Planning - KTUS to F37 (Carrizozo NM)?

deyoung

deyoung

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Nov 13, 2014
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566
Location
Tucson, AZ
Display Name
Chris
Home Airfield
KTUS
I'm looking at planning for a future trip from Tucson to Carrizozo, NM. Initially it looks like the thing to do is go to El Paso (roughly), and then there is a narrow corridor north between R5107 and R5103. I don't want to bust either of those; how practical is it to use that corridor?

Right now I have a GDL-39 connected to Garmin Pilot on a tablet. I am probably looking at installing a Garmin 355 GNC, but that's not done yet and I don't have a time frame for it yet (or really even a committed decision yet, though I'm getting there).

Alternatively I could go around the restricted areas, but going east first and then north has a lot of high terrain that I don't love (my model Cherokee has a 12k ceiling), and going north through Socorro is just a long way out of the way.

Thoughts? Thanks!
 
Going through the corridor is not a problem if you have FF.
I would find out if the restricted areas on the direct route are hot. If they are not, you can fly a low pass over Spaceport America, which is super cool.
 
I will definitely have FF (unless declined, which has only happened to me once), so good to know - thanks!
 
deyoung said:
I will definitely have FF (unless declined, which has only happened to me once), so good to know - thanks!
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Sorry, I meant ForeFlight. Flight following is nice as well.
 
I have flown that corridor on my way to Sierra Blanca. This was in a 56 172 long before iPads and efbs. I did have an Apollo gps. The highway makes it very easy to stay out of harms way.
 
Be aware that GPS signals in that area are occasionally unreliable, and usually a NOTAM will be issued to that effect. Fortunately, as gregjay stated in #6, it's entirely feasible to fly that route via basic pilotage, weather-permitting.

Have a good trip.
 
gregjay said:
I have flown that corridor on my way to Sierra Blanca. This was in a 56 172 long before iPads and efbs. I did have an Apollo gps. The highway makes it very easy to stay out of harms way.
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A quick GoogleEarth path along the highway route from Tucson to Las Cruces to Carrizozo indicates highest elevation at 6600 MSL.
 
Domenick said:
A quick GoogleEarth path along the highway route from Tucson to Las Cruces to Carrizozo indicates highest elevation at 6600 MSL.
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Yeah, that's doable. I've flown a sortof similar route from Tucson to Santa Fe, only staying west of the restricted areas and following the river up toward ABQ. In some areas you do have to be pretty high to keep flight following though.
 
If you don't mind flying over a bit of tiger country, you could try this. I found some interesting things along the way. There is a big gap in the mountains east of Socorro and you clear all the RXXXX areas after you cross the Rio Grande. But, don't miss the ET phone home site on the Plain of San Agustin (the VLA/Very Large Array).



Screenshot.jpgIMG_7604_edited-1.jpg
 
The corridor to Alamogordo is easy, just stay directly over HWY 54 ... you can approach over Anthony Gap using that highway to intersect with US HWY 54. It (the corridor) occasionally gets closed down if White Sands is firing ordinance.

The edge restricted areas are the only ones that ever go "cold" for a short cut ... but that isn't often. Las Cruces (KLRU) has self serve gas at $4.99 at the flight school on the east end of the field (usually not advertised).
 
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