Chicago to San Diego route

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rozenfeld57mh

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Sam Rozenfeld
Greetings,

Can someone recommend low VFR route from Chicago to San Diego. I will be flying 172XP with 2 ppl. My wife is 6 months pregnant, so trying to avoid getting over 8500 for a long periods of time. Also, would like to keep each leg under 2 hours.

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SW to El Paso, W to San Diego is the lowest route.
 
EdFred said:
SW to El Paso, W to San Diego is the lowest route.
Click to expand...

When I saw this thread on tapatalk, the first thing I saw was your reply, and I wondered why on earth is Ed recommending that.....then I saw the OPs reference to flying with a pregnant woman. I now concur with Ed.

Only comment that I would add is that you might want to think about going toward ABQ first and then across southwestern New Mexico. I say that as everything I have flown past ELP in the late spring/ early summer, I have gotten the crap beat out of me in the El Paso area from turbulence.
 
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I was going to say Santa Fe, but even around there, I had to go up over 10 a couple times.
 
rozenfeld57mh said:
Can someone recommend low VFR route from Chicago to San Diego. I will be flying 172XP with 2 ppl. My wife is 6 months pregnant, so trying to avoid getting over 8500 for a long periods of time. Also, would like to keep each leg under 2 hours.
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It can be done EARLY IN THE MORNING (drat that morning sickness) by heading directly for Scottsbluff by any way you wish, then across Medicine Bow, Rawlins, Rock Springs, Ft. Bridger, to Evanston. Pick up I-80 at Evanston and follow it through the passes (huge, wide, 10 mile wide passes) into Salt Lake. Around the south end of the Lake, across Bonneville, Elko, take the dogleg on V-32 between Battle Mountain and Lovelock, Reno, and into the California Central Valley (the high point of the trip is coming across Truckee, but you can do it at 8500 easy if you follow I-80). Down the center of the valley and cross the Tehachapis at Gorman.

At this point you've got your choice. Down the coastline directly over LAX (no big deal, and easy to do) and into San Diego from the north. Or hang a left at Burbank and go down across Ontario, to Paradise, French Valley, and into San Diego down I-15. DON'T CUT THE CORNER OVER CAMP PENDLETON. THE MARINES ARE FIRING REAL AMMUNITION.

More detail? No problem. But EARLY IN THE MORNING. Any time noon or after in the high country you will get the $#!+ beat out of you, north OR south route.

Jim
 
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weirdjim said:
Cheap wasn't one of the constraints. Cessna, altitude, and time between stations were the only three variables.

Jim
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When has an OP's original question stopped a thread from drifting. :D
On that note, you need at least a Bonanza for a trip like that. :yes:
How is that for thread drift?:D
 
N747JB said:
When has an OP's original question stopped a thread from drifting. :D
On that note, you need at least a Bonanza for a trip like that. :yes:
How is that for thread drift?:D
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Bonanza my hiney. I did San Diego to Boston in a Cessna 120 with a coffegrinder radio, San Diego to Oshkosh in a 170 and a 172 for ten years, and then Sacramento to Oshkosh in the same 172 for another twenty years. Only in my ancient recent past have I had the luxury of a 182 for the last six trips.

Jim
 
weirdjim said:
Bonanza my hiney. I did San Diego to Boston in a Cessna 120 with a coffegrinder radio, San Diego to Oshkosh in a 170 and a 172 for ten years, and then Sacramento to Oshkosh in the same 172 for another twenty years. Only in my ancient recent past have I had the luxury of a 182 for the last six trips.Jim
Click to expand...

You forgot to tell us you had nothing but headwinds for these trips!

:yes: :yesnod: :goofy:

-Skip
 
EdFred said:
I was going to say Santa Fe, but even around there, I had to go up over 10 a couple times.
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Yeah, rocks are fairly tall crossing from Las Vegas, NM to Santa Fe, NM. I think we did 12,500' when IFR through the area. IIRC, they drop off fairly quickly just south of there, though. It's been a few years since that trip, though.

As already mentioned - you will want to do the 'SW' portion as early in the morning as possible. We had to make an unplanned stop in LVS and again at GCN because both of us were turning green from the turbulence - and that was in March.
 
warthog1984 said:
Basically follow I-55 to I-40/44 until you get into CA, then vector for San Diego.
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that's 4000' higher in spots and than simply - Chicago to Dallas, southwest to Van Horn, around the Horn to El Paso. Then V16 essentially to Gila Bend [the MOA's to the south of Phoenix are always hot and always busy and you need to be at 10k to traverse that anyway] Gila Bend to Yuma then stay along the border to stay low - but not too close and not too low and be talking to ATC . . .
 
I have done this once before. At that time I followed I-40 from Amarillo, then Albuquerque, Gallup, Winslow, Flagstaff, Phoenix and San Diego. But this was a few years ago and I clearly remember strong turbulence leaving ABQ around 2:00pm. I also remember flying at 10,500 most of the time along that route. I am not restricted in time so I can split the trip into 3 or even 4 days to keep her comfortable.

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weirdjim said:
It can be done EARLY IN THE MORNING (drat that morning sickness) by heading directly for Scottsbluff by any way you wish, then across Medicine Bow, Rawlins, Rock Springs, Ft. Bridger, to Evanston. Pick up I-80 at Evanston and follow it through the passes (huge, wide, 10 mile wide passes) into Salt Lake. Around the south end of the Lake, across Bonneville, Elko, take the dogleg on V-32 between Battle Mountain and Lovelock, Reno, and into the California Central Valley (the high point of the trip is coming across Truckee, but you can do it at 8500 easy if you follow I-80). Down the center of the valley and cross the Tehachapis at Gorman.

At this point you've got your choice. Down the coastline directly over LAX (no big deal, and easy to do) and into San Diego from the north. Or hang a left at Burbank and go down across Ontario, to Paradise, French Valley, and into San Diego down I-15. DON'T CUT THE CORNER OVER CAMP PENDLETON. THE MARINES ARE FIRING REAL AMMUNITION.

More detail? No problem. But EARLY IN THE MORNING. Any time noon or after in the high country you will get the $#!+ beat out of you, north OR south route.

Jim
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Jim, can you give me more details on this route? I need to make relatively frequent stops and wonder if it will be possible. Early in the morning is not a problem but that also means that I have from maybe 5:00am until 11:00am. With stops that may be limiting me to no more than 4.5 hours of flying per day.


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Head west to Los Vegas, New Mexico and hang a left to San Diego. Plan a touch and go in Death Valley so you can say you have flown below sea level.
 
N747JB said:
When has an OP's original question stopped a thread from drifting. :D
On that note, you need at least a Bonanza for a trip like that. :yes:
How is that for thread drift?:D
Click to expand...

I will clarify: flying R172K with 210HP IO-360 and CSP. Service ceiling 17,000. Cruise 130kts. Not sure why this matters since I am trying to stay low and comfortable at the same time. Speed isn't really that important.

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Geico266 said:
Head west to Los Vegas, New Mexico and hang a left to San Diego. Plan a touch and go in Death Valley so you can say you have flown below sea level.
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Yup. Make your way, simplest you like to the Las Vegas NM airport. Once leaving, follow I25 SW, then go around the rocks on your right keeping south to intersect I-40 near Sandia. Follow I 40 west, and you will go over Gallup. The continental divide is just east of Gallup, and you can stay at 8500 and still have about 1000' elevation over the ground. Once past Gallup, just use any route you like down into C AZ. I prefer heading for Prescott but further south is lower elevation. There is a ridge just east of Prescott, and one of the most spectacular flight you can take is to fly adjacent to the red rocks of Sedona at low altitude. Well worth the routing.
 
docmirror said:
Yup. Make your way, simplest you like to the Las Vegas NM airport. Once leaving, follow I25 SW, then go around the rocks on your right keeping south to intersect I-40 near Sandia. Follow I 40 west, and you will go over Gallup. The continental divide is just east of Gallup, and you can stay at 8500 and still have about 1000' elevation over the ground. Once past Gallup, just use any route you like down into C AZ. I prefer heading for Prescott but further south is lower elevation. There is a ridge just east of Prescott, and one of the most spectacular flight you can take is to fly adjacent to the red rocks of Sedona at low altitude. Well worth the routing.
Click to expand...

What is C AZ?


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rozenfeld57mh said:
What is C AZ?


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Click to expand...

Sorry. When you get to Winslow VOR, fly outbound at 245 radial. Go right over Meteor crater, then Mormon lake, and drop down to about 800AGL. If you leave Las Vegas NM very early in the morning, you should be at the red rocks when the sun hits it from the east. You can fly right between the rocks just northeast of Sedona airport. You can call Sedona radio and report your position. After you fly around the rocks for a bit, turn left and pick up I 17 south. Then, once the big rocks to the west are past, you can turn right and go over Wickenburg, and on into SoCal.
 
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You should buy a small o2 bottle setup just in case you need options.
 
Skip Miller said:
You forgot to tell us you had nothing but headwinds for these trips!
Click to expand...


What scared the $#!+ out of me was when I flew rather near some thunderstorms with C-G lightning a couple of miles away and landed for the night I found a full new box of flashbulbs had all popped.

I mean, what did a kid from San Diego know from lightning? I SAW it once when I was in grade school, but that was about it.

Jim
 
Ok, I'll be the one to say it. Did you check with her doctor, OP?

I had a woman work for me who flew SH-60's for the Naval Reserve out of NAS Jacksonville. When she became pregnant with her first child, the Flight Surgeon let her fly until the earlier of (a) 7 months or (b) when her survival suit no longer fit. She never made it to the 7 month mark. Also, her crew did NOT like her climbing up on the helicopter doing her preflights when she was pregnant.

While there's a lot of vibration in a helicopter, I can imagine turbulence could potentially affect her or the baby adversely. I'm not a doctor, but I've seen one on TV. I am a dad however. :)

Good luck with the flight. Sounds exciting.
 
rozenfeld57mh said:
Jim, can you give me more details on this route? I need to make relatively frequent stops and wonder if it will be possible. Early in the morning is not a problem but that also means that I have from maybe 5:00am until 11:00am. With stops that may be limiting me to no more than 4.5 hours of flying per day.
Click to expand...

Well, not quite. It will probably be a full day between Chicago and Scottsbluff. THat is all flyover territory, flat as a pancake, and plain old midwestern light turbulence.

Actually, if you want to press your luck on the first day, aim for Cheyenne.

Follow along with me on Skyvector's charts.

I'm going to presume you are coming out of Palwaukee. Just move the dot if that's not right. I'm also going to flight plan you at 120 knots. Change that if it's not right. KPWK-KDSM (Des Moines) is a little over two hours and there are airports every ten minutes along the route.

KDSM to KONL (O'Neill) is a little UNDER two hours. KONL to KBFF (Scottsbluff) is a little UNDER two hours. KBFF to KCYS (Cheyenne) is a little over half an hour. So far you've got one full day flying with about 6.5 hours in the air. That is ENOUGH for one day, trust me, especially the first day. WARNING...if you KNOW you are going to make Cheyenne, get your reservations for a motel room in early. For whatever reason, Cheyenne seems to be the stopping point for everybody going to and from east to west.

EARLY EARLY. I'm going to put you over I-80 most of the rest of the way. Trust me, over the rocks you want long concrete stretches below you all the way. KCYS via CKW and OCS to KEVW (Evanston) is about 2.5 if you stay reasonably close to I-80, 2.1 if you go semi-direct. I don't recommend semi-direct. Pick up I-80 out of KEVW and follow it through Parley's Canyon (the mountain pass I was telling you about that is 20 miles wide) and stay SOUTH of Salt Lake International along the SOUTH shore of the lake. thence via BVL to KEKO (ELko) nearly 2 hours on the nose. There is a slight dogleg about 30 miles east of KEKO that you want to take to keep from going over the crest of the Ruby Mountains.

If that first 2.5 hour leg is too long, then make a stop at KRKS (Rock Springs), another at KENV (Wendover), and then into KEKO, all following the same route as in the previous paragraph.

From KEKO across BAM via V32 (NOT V6) across LOL and now you've got some choices to make.

You are across 95% of the snotty stuff. Another half hour and you are in KRNO (Reno) and the land of inexpensive hotels and lots of night life. You can press on for another half hour and make Sacramento or any of the foothill towns on the west slope of the Sierra. Make it KGOO and I'll let you borrow the car overnight AND get you a good hotel for not many $$.

Let me just postulate KGOO for your second overnight and get you to San Diego in about five hours of the third day. I'll give you two routes. One takes you inland and out of the Los Angeles basin heavy traffic. One takes you along the shoreline by LAX.

KGOO via KFAT (keeps you along the very edge of the SIerra foothills but a great view of Yosemite on a clear day) via KBFL to KTSP (Tehachapi) is a nice leisurely 2 hour armchair flight. You can press on for another 15 minutes to KMHV (Mojave) and nose around the Rutan Skunk Works if you like.

KTSP via PMD and take aim for L26 (Hesperia). Five miles before you get to L26 hang a 45 to the right and follow the HUGE freeway through Tejon Pass. When through the pass, dial in HDF (Homeland VOR) and now you've got some more choices. I really like Ramona airport but it is a good 45 minute drive from downtown San Diego. Gillespie is good also and the fog breaks up there a good two hours before Montgomery, which is right in the middle of town. Brown is OK but is right on the Mexican border and a fair drive from town. It all depends on where you are going.

Down the shoreline? OK, then tank up at KBFL (Bakersfield) and get yourself up to altitude to go across the Grapevine at GMN, then take a straight shot for KVNY (Van Nuys). Once you get to KVNY you've got your choice of three VFR flyways across KLAX. I prefer the shoreline route, but you pick your poison. A couple of notes. If the Dodgers are in town, there will be a TFR over Chavez Ravine Dodger Stadium. Same for the Angels over Angels Stadium in Santa Ana. Just south of San Juan Capistrano is MC Camp Pendleton where they are training rookies how to fire big guns. You may have to fly a quarter mile offshore to get around it. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING THROUGH IT IF IT IS HOT. Bad juju. At OCN VOR you start thinking about where in San Diego you want to go.

How's that?

Jim
 
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Jim. Great write up for op. Gonna skyvector it myself !!
 
weirdjim said:
Well, not quite. It will probably be a full day between Chicago and Scottsbluff. THat is all flyover territory, flat as a pancake, and plain old midwestern light turbulence.

Actually, if you want to press your luck on the first day, aim for Cheyenne.

Follow along with me on Skyvector's charts.

I'm going to presume you are coming out of Palwaukee. Just move the dot if that's not right. I'm also going to flight plan you at 120 knots. Change that if it's not right. KPWK-KDSM (Des Moines) is a little over two hours and there are airports every ten minutes along the route.

KDSM to KONL (O'Neill) is a little UNDER two hours. KONL to KBFF (Scottsbluff) is a little UNDER two hours. KBFF to KCYS (Cheyenne) is a little over half an hour. So far you've got one full day flying with about 6.5 hours in the air. That is ENOUGH for one day, trust me, especially the first day. WARNING...if you KNOW you are going to make Cheyenne, get your reservations for a motel room in early. For whatever reason, Cheyenne seems to be the stopping point for everybody going to and from east to west.

EARLY EARLY. I'm going to put you over I-80 most of the rest of the way. Trust me, over the rocks you want long concrete stretches below you all the way. KCYS via CKW and OCS to KEVW (Evanston) is about 2.5 if you stay reasonably close to I-80, 2.1 if you go semi-direct. I don't recommend semi-direct. Pick up I-80 out of KEVW and follow it through Parley's Canyon (the mountain pass I was telling you about that is 20 miles wide) and stay SOUTH of Salt Lake International along the SOUTH shore of the lake. thence via BVL to KEKO (ELko) nearly 2 hours on the nose. There is a slight dogleg about 30 miles east of KEKO that you want to take to keep from going over the crest of the Ruby Mountains.

If that first 2.5 hour leg is too long, then make a stop at KRKS (Rock Springs), another at KENV (Wendover), and then into KEKO, all following the same route as in the previous paragraph.

From KEKO across BAM via V32 (NOT V6) across LOL and now you've got some choices to make.

You are across 95% of the snotty stuff. Another half hour and you are in KRNO (Reno) and the land of inexpensive hotels and lots of night life. You can press on for another half hour and make Sacramento or any of the foothill towns on the west slope of the Sierra. Make it KGOO and I'll let you borrow the car overnight AND get you a good hotel for not many $$.

Let me just postulate KGOO for your second overnight and get you to San Diego in about five hours of the third day. I'll give you two routes. One takes you inland and out of the Los Angeles basin heavy traffic. One takes you along the shoreline by LAX.

KGOO via KFAT (keeps you along the very edge of the SIerra foothills but a great view of Yosemite on a clear day) via KBFL to KTSP (Tehachapi) is a nice leisurely 2 hour armchair flight. You can press on for another 15 minutes to KMHV (Mojave) and nose around the Rutan Skunk Works if you like.

KTSP via PMD and take aim for L26 (Hesperia). Five miles before you get to L26 hang a 45 to the right and follow the HUGE freeway through Tejon Pass. When through the pass, dial in HDF (Homeland VOR) and now you've got some more choices. I really like Ramona airport but it is a good 45 minute drive from downtown San Diego. Gillespie is good also and the fog breaks up there a good two hours before Montgomery, which is right in the middle of town. Brown is OK but is right on the Mexican border and a fair drive from town. It all depends on where you are going.

Down the shoreline? OK, then tank up at KBFL (Bakersfield) and get yourself up to altitude to go across the Grapevine at GMN, then take a straight shot for KVNY (Van Nuys). Once you get to KVNY you've got your choice of three VFR flyways across KLAX. I prefer the shoreline route, but you pick your poison. A couple of notes. If the Dodgers are in town, there will be a TFR over Chavez Ravine Dodger Stadium. Same for the Angels over Angels Stadium in Santa Ana. Just south of San Juan Capistrano is MC Camp Pendleton where they are training rookies how to fire big guns. You may have to fly a quarter mile offshore to get around it. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING THROUGH IT IF IT IS HOT. Bad juju. At OCN VOR you start thinking about where in San Diego you want to go.

How's that?

Jim
Click to expand...

Wow! This is awesome. I plugged it into my Garmin Pilot.


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