So, here we go.
Hopped on a DAL 767-300 direct to LAX and got the middle seat in the middle aisle. It really wasn't all that bad. I had a lot of leg room and a TV. 4 hours wheels up to wheels down. Landed in LAX, took the LAWA bus ($8 one way) to VNY. Got a ride to the hotel and got the airplane ready to go. The weather was poor and deteriorating so I wanted to get going quickly.
I filed the ADAMM1 departure for 16R and then the airways at 11,000 all the way to Texas. This leg would be in the neighborhood of 4 hours and change. Being solo, I planned to stay overnight in TX, get some rest, and then finish the rest on Wed.
I was sure to give myself a good briefing on the departure plan, emergency procedures, and planned route because I was in an unfamiliar area, flying single pilot, in the soup. Being intimately familiar with the G430 and Avidyne systems made my life a lot easier. I was IMC and fighting the weather 80% of this leg.
The storm cells that did build along my route of flight weren't an issue because they all moved north off of the airway before I got there. Sometime in the last hour, the weather rose up above 11k and left me alone for a beautiful sunset approach into my destination. A smooth landing and short taxi later, I shut down and packed the airplane up for the night. I was glad to be on the ground because that first leg was causing me most of my concern. The rest of the flight should be a breeze based on the forecasts.
More to come...