The REAL deal - an aviation vacation

If its one of those sunny days with puffy scattered cumulus and scattered or isolated thunderstorms, climb over the scattered cumulus and fly at 7-10,000 feet as long as you've got plenty of breaks in the clouds below you. You'll be able to see any thunderstorms from 50-100 miles away or more and you'll know where they are. This is much safer than plodding along below the cumulus layer, where you might not know you are heading for a tstorm until you are 5-10 miles away...

I'm not that familiar with california weather but I'm guessing you don't have days like that too often anyway. Here in the southeast that describes most every day in the spring and summer.
 
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I believe it is gas at TCY gets you discounted/free BBQ at MCE. Same guy owns the gas pumps at TCY and the BBQ place at MCE, but not the gas pumps at MCE.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I'm trying to look it up but I don't remember where you have to buy avgas. Call the Hangar BBQ at Merced and ask them. Their phone number is (209) 384-1963
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Thank you!

I was mostly interested in the place based on your comments because a good on-field BBQ joint is certainly something to be aware of :D
 
dell30rb said:
If its one of those sunny days with puffy scattered cumulus and scattered or isolated thunderstorms, climb over the scattered cumulus and fly at 7-10,000 feet as long as you've got plenty of breaks in the clouds below you. You'll be able to see any thunderstorms from 50-100 miles away or more and you'll know where they are. This is much safer than plodding along below the cumulus layer, where you might not know you are heading for a tstorm until you are 5-10 miles away...

I'm not that familiar with california weather but I'm guessing you don't have days like that too often anyway. Here in the southeast that describes most every day in the spring and summer.
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I am NOT going to climb over clouds. Not at this time in my flying career and NOT with thunderstorms in the sky. No thank you. I know it is "legal" but I am not doing anything marginal.

Twice now on "perfect" VFR days to coastal destinations I've had clouds surprise me that weren't forecasted - including two weeks ago when I sat down to dinner and saw my home airport had gone marginal VFR. FOUR TIMES I've cancelled important flights with family members unexpectedly. If the weather is anything less than perfect, I'm driving, since I don't have $500 to $600 to waste on being thrown around in turbulence.

I'm shocked you'd even suggest I avoid thunderstorms. I'll stay an extra day, or go home a day early, but I won't fly with thunder nearby. Around Petaluma, you don't see T-Storms in the forecast very often - so I can only imagine what else they bring with them. We had turbulence when there was no airmet for turbulence, and you feel everything in a 150. If I had the 172 with long range tanks, much heavier, it would be different.
 
You won't have any problem at Oceano as the wind is favorable. Typically you will land towards the ocean with strong headwind. Just keep a little bit of power to reach the runway and the plane will land by itself.
 
Twice now on "perfect" VFR days to coastal destinations I've had clouds surprise me that weren't forecasted - including two weeks ago when I sat down to dinner and saw my home airport had gone marginal VFR. FOUR TIMES I've cancelled important flights with family members unexpectedly. If the weather is anything less than perfect, I'm driving, since I don't have $500 to $600 to waste on being thrown around in turbulence.
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Wise decision Kimberly. Stay with what your instincts are telling you. Be safe.
 
A forecast for a chance of thunderstorms 7 days from now is not something I would get excited about. The chances of that being accurate are somewhere between slim and none. Could happen a day or two sooner, a day or two later, or not at all.

Isolated stuff you can avoid - sometimes a widespread line means put down and wait - typically after a couple hours they will have moved on to somewhere else. It can be frustrating to follow along behind a line though...

Weather happens (as you have found).

What direction will you be flying and what direction do they typically move in your part of the world?
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
A forecast for a chance of thunderstorms 7 days from now is not something I would get excited about. The chances of that being accurate are somewhere between slim and none. Could happen a day or two sooner, a day or two later, or not at all.

Isolated stuff you can avoid - sometimes a widespread line means put down and wait - typically after a couple hours they will have moved on to somewhere else. It can be frustrating to follow along behind a line though...

Weather happens (as you have found).

What direction will you be flying and what direction do they typically move in your part of the world?
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I have no idea. Weather is my weakest point since, up until now, I simply didn't fly if it wasn't nice out.

Also, 3 of the 4 days are forecasting rain, fog, significant cloud cover, and the thunderstorm thing has disappeared. Today / yesterday there was a severe wind warning of winds up to 50mph (but that should be gone before the weekend). It just isn't looking good. Darn.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I have no idea. Weather is my weakest point since, up until now, I simply didn't fly if it wasn't nice out.
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:hairraise:

It's good to know the general patterns and what direction storms usually move (generally eastward in most of the U.S.) so you know if you are flying into something or if it is moving away from you. Example - storm moving east, you are flying west planning to land at an airport that is still clear. You may or may not make it... But, once you do land, you can often just wait for it to blow over. On the other hand, if you are flying east, if the airport ahead is clear, it is likely to remain clear. But you aren't going to any faster than the weather.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
:hairraise:

It's good to know the general patterns and what direction storms usually move (generally eastward in most of the U.S.) so you know if you are flying into something or if it is moving away from you. Example - storm moving east, you are flying west planning to land at an airport that is still clear. You may or may not make it... But, once you do land, you can often just wait for it to blow over. On the other hand, if you are flying east, if the airport ahead is clear, it is likely to remain clear. But you aren't going to any faster than the weather.
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Weather is my weakest point. I should start a new thread about it, though with barely any free time to "learn" before I leave that may not be good enough.
 
You are wise to recognize what you don't know. Living in coastal Texas we have pop up CB's and thunderstorms all the time. So I learned to avoid them. Sometimes a front would mean landing and waiting a few mins for it to pass.

Learn and get comfortable then once you have a good understanding of weather in your area you can revise your personal minimums. Or not.
 
Just found out I'm "losing" vacation time - the clocks get changed this weekend! One hour less vacation.
 
somorris said:
Hi Kimberly.

If you are an AOPA member, you can (using their flight planning function) print out portions of sectionals on a color printer and use those. I personally always feel more comfortable if I have the paper on board, even though I rely a lot on a Garmin 196. Some FSDO people will violate you for not having current charts on a "long" cross country. It depends a lot on the person, but so do most things in life. If you feel more comfortable with the paper, pay the money -- its not much. Good luck, and have fun. If it ain't fun, it ain't worth doing!
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There is no requirement that you have charts at all, much less current charts. I'd love to see which reg the FSDO person would put on the violation.

Bob Gardner
 
bobmrg said:
There is no requirement that you have charts at all, much less current charts. I'd love to see which reg the FSDO person would put on the violation.

Bob Gardner
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I have (always):

AFD
SFO area TAC
San Francisco Sectional
(and now needed for South) Los Angeles Sectional

I will let all of the above expire, now that I have foreflight, but they will be my back up.
 
bobmrg said:
There is no requirement that you have charts at all, much less current charts. I'd love to see which reg the FSDO person would put on the violation.
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This doesn't say, but the threat is clear...

http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/faq/index.cfm?print=go#q2f

"If a pilot is involved in an enforcement investigation and there is evidence that the use of an out-of-date chart, no chart, or an out-of-date database contributed to the condition that brought on the enforcement investigation, then that information could be used in any enforcement action that might be taken."
 
denverpilot said:
This doesn't say, but the threat is clear...

http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/faq/index.cfm?print=go#q2f

"If a pilot is involved in an enforcement investigation and there is evidence that the use of an out-of-date chart, no chart, or an out-of-date database contributed to the condition that brought on the enforcement investigation, then that information could be used in any enforcement action that might be taken."
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Yep, but even so, there is no requirement for the chart under Pt 91. You just have to know the information relevant to your flight.
 
OK so I posted this in my weather watch / go vs no go thread. Looks like I'm probably flying:

So after reading all the stories, I have a new idea.

Because the weather on Sunday and Monday, most likely, won't have any rain at all - and simply periods of cloud cover (but hopefully not fog), I proposed a new idea to the boyfriend:

If we fly (and as mentioned, I'm not going to decide until I wake up on Friday morning and we either have to get into my car or into my plane), I will make SURE that my boyfriend is OK with coming back on Sunday. This gives me two days to get home, I can find an airport with a hotel that is willing to pick us up (or an FBO that will drop us off at a hotel).

I told him this morning, I'll do it with or without him, but the willingness to leave on Sunday will make me worry less because I won't be in a hurry to get home and it will be an "adventure" if we stay in some strange town along the way.

Problem solved!
 
The weather's going to be fine. It's not rocket surgery. Just go.
 
An added benefit (besides free parking with ten gallons of fuel) of choosing the Jet Center:



6965302441_f52c9ebdc8_o.jpg
 
I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you.
 
Gorgeous. Perfect. I've had a beer though. So I'll just join everyone for dinner now and say:

Except for my not seeing the airport (and doing standard rate turns until I did just outside the delta airspace), I:

Make it WELL AHEAD of my estimated time.

Experienced some, but minimal, turbulence, and fought to keep my MH, Alt, RPM constant.

Kept track of every way point and consistently "beat" each estimate by 10 - 30 minutes.

Only logged 2.7 and it would have been less if I hadn't circled.

I promised myself I wouldn't look at the weather or worry about the trip back, so don't ruin it for me!

The fun guy at the school even texted to make sure I made it ok. Sticked the plane, 7-8 useable remaining, totally safe and sound.

Breathed a sigh of relief.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Gorgeous. Perfect. I've had a beer though. So I'll just join everyone for dinner now and say:

Except for my not seeing the airport (and doing standard rate turns until I did just outside the delta airspace), I:

Make it WELL AHEAD of my estimated time.

Experienced some, but minimal, turbulence, and fought to keep my MH, Alt, RPM constant.

Kept track of every way point and consistently "beat" each estimate by 10 - 30 minutes.

Only logged 2.7 and it would have been less if I hadn't circled.

I promised myself I wouldn't look at the weather or worry about the trip back, so don't ruin it for me!

The fun guy at the school even texted to make sure I made it ok. Sticked the plane, 7-8 useable remaining, totally safe and sound.

Breathed a sigh of relief.
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party.gif
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Gorgeous. Perfect. I've had a beer though. So I'll just join everyone for dinner now and say:

Except for my not seeing the airport (and doing standard rate turns until I did just outside the delta airspace), I:

Make it WELL AHEAD of my estimated time.

Experienced some, but minimal, turbulence, and fought to keep my MH, Alt, RPM constant.

Kept track of every way point and consistently "beat" each estimate by 10 - 30 minutes.

Only logged 2.7 and it would have been less if I hadn't circled.

I promised myself I wouldn't look at the weather or worry about the trip back, so don't ruin it for me!

The fun guy at the school even texted to make sure I made it ok. Sticked the plane, 7-8 useable remaining, totally safe and sound.

Breathed a sigh of relief.
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Good, well done. Planning trips by air is like buying lottery tickets; you can plan what you're gonna do, but until the drawing you don't know for sure, so no sense worrying about it.
 
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