Santa Fe and "mountain flying"?

[Jim_R]

I'm a low-time pilot (300 hrs) based in SE TX. To date, all of my flying has been within a 400 mile circle of home base, so I've never met any terrain over ~2500' or so. (I fly a Cherokee 180 and have an IR.)

I'm considering a flight to Santa Fe next month. It'd be me and one passenger. With full fuel and baggage, maybe 100-150 lbs under gross.

Right now, I'm looking at a leg from San Angelo, TX (KSJT) to Santa Fe. Looks like a direct route would take me comfortably between the peaks NE and SW of town, and keep me over terrain ~7500' or lower.

I'm thinking this shouldn't be too big a deal as long as I avoid bad weather and pick altitudes to avoid CFIT.

Should I be worried about my inexperience around mountains, and plotting "keep out zones" on the chart or calling around to find a CFI with mountain experience before I take the trip?

Any other considerations? (What don't I know that I don't know?)

This flight doesn't seem like too big a deal, but I don't want to do something foolish (or foolishly not do something) out of ignorance. (Some might argue that by posting this question on PoA, I've already done something foolish! )

 

[wabower]

SAF is famous for shear around the airport. They are so accustomed to it that they sometimes forget to put it on the ATIS.

I'm a low-time pilot (300 hrs) based in SE TX. To date, all of my flying has been within a 400 mile circle of home base, so I've never met any terrain over ~2500' or so. (I fly a Cherokee 180 and have an IR.)

I'm considering a flight to Santa Fe next month. It'd be me and one passenger. With full fuel and baggage, maybe 100-150 lbs under gross.

Right now, I'm looking at a leg from San Angelo, TX (KSJT) to Santa Fe. Looks like a direct route would take me comfortably between the peaks NE and SW of town, and keep me over terrain ~7500' or lower.

I'm thinking this shouldn't be too big a deal as long as I avoid bad weather and pick altitudes to avoid CFIT.

Should I be worried about my inexperience around mountains, and plotting "keep out zones" on the chart or calling around to find a CFI with mountain experience before I take the trip?

Any other considerations? (What don't I know that I don't know?)

This flight doesn't seem like too big a deal, but I don't want to do something foolish (or foolishly not do something) out of ignorance. (Some might argue that by posting this question on PoA, I've already done something foolish! )

 

[Threefingeredjack]

Just be aware of downwind areas around peaks and ridges if the wind is strong. Visualize the wind as water over a stream bed and you can anticipate areas of turbulence. Be sure to check density altitude and leave some room in your tanks and stop down the line to top off if required. Your flight seems perfectly straight forward and you are obviously thinking. Have a ball!!!

 

[docmirror]

SAF is about the easiest 'mountain' airport to get into and out of. The wind can be a bit bumpy but the visibility is fine, there is plenty of runway, go around is easy if you need, and there's a tower to talk to. You won't have any problems except the Hertz rental prices.

 

[Alexb2000]

I'm a low-time pilot (300 hrs) based in SE TX. To date, all of my flying has been within a 400 mile circle of home base, so I've never met any terrain over ~2500' or so. (I fly a Cherokee 180 and have an IR.)

I'm considering a flight to Santa Fe next month. It'd be me and one passenger. With full fuel and baggage, maybe 100-150 lbs under gross.

Right now, I'm looking at a leg from San Angelo, TX (KSJT) to Santa Fe. Looks like a direct route would take me comfortably between the peaks NE and SW of town, and keep me over terrain ~7500' or lower.

I'm thinking this shouldn't be too big a deal as long as I avoid bad weather and pick altitudes to avoid CFIT.

Should I be worried about my inexperience around mountains, and plotting "keep out zones" on the chart or calling around to find a CFI with mountain experience before I take the trip?

Any other considerations? (What don't I know that I don't know?)

This flight doesn't seem like too big a deal, but I don't want to do something foolish (or foolishly not do something) out of ignorance. (Some might argue that by posting this question on PoA, I've already done something foolish! )

You should be fine and you won't need a mountain instructor for this trip IMO. Stay VFR until you have some mountain experience, please. Usually you can go underneath and be fine if there is some weather. From Anton Chico West expect some mild turbulence and sometimes a little wave below 11 until you get into the SAF valley. I've never seen dangerous turbulence this time of year along this route so don't worry about that. Plan to land before noon mountain time, trust me it just makes it easier, sometimes the winds really kick up in the afternoon. SAF is a great airport and Santa Fe Jet Center is really nice, just expensive for fuel. BTW- know your runways and check your final heading people land on the wrong one all the time. You can walk right over to the terminal and rent a car from all the usual suspects. I'm sure you'll have a great time and let us know how it goes.

 

[Geico266]

Have fun, fly early or late in the day. Launch before sunrise, best time of the day to fly IMHO..... maybe not over mountains.

Seriously, launch as early as you can to have visual on the rocks. Thermals are less of an issue for you and the passenger.

 

[Jim_R]

Many thanks for the feedback! It's much appreciated.

 

[BillTIZ]

The ForeFlight direct route has you over nothing too serious. Although you are crossing higher terrain, all the steep studd is north of your path. The -180, even at max GW should have no issues with DA in the early spring temps.

Have fun! Look forward to reading the trip report.

 

[AcroBoy]

I've been there a bunch of times, largely approaching around the mountains from the southeast- it's in a valley or kind of a very big bowl, but never seemed terrible. Go ahead, it is a great place to visit.

 

[SkyHog]

SAF is about the easiest airport you're gonna find that is high enough to be considered a "mountain airport." You won't deal with any passes, you won't be dealing with any weird mountain effects. If its windy, you'll get a lot of turbulence, and that's about it.

Not all mountains are created equal.

 

[CT4ME]

It's a common concern for "flat-landers" heading West for the first time. Flying at 9.5 is no different that 2.5. (OK, except for that DA thing...). You can get over any territory on that route by 2,000 ft.
When I had 200 hours, I did a trip from Phoenix, to Seattle and back. Lots of 11.5/12.5, but if you're flying early and the wind cooperates, it's a thing of beauty.

 

[Jim_R]

Thanks again. Appreciate the reassurances that this is sort of "baby mountain flying", and that while there are some considerations to be made, there are no huge "gotchas" to really fret over.

 

[Alexb2000]

One other thing people always forget up here. Leave yourself a post-it note or something to lean for best power before takeoff. If you fly near sea level and always go full rich you'll do it and won't even think about it.

 

[oldShar]

SAF is famous for shear around the airport. They are so accustomed to it that they sometimes forget to put it on the ATIS.

Just don't plan on doing it between March and June and you should be fine.

(If you need to do it in the spring, be down before noon {better yet, before 10 am})

 

[Walt]

Jim,
I would agree that SAF is pretty doable. The big thing to remember is to lean the engine on takeoff. If you are too rich you will get some less power, if too lean a lot less power. Takeoff distance and rate of climb will be noticeably different.

 

[murphey]

It's really not a big deal. I'm based in Denver, also fly a cherokee 180. You shouldn't need to fly higher than 8500 for the trip (west bound). If you file IFR, you'll be forced to fly higher. And if you need to fly IFR, if may not be the best weather for the trip. We have this thing called "cumulo granite" out here.

High altitude/mountain flying checkouts are really not needed for your route. If you were planning on flying further north, such as Taos past Alamosa into the valley east of the Collegiate Mountains (towns of Salida, Buena Vista, Leadville) then yes, you'd best have training because you'd be going over at least one mountain pass (Ponca Pass). But not for SAF.

Head for TAFOY, turn NW, call SAF approach. You'll be flying over one of the prisons, which is a reporting point and at that point, you should be on your descent for 33.

Remember to lean. Remember to lean. Remember to lean. Remember to lean. Remember to lean.

 

[zaitcev]

Keep in mind that it's early windy season in NM and that SAF may have one of the 3 runways closed, check NOTAMs. They were resurfacing something or other recently. Be ready to land on 20 with good crosswind.

 

[alang]

Remember to lean. Remember to lean. Remember to lean. Remember to lean. Remember to lean.

That is the best advice in the entire thread. Lean for best power on takeoff. You won't believe how much difference it makes, even in early spring.

 

[NoHeat]

And how do you know that you have leaned for best power? Do you perform some kind of test during the run-up?

 

[murphey]

And how do you know that you have leaned for best power? Do you perform some kind of test during the run-up?

Good question. For those of us that live at higher altitudes, we forget that leaning is not always taught during the PPL/Sport training. But there's also two types of leaning - best power and best endurance. For the sake of a new-to-higher-altitudes pilot, let's take the simple approach.

If you're not familiar with leaning, the best reference is the Lycoming Operations manual. Download SI1094D.pdf from Lycoming's pubs website:

www.lycoming.com/support/publications/service-instructions/pdfs/SI1094D.pdf

Next, find a CFI who understands how to lean.

At this point, ignore the Rich of Peak/Lean of Peak discussion that will erupt here. Old lycoming engines are carburated, and without instrumentation on all 4 cylinders, (and usually only for fuel-injected) Lycoming recommends ROP.

The cherokee AFM (most 180s were built before the requirement for a POH) states for the runup, set the throttle at 1800 and lean the mixture appropriately. Really helpful, right?

For runup above 5000 MSL:
1. set throttle to 1800
2. lean mixture until engine just runs rough
3. enrich mixture until engine runs smooth

Alternate method assumes an EGT (not all cherokees came out of the factory with an EGT)
1. set throttle to 1800
2. lean mixture - note when the EGT peaks, then back off just a bit

The Lycoming document also discusses leaning in cruise at higher altitudes.

 

[GCA319]

All good suggestions from other posters. Coming in from the southeast isn't usually an issue-it's mostly flat to the SE. Do be aware of the winds, we're comig into the wind season and the East/West runway is presently closed for MX (prevailing winds are typically out of the West/southwest depending on the time of year or time of day). Also be sure to check your winds aloft (and keep track of them if you have some sort of digital weather onboard), mountain waves are not fun and you could very well pick some up depending on what the winds are doing. Other than that, it's just another airport and I don't consider it a mountain airport that requires any kind of special training like Angel Fire or Telluride. Oh, and as mentioned by somebody else, don't line up for the wrong runway-people do that entirely too often here.

 

[GCA319]

It's really not a big deal. I'm based in Denver, also fly a cherokee 180. You shouldn't need to fly higher than 8500 for the trip (west bound). If you file IFR, you'll be forced to fly higher. And if you need to fly IFR, if may not be the best weather for the trip. We have this thing called "cumulo granite" out here.

High altitude/mountain flying checkouts are really not needed for your route. If you were planning on flying further north, such as Taos past Alamosa into the valley east of the Collegiate Mountains (towns of Salida, Buena Vista, Leadville) then yes, you'd best have training because you'd be going over at least one mountain pass (Ponca Pass). But not for SAF.

Head for TAFOY, turn NW, call SAF approach. You'll be flying over one of the prisons, which is a reporting point and at that point, you should be on your descent for 33.

Remember to lean. Remember to lean. Remember to lean. Remember to lean. Remember to lean.

Minor correction. There is no SAF approach, just tower. ZAB provides app/dep services and flight following with them is usually doable at or above 10,000 out to the southeast. Also, I wouldn't assume 33 as the runway he'd get, so I think it's more prudent to consider overflying the VOR and from that point you can go straight in for 33, proceed on a right (or left) downwind for 15, right base for 2, or a left downwind for 20 (Not including 10/28 since it's closed and I forget when they plan to re-open it).

 

[Jim_R]

Ah, yes...the reminder to lean for best takeoff power is appreciated. I routinely lean at cruise (when I'm high enough), but you're right--it's just automatic for me to push the red knob all the way up as part of the pre-takeoff sequence.

Bummer the E/W runway's closed. Oh well, gotta have _some_ excitement, eh?

Pre-10am arrival would mean a pretty early departure from my two most likely overnight stops en-route (I'm tentatively planning on stopping at San Angelo...would prefer to stop at Sonora, since the intent is to check out the caverns there, but Sonora's small enough that I haven't been able to figure out ground transportation there!).

How late in the evening would I have to arrive for winds to be calm, if I choose that option?

 

[zaitcev]

And how do you know that you have leaned for best power? Do you perform some kind of test during the run-up?

On Arrow you can push the prop full forward and then use the traditional way of leaning for peak RPM at the throttle less than full. The EGT gauge in Arrow that I fly leaves a lot to be desired. It's slow to react and changes very little near the peak. It's so bad that it's easier to find the best power using the airspeed.

 

[Clark1961]

For runup above 5000 MSL:
1. set throttle to 1800
2. lean mixture until engine just runs rough
3. enrich mixture until engine runs smooth

Alternate method assumes an EGT (not all cherokees came out of the factory with an EGT)
1. set throttle to 1800
2. lean mixture - note when the EGT peaks, then back off just a bit

The Lycoming document also discusses leaning in cruise at higher altitudes.

Just a comment. We always did full power leaning during PPL training with any 172 engine - 160 or 180 hp. Dunno if it makes any difference from leaning at 1800 rpm.

At least these days it makes no difference for the turbo'd 'kota.

 

[murphey]

Just a comment. We always did full power leaning during PPL training with any 172 engine - 160 or 180 hp. Dunno if it makes any difference from leaning at 1800 rpm.

At least these days it makes no difference for the turbo'd 'kota.

I was only quoting Lycoming and the Piper docs. For the O360 engine, 1800 rpm is specifically noted in the leaning procedure.

 

[Alexb2000]

Here's a real world example of what to be cautious about coming up here:

I flew up yesterday from Dallas to Taos. Beautiful day, with winds forcasted to be light. Approaching the Eastern mountain range near Angel Fire the winds at 16K were over 50 Kts. Angel fire and Taos were reporting CALM winds. Good example of the difference in weather on the ground and aloft in the mountains.

Then today (as I try to go fly fishing) the weather was forecast as sunny and cold all weekend. Radar is clear. I am looking out the window at lowish IFR 1300' ceilings. I would also expect some icing in the clouds today.

Point is the weather is not like the flat lands, it changes a lot and reporting isn't as reliable. I'm not to trying to scare the OP, just to remind that keeping your eyes open is essential. If something looks questionable don't fly it even if the weather reporting says it's no big deal.

 

[wabower]

Just jump in and fly on out to Palm Springs. Fishing probably isn't as good but WX is a damsite better.

Here's a real world example of what to be cautious about coming up here:

I flew up yesterday from Dallas to Taos. Beautiful day, with winds forcasted to be light. Approaching the Eastern mountain range near Angel Fire the winds at 16K were over 50 Kts. Angel fire and Taos were reporting CALM winds. Good example of the difference in weather on the ground and aloft in the mountains.

Then today (as I try to go fly fishing) the weather was forecast as sunny and cold all weekend. Radar is clear. I am looking out the window at lowish IFR 1300' ceilings. I would also expect some icing in the clouds today.

Point is the weather is not like the flat lands, it changes a lot and reporting isn't as reliable. I'm not to trying to scare the OP, just to remind that keeping your eyes open is essential. If something looks questionable don't fly it even if the weather reporting says it's no big deal.

 

[Alexb2000]

Just jump in and fly on out to Palm Springs. Fishing probably isn't as good but WX is a damsite better.

I just got back from standing in freezing water for 4 hours, so yeah, Palm Springs is looking pretty good right now.

 

[murphey]

Here's a real world example of what to be cautious about coming up here:

I flew up yesterday from Dallas to Taos. Beautiful day, with winds forcasted to be light. Approaching the Eastern mountain range near Angel Fire the winds at 16K were over 50 Kts. Angel fire and Taos were reporting CALM winds. Good example of the difference in weather on the ground and aloft in the mountains.

Then today (as I try to go fly fishing) the weather was forecast as sunny and cold all weekend. Radar is clear. I am looking out the window at lowish IFR 1300' ceilings. I would also expect some icing in the clouds today.

Point is the weather is not like the flat lands, it changes a lot and reporting isn't as reliable. I'm not to trying to scare the OP, just to remind that keeping your eyes open is essential. If something looks questionable don't fly it even if the weather reporting says it's no big deal.

Very true, but the OP is not going to be at 16K in a cherokee 180. He is very likely going south, down by TAFOY, and coming around the hills at the south end.

 

[Clark1961]

Very true, but the OP is not going to be at 16K in a cherokee 180. He is very likely going south, down by TAFOY, and coming around the hills at the south end.

I think we all agree that is a good route. It can be a really bumpy ride but the nav is easy since ya basically follow the interstate. The field can be a little hard to pick up visually. The tower doesn't have radar (or didn't) so they aren't much help. No big deal. I went there with about 100 hours and a plane new to me that had just had a major oil leak fixed. Windy on arrival and departure but it was pretty much down the runway. When I left there were some Air Force guys from San Antonio doing crosswind work in 20G30 ish. We taxpayers were getting our moneys worth out of the trainees. They were good kids to talk to in the FBO too.

 

[Alexb2000]

Very true, but the OP is not going to be at 16K in a cherokee 180. He is very likely going south, down by TAFOY, and coming around the hills at the south end.

I know and I take that route all the time just because it is so much more predictable. I added that information just to give an example of the conditions up here and why it makes sense to be cautious. You can bet I wouldn't have wanted to be in a Cherokee at 12,500 crossing the pass yesterday, perfect VFR and all.

 

[murphey]

I know and I take that route all the time just because it is so much more predictable. I added that information just to give an example of the conditions up here and why it makes sense to be cautious. You can bet I wouldn't have wanted to be in a Cherokee at 12,500 crossing the pass yesterday, perfect VFR and all.

Twue, it's twue!

 

[flightwriter]

I think we all agree that is a good route. It can be a really bumpy ride but the nav is easy since ya basically follow the interstate. The field can be a little hard to pick up visually. The tower doesn't have radar (or didn't) so they aren't much help. No big deal. I went there with about 100 hours and a plane new to me that had just had a major oil leak fixed. Windy on arrival and departure but it was pretty much down the runway. When I left there were some Air Force guys from San Antonio doing crosswind work in 20G30 ish. We taxpayers were getting our moneys worth out of the trainees. They were good kids to talk to in the FBO too.

SAF does have radar (advisory only) though coverage is often spotty, especially to the southeast. The tower is very good about noting outages on the ATIS.

As for sighting the field, the NM Army National Guard hangars are a pretty good identifier from about 15-20 miles out. They're the biggest white/light-colored buildings in the area. Once you see those, look just a bit eastward and the black asphalt of 2/20 should be visible.

 

[Jim_R]

Thanks again for the additional words of wisdom.

I got another suggestion today from a CFI buddy to run the numbers in the POH for a representative expected density altitude at Santa Fe to figure the corresponding engine power, then look up what reduced RPM setting would give the same power at sea level, then try taking off at that power (from one of the airports around here with a plenty-long runway) just to get a feel for what to expect so I'm not overly surprised by the extended takeoff run. (I know that's not going to give an exact comparison--there are still more air molecules flowing over the wing at sea level than at altitude, etc., but I still think it's a good suggestion.)

 

[murphey]

Thanks again for the additional words of wisdom.

I got another suggestion today from a CFI buddy to run the numbers in the POH for a representative expected density altitude at Santa Fe to figure the corresponding engine power, then look up what reduced RPM setting would give the same power at sea level, then try taking off at that power (from one of the airports around here with a plenty-long runway) just to get a feel for what to expect so I'm not overly surprised by the extended takeoff run. (I know that's not going to give an exact comparison--there are still more air molecules flowing over the wing at sea level than at altitude, etc., but I still think it's a good suggestion.)

Reading the attached chart, at full power in Denver, a 180HP engine only produces around 164 HP. Most of the time, can't even get that. At SAF (6850) best you can do is 75% or 115 HP.

So if you're at 1000 MSL, set the throttle for 55%. No clue what the RPM would be.

 

[SkyHog]

Thanks again for the additional words of wisdom.

I got another suggestion today from a CFI buddy to run the numbers in the POH for a representative expected density altitude at Santa Fe to figure the corresponding engine power, then look up what reduced RPM setting would give the same power at sea level, then try taking off at that power (from one of the airports around here with a plenty-long runway) just to get a feel for what to expect so I'm not overly surprised by the extended takeoff run. (I know that's not going to give an exact comparison--there are still more air molecules flowing over the wing at sea level than at altitude, etc., but I still think it's a good suggestion.)

I've heard that before, but I never really found that to be accurate. I've tried at sea level and at elevation (7000+ feet on a very hot day), and I always felt that I got more power than I did at like 60% at sea level. Truthfully, run the numbers from the POH, and you'll be fine.

 

[Jim_R]

Trip Report

Point is the weather is not like the flat lands, it changes a lot and reporting isn't as reliable. I'm not to trying to scare the OP, just to remind that keeping your eyes open is essential. If something looks questionable don't fly it even if the weather reporting says it's no big deal.

So this sea-level flatlander set out for his Great Western Vacation (ha!) last Friday. My experience was similar to Alexb's...except in reverse.

Flying from home to Sonora was no problem. Some clouds en route and a few light bumps, but no weather to worry about, and severe clear by the time I reached my destination around 5:00pm. The courtesy van was right where the airport manager said it would be, and we hopped in and headed straight for the caverns. Got the last tour of the day, with only two other people, and "Cave Dave" gave us a great tour, including a couple of side tracks that he usually skips with big groups. What a great experience!

The next day was when the challenges started. Winds at Sonora were gusty (something like 18G25), but straight down the runway. Winds all along my route to Santa Fe were similar or worse, and the freezing level was near the surface. First half of the route was clear, but clouds were forecast toward the end, including some light rain or snow showers in Santa Fe. Didn't look promising.

I didn't want to stay in Sonora (the caverns are wonderful, but once you've seen them, there's not much else to do there), but I was a little afraid of taking off and then not being able to comfortably land somewhere else. The winds were form the frontal passage, and I had no experience flying (landing) in such conditions. (The crash in Angel Fire last week was pretty fresh in my mind, too.)

But after watching the weather pretty closely for about 15 hours, I was noticing a trend that observed conditions were not as bad as forecast, and that seemed consistent across my route of flight. I spoke with an FSS briefer, and decided that it was safe to take a step closer to my goal, so I set off for Midland Int'l. Figured if I got stuck there, I could at least check out the CAF museum!

Flying into Midland was fun. It's a physically large airport with an airliner and air force boneyard. My passenger had never been with me to an airport with scheduled service before, and thought it was cool that we were on the same ramp as Southwest 737s. The FBO there is great, and we took one of the nicest courtesy cars I've ever been offered into town, where we found maybe the best catfish on the planet: Eddie's Catfish. Now, I'm not sure I'd go there after evening civil tiwlight, but for lunch, it was fine. The two-fillet platter with onion rings was probably a few thousand calories more than I needed, but did I mention it was the best catfish I've ever had? We were really glad we decided to stop in Midland!

Maybe the catfish made me look at the world more optimistically, or maybe landing at Midland with 17G25 ish observed winds (mostly down the runway) gave me a little more confidence in continuing onward. While higher than I'm used to, the winds were manageable and were observed lower than forecast. Roswell was clear but windy--about the same as Midland, including the lower than forecast bit--so we decided to hop that much farther. Santa Fe was still looking miserable...clouds below the freezing level with light snow falling. My optimism only goes so far, so I called our hotel in Santa Fe and told them weather was going to preclude our arrival that night, and changed our reservations to start Sunday night instead of Saturday. I expected to be checking out the UFO museums that afternoon...

But when we got to Roswell (another really nice FBO, btw, and an interesting airport due to the airliner and air force boneyard there), weather at Santa Fe was observed better than forecast, and improving. Snow had stopped, clouds were lifting/retreating, and winds had died to near calm. I was mostly worried about the clouds and potential for icing, but the FSS briefer and I agreed that there was a chance the clouds wouldn't even be there by the time I arrived, and I had plenty of outs if things changed for the worse, including coming back to Roswell if necessary.

So I called our hotel back and told 'em we'd probably be there after all, and then we launched into a beautiful clear sky, and enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the plane. We were bucking a headwind (the only real problem the weather had given us all day), so progress was slow, but on the plus side that gave time for the weather to continue improving at our destination. I remained cautious, though, re: clouds and icing, and so when I looked out the window and saw some rain being illuminated by my strobes and wingtip landing lights, I turned on a flashlight to check the wing. It was clean, but my passenger asked me what I was doing, and I explained. She then remarked, "Rain? From where? There's not a cloud anywhere!" And she was right: We could see all around us and above us, and the sky was clear in all directions! But she agreed that something was out there, 'cause it was clearly illuminated in the lights. One of life's little mysteries... At least it only lasted a couple minutes, so I could safely ignore it after that.

I had ADSB Wx in the cockpit via my iFly / Skyradar combo, and kept an eye on the Santa Fe METARs en route. As hoped, they continued to look better as I progressed, though clouds were still reported when i was as close as 25 mi out. I kept going, again confident that I could turn around easily and find clear skies if things suddenly deteriorated.

It turned out to be a non-issue, though. En route, I got re-routed to follow V83 from OTO, which lined me up with SAF 33. I was originally told to expect a visual approach to 20, but about 15 miles out I was given the option of taking 33 since winds had calmed, and of course I took it. We dipped through one wisp of cloud on our descent, and that was it. After all the weather angst of the last 24 hrs, our actual arrival at SAF was a complete non-event!

I'm really glad we decided to be optimistic on our journey Saturday, because preserving the option to advance allowed us to continue forward as we confirmed that conditions were improving, and allowed us to reach our destination. The next morning, we woke up to low over cast and snowfall. That was a wonderful experience from the warmth of a hotel room with a nice fire in the lobby, but would have been a lousy prospect if viewed as METARs while sitting in Sonora or Midland....

We enjoyed a few days in Santa Fe, then left yesterday. Flew north up the valley toward Taos for about 20 miles, just to enjoy the scenery on such a beautiful day, then reversed course and flew back over Santa Fe before picking a southeasterly course back towards home.

A great trip!

 

[Alexb2000]

Jim-

That does sound like a great trip. Perfect example of how much fun you can have with GA. Great weather management also.

Next time you'll have to come up the valley another 40 miles and visit us in Taos.

 

[oldShar]

Does sound like a great trip.
Only one question?
What did you find to do that took multiple days in Santa Fe?
I figure that you can see all there is to see in a single day (unless you park inside The Roundhouse and watch the politicians grow)