving from San Jose, CA and flying to Wichita, KS. Over 4 days. The route:

KRHV LICKE HENCE ROM AVE GMN PMD HEC CLIPP KEED EED DRK INW GUP CROIN HEGMI KSAF SAF TAFOY FTI DHT LBL ICT KICT

Was just wondering if any one had some tips about long flights in small planes and about the trip it's self, if any one has some suggestions. It's a Cessna 172SP with a G1000 and integrated GFC700 autopilot and in flight live satellite weather access, A godsend for this flight. We are leaving San Jose at around 5am, Stopping for fuel in Needles (EED) and Santa Fe (SAF). The one part that concerns us is making it through the convective thunderstorms between Needles and Santa Fe. We will be passing through the area between 8:30am and 12:00pm. It should be before the storms come up but I wanted to ask. They are always isolated so if you have a few storm systems are they something that you can visually discern from the surrounding cloud systems and "See and Avoid"? Both I and the other pilot are IFR rated, but this will be the first time either of us has had to fly in areas of thunderstorm activity. We are leaving this Friday (9/4). Thanks in advance! Any and all tips welcome.
 
It's easiest to see the thunderstorms out the window for close ones, unless they're embedded and use the satellite weather to know what is coming up in 50mi or so.
 
gator4798 said:
They are always isolated so if you have a few storm systems are they something that you can visually discern from the surrounding cloud systems and "See and Avoid"? Both I and the other pilot are IFR rated, but this will be the first time either of us has had to fly in areas of thunderstorm activity. We are leaving this Friday (9/4). Thanks in advance! Any and all tips welcome.
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The T-Storm activity in AZ and NM is pretty easy to see building and to avoid, whether altering your course or diverting. They're buildup is slow enough to allow for avoidance, and the TCUs are easy to see in their formation. I do not recommend attempting to go under, much less through them.
 
The biggest storms you'll find are on the east side of the Rockies past Santa Fe. The midwest can churn up some major storms, but if you keep a close eye and check flightwatch often you should be fine. Try to do the majority of you flying before prime time (mid afternoon) Use the WX picture in your plane to fly strategically not defensively. In other words use it to plan ahead, not to pick your way through something.

Think density altitude, particularly in northern AZ and NM. A 172 is a great flatlander airplane, but in areas that have a density altitude of 8K at seven in the morning it'll be a wee bit sluggish. Lean your mixture a bit prior to takeoff and calculate that density altitude every time before take off, let me make that clear, every time before takeoff

Oh yeah, pictures lots of pictures:D
 
Of Course there will be lots of picture taking. And DA will be checked before taking off. Thankfully the airports in that area all have some very long runways to accommodate us. I can't wait for this flight and should be lots of fun.
 
Personally one change I would make is stopping for fuel at KHII rather then KEED. It would mean an extra, what, 5 minutes of flight time for that leg and you will have the nicest FBO to stop at on earth!

Havasu Air Center is nicer then my house! Great facilities, drinks, cookies, slushy machine, good fuel prices, ect.

KEED on the other hand is, well, a hole.

I fly into KHIII, let's just say more often then the law permits.

Just my .02


Also, for such a long trip I would make sure to bring along a few of these, just in case. ;) (No point in making any unforeseen diversions)

bottles.jpg
 
Ehh, the airplane you are taking is pretty top notch. I don't think you will have to worry, if you do, wait it out.

WATER!

When I do multiple long legs in a a small four seater, I make sure to down a whole bottle of water 40-60 minutes before the fuel stop. Get to your fuel stop and let it out, repeat on the next couple of legs.
You will be amazed how ADM can deteriorate with hydration.

Plus you will have a place to wee if you mistime your bladder.
----

Crossing a good chunk of the country in a small GA airplane is a lot of fun.
 
MikeD said:
The T-Storm activity in AZ and NM is pretty easy to see building and to avoid, whether altering your course or diverting. They're buildup is slow enough to allow for avoidance, and the TCUs are easy to see in their formation. I do not recommend attempting to go under, much less through them.
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:yeahthat:

Unless you have really unstable air and a ton of tropical moisture you should be OK before noon.

Long flights in a small plane can be a lot of fun. Once me and another instructor picked up a Seneca and flew it from Knoxville to Salt Lake. With stops in Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Amarillo (For the night.) Then on to Farmington and SLC the next day. Still one of my favorite flying memories. Have fun.

Don't be afraid to make unscheduled stops and make sure the water bottles have . . . . .. . .uuhhhhhhh . . . .how to say this? . . . . large openings for the longer flights. Speaking from personal experience. :)
 
I've flown to ICT before. You have to stop and get some BBQ, OMG that was the best $10 I've ever spent on pulled pork, I think I have a picture floating around here somewhere.
 
having just done a C-206 from CA to Kuwait, with the same equipment i can say read, watch movies and enjoy whatever you get to see. It sounds like you have a friend to fly with, at least you can chat it up with them. Enjoy.
 
Do not go to Needles. The runways are very well maintained but the shack they call a FBO is pathetic.
 
BillErvin said:
T

Think density altitude, particularly in northern AZ and NM. A 172 is a great flatlander airplane, but in areas that have a density altitude of 8K at seven in the morning it'll be a wee bit sluggish. Lean your mixture a bit prior to takeoff and calculate that density altitude every time before take off, let me make that clear, every time before takeoff
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:
This is very good advice. If you haven't ever done any high altitude flying while hot out, you might be in for a bit of a surprise.
 
For density altitude: AUX page group, Page 1, lower right corner. No need to run the numbers when the G1000 will do it for you on the fly ;)

As for other advice I haven't seen mentioned yet...

Be flexible. I've crossed the country like this numerous times and I can't remember a time when everything went according to plans. Between weather, mechanical issues, oversleeping, needing to pee, FBOs being closed, and a million other things, I expect to change the plan along the way. I get a rough idea of where I want to go before starting a trip, then plan the next leg at each fuel stop along the way. I always end up at my ultimate destination eventually.

Carry enough gear to survive for a few days if you go down. That's some rough terrain you're going over. You don't want to be the guy who survives the crash, only to die from exposure to the elements while you're waiting to be rescued. Carry lots of water and a good sleeping bag, minimum. Trail mix, a lighter, knife, backpacking tent, etc. could also be quite handy.

This might sound obvious, but carry good, long tiedown ropes, wheel chocks, and a tow bar. I can't count the times I've rolled in to an airport in the middle of nowhere, either by choice or by diversion, and needed to secure my plane myself. Getting stuck on a windy, empty ramp without those three things is a bad spot to be in. Rental aircraft routinely used for local training don't always carry these things.

Keep your cell phone battery fully charged before starting each day. Few things suck more than being on a cold, locked up, desolate airport after hours, needing to make a call, and having a dead battery.

Carry an AOPA Airport Directory if you can get a hold of one. When you're trying to decide enroute where to divert to, it's nice being able to have detailed info on food, lodging, and transportation available at whatever airports you're considering diverting to.

Remember that you're not a real pilot until you've slept in the plane overnight for one reason or another. I'm only half joking about this one!

Have fun out there. You'll learn a lot.
 
As jrh just mentioned, take a survival kit. I don't know how many times I've crossed that part of the country in the last 6 months. There is nothing out there and I wouldn't want to go down without a basic survival kit. At work today I just bought a 2 man kit for all of our a/c due to how often we fly down there.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/2person.php

The $66 is definitely worth the piece of mind.
 
Well one SNAFU has already popped up. The Aircraft we were going to take was undergoing a 100hr inspection when a problem was discovered. Thankfully there is another C172SP W/ G1000 we have access to. It only lacks a GFC700 autopilot, Having instead a KAP140. A bit of schedualing problems to work through then we are back on track. Thanks so much for the advice so far guys, I'm putting together tiedown stuff along with a 2 man survival kit. And a blanket in case I get to sleep in the plane :-)
 
gator4798 said:
Well one SNAFU has already popped up. The Aircraft we were going to take was undergoing a 100hr inspection when a problem was discovered. Thankfully there is another C172SP W/ G1000 we have access to. It only lacks a GFC700 autopilot, Having instead a KAP140. A bit of schedualing problems to work through then we are back on track. Thanks so much for the advice so far guys, I'm putting together tiedown stuff along with a 2 man survival kit. And a blanket in case I get to sleep in the plane :-)
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Good man!

Another couple tips I forgot to mention in my previous post...

Pizza delivery places are usually open later than other restaurants and can deliver to the airport.

A friend and I came up with that trick during a late night adventure. We landed at an airport after everything was closed up. The field was in the middle of an industrial section of town, so it would have been several miles to walk anywhere to get food. We told the pizza place that we wanted it delivered to the sidewalk in front of the FBO. Worked like a charm, although the driver must have been a bit freaked out, meeting a couple guys standing on a sidewalk at 11 p.m. in a deserted part of town.

The second tip...bring a roll of toilet paper. You may or may not find a use for it along the way. But if you need it, you'll be extremely glad you have it. Trust me.
 
1) 91.103

2) maintain seriousness about density altitude.

3) spending the night in podunkville beats dying in a thunderstorm/mountain.

3) keep the camera charged and post 'em.

Have fun. I took my first real XC last month and it was life changing. I hope you enjoy it, and we'll all be looking forward to your pics/vids.
 
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