How would you file this?

[labbadabba]

Assuming you weren't flying /G... in a C172

Lone Pine CA to Bakersfield - O26 -> KBFL

There are no radio nav aids nearby and the ones that are on the other side of the Sierra Nevada Mtns. MORAs are 16,800 and 12,200.

At this point, I'm thinking D-> China Lake VOR (why isn't this on the sectional), then Shafter VOR EHF. Altitude filed at 12,000 and would request 12,500 for the crossing over the mountains.

Bear in mind, this is a fictional flight plan, I'm just looking for challenges that I can find on the map.

 

[roncachamp]

Assuming you weren't flying /G... in a C172

Lone Pine CA to Bakersfield - O26 -> KBFL

There are no radio nav aids nearby and the ones that are on the other side of the Sierra Nevada Mtns. MORAs are 16,800 and 12,200.

At this point, I'm thinking D-> China Lake VOR (why isn't this on the sectional), then Shafter VOR EHF. Altitude filed at 12,000 and would request 12,500 for the crossing over the mountains.

Bear in mind, this is a fictional flight plan, I'm just looking for challenges that I can find on the map.

China Lake is not a VOR, it's a TACAN. Your route takes you through a Restricted Area that is hot continuously.

 

[labbadabba]

China Lake is not a VOR, it's a TACAN. Your route takes you through a Restricted Area that is hot continuously.

That explains it. I knew there was something funny about it. So, I guess that gets me back to my original question. If you can't file /G, what in the world would you file? Just ask for vectors the entire flight?

 

[labbadabba]

Maybe the SALTD intersection as the initial waypoint? Even then, your initial leg would just be flying a heading in the clouds very close to big rocks.

 

[roncachamp]

That explains it. I knew there was something funny about it. So, I guess that gets me back to my original question. If you can't file /G, what in the world would you file? Just ask for vectors the entire flight?

I'm not familiar with the area but a brief examination of the sectional suggests to me that radar and radio communications are not suitable for vectors. The closest NAVAID is a terminal VOR fifty miles away. I wouldn't file anything, that trip under IFR looks impractical.

 

[roncachamp]

Maybe the SALTD intersection as the initial waypoint? Even then, your initial leg would just be flying a heading in the clouds very close to big rocks.

How would you navigate to SALTD?

 

[mondtster]

I'm not familiar with the area but a brief examination of the sectional suggests to me that radar and radio communications are not suitable for vectors. The closest NAVAID is a terminal VOR fifty miles away. I wouldn't file anything, that trip under IFR looks impractical.

Indeed, it looks impractical to me assuming you're flying a 172. I'd guess that part of the reasons there isn't a good route from point a to point b is because of the mountains in the area. Best bet is to go VFR.

 

[Gucci Pilot]

Getting over the mountains will be your problem. You could file a lat/long, but word of caution, you might not get it and, fat fingering a few digits could put the point hundreds of miles away. Isn't that high desert VFR 95% of the year anyways?

 

[aterpster]

Assuming you weren't flying /G... in a C172

Lone Pine CA to Bakersfield - O26 -> KBFL

There are no radio nav aids nearby and the ones that are on the other side of the Sierra Nevada Mtns. MORAs are 16,800 and 12,200.

At this point, I'm thinking D-> China Lake VOR (why isn't this on the sectional), then Shafter VOR EHF. Altitude filed at 12,000 and would request 12,500 for the crossing over the mountains.

Bear in mind, this is a fictional flight plan, I'm just looking for challenges that I can find on the map.

You could roll your own instrument departure procedure but once you reach your intended cruising altitude you must comply with the off-route altitude/route-width requirements of 91.177 and avoid the China Lake restricted area, which is always hot. I don't believe your hypothetical is possible unless you plan to climb to 17,000, or so.

 

[coma24]

My understanding is that they do allow transitions through the China Lake restricted airspace above 10k, so there may be a glimmer of hope there, but you have to get through several MOAs first. Doing this IFR from the ground up isn't a realistic option. If BFL was IFR, I would pick up a pop-up after clearing the mountains, or pre-file using TTE as the origin, then pick up the clearance at some point during the crossing. Just don't expect the clearance until you're clear of the mountains.

 

[aterpster]

My understanding is that they do allow transitions through the China Lake restricted airspace above 10k, so there may be a glimmer of hope there, but you have to get through several MOAs first.

Because the OP's premise is a hypothetical I believe the presumption should be that R-2505 would not be available.

 

[MAKG1]

Indeed, it looks impractical to me assuming you're flying a 172. I'd guess that part of the reasons there isn't a good route from point a to point b is because of the mountains in the area. Best bet is to go VFR.

There aren't just mountains there. There are MOUNTAINS. The highest in the Lower 48. Lone Pine is a launching point for ascents of Whitney.

IMC from Lone Pine to Palmdale is very rare at reasonable altitudes. Start your IFR flight at PMD VOR. Get there "I Follow Roads," as staying west of 395/14 will keep you out of restricted airspace. Then V197 will take you straight to Meadows, and meshes nicely with the ILS (or you can use Shafter VOR if you want to land the other way without CTL).

 

[aterpster]

There aren't just mountains there. There are MOUNTAINS. The highest in the Lower 48. Lone Pine is a launching point for ascents of Whitney.

IMC from Lone Pine to Palmdale is very rare at reasonable altitudes. Start your IFR flight at PMD VOR. Get there "I Follow Roads," as staying west of 395/14 will keep you out of restricted airspace. Then V197 will take you straight to Meadows, and meshes nicely with the ILS (or you can use Shafter VOR if you want to land the other way without CTL).

And, when the winds in the Owens Valley are out of the northwest and more than 20 knots, or so, you can have a loss of control event in a light airplane. I used to fly that route a fair amount from the LA Basin to Bishop or beyond. I attended an Edwards AFB briefing once where they emphasized remaining west of Highway 395, especially where Highway 14 joins it and northward. That is the only way during the day to assure you don't have a fighter aircraft chew you apart. Also, most of the airspace north of China Lake is Class G, which doesn't lend itself to IFR. Bishop Airport is an IFR airport but all IFR operations there are predicated on entries from the north, northwest, or northeast except for a small area south of the airport that contains the RNAV Runway 12 missed approach procedure (and you had better be flying turbine equipment for that one).

 

[labbadabba]

My understanding is that they do allow transitions through the China Lake restricted airspace above 10k, so there may be a glimmer of hope there, but you have to get through several MOAs first. Doing this IFR from the ground up isn't a realistic option. If BFL was IFR, I would pick up a pop-up after clearing the mountains, or pre-file using TTE as the origin, then pick up the clearance at some point during the crossing. Just don't expect the clearance until you're clear of the mountains.

Cool, BTW, I'll probably try to fly this scenario on PE. Or pick up a pop-up clearance out of Palmdale as suggested above.