Washington to Phoenix round trip - Memorial Day 2016

[Pilawt]

This forum is "Cool Places to Fly" ... can't really call Phoenix "cool" this time of year, but it was a good trip anyway.

3,000' ceiling is plenty for flying the Columbia Gorge from the cloudy west side to the sunny east side:

On final for 16R at KRNO for an overnight stopover to feed some slot machines at the Nugget Hotel ...

Guess which one is ours! Big airplane or small, always great service at Atlantic Aviation at Reno.

Unusual company at the fuel island at Jean NV (0L7):

The Colorado River and Lake Havasu City. Industrialist Robert (chain-saw) McCulloch developed the town in the 1960s, and brought the original London Bridge over from England, stone by stone, as a tourist attraction. When the bridge was in place he cut the channel under it, turning the peninsula into an artificial island. He flew prospects out to see Lake Havasu City in his own airline — Lockheed Constellations, then Electras. Some vestiges of the runways of the old “Site Six” airport can still be seen on the peninsula, but a nice new airport was built about ten miles north of town.

Inbound to Phoenix-Goodyear Airport (KGYR), which after the first of the year when we move to Phoenix, will be our new home field:

Taking off from KGYR for a local sightseeing hop. Dozens of retired airliners are parked there. Spring training home of the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds is across the street.

Stopping to visit POA member pmanton at a residential airpark about 75 miles west of Phoenix. (Thanks for the hospitality, Paul!)

Ah, nostalgia! Hitting a Phoenix-area burger joint with my son in his ’61 Fury.

Return trip in the next post!

 

[Pilawt]

We decided to make the return trip back to Vancouver in a single day. Forecast called for headwinds, but light. We were off the ground at KGYR at 7:46 AM.


Ford Proving Ground at Yucca, Arizona. This was the Memorial Day holiday, so the MOA was cold and we took a direct course to Bullhead City.

Fuel stop at Bullhead City AZ (KIFP), with the casinos of Laughlin NV just across the river:

Due to a malfunction and fire a few weeks ago, only one of the three solar arrays at the Ivanpah Solar Plant was operating. There is a standing NOTAM warning of ocular glare from that facility. Seriously — it’s like looking directly at the sun.

This was taken a few miles northwest of BTY VORTAC on V-135. That white spot in the distance is another solar plant, about 50 miles away, near Tonopah, Nevada.

Walker Lake, with the town of Hawthorne, Nevada, at the left.

Second fuel stop of the day, at Yerington, Nevada (O43). Eerily quiet, but the benefits are a clean restroom, cheap fuel and a McDonalds just a block down the street.

Mt. Hood (11,299’) told Lewis & Clark they were almost to the Pacific Ocean, and it told us we were almost home.

Our airplane saved us from returning from Memorial Day weekend in this fashion (I-84 near Multnomah Falls):

The trip home required three fuel stops (KIFP, O43 and KBDN, Bend Oregon). With only 40 gallon capacity we can’t go too far. Nevertheless, we landed at our home field in time to hear the start of the NBA playoff game at 6 PM. It was 8.3 hours on the tach, and a shade over ten hours total elapsed time for the 901-nm trip. We’ve spent more time than that on occasion going from PHX to PDX on Southwest or Alaska Airlines with their crazy multi-stop schedules, figuring in rental car shuttles, security lines, etc., etc.

 

[danhagan]

Nice write up ... sounds like you had a good time. Was it warm enough for you in Phoenix?

 

[Matthew]

Thanks, Jeff.

You do some of the coolest trips.

 

[RyanB]

Love the photos, looks like a great trip. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Pilawt]

Did you fly direct from the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge to Reno? I'm just curious about your route. I plan to fly up to Washington someday and can't decide if it's better to go up through the central valley of California or stay east the of the Sierras and cross the Cascades at the Columbia River.

We stopped for fuel and breakfast at KBDN (Bend OR), then direct KRNO. The straight line between KBDN and KRNO just grazes the east edge of the Goose North MOA, but a moving map GPS can keep you out of it. There is a 9,000'+ mountain to the east of the route (Eagle Peak, east of Alturas CA); otherwise the terrain is not bad.

If weather over the Willamette Valley and Cascades is really good we might go KVUO - KLMT, then on to the Reno area. Great view of Crater Lake, but there are a lot of miles over the Cascade foothills with few emergency landing options.

We take the California/I-5 route between WA and AZ if there are weather issues east of the Cascades or Sierras. The California route adds at least 100 miles to the trip, but terrain is generally lower and there are plenty of airports along I-5. Typical route is KVUO - RBG - OED - 1O6 - O85 (fuel) - KVIS (fuel) - AMONT - KWJF (fuel) - LUCER - L22 - KBXK - KGYR. The Central Valley is busy, especially around Redding and Sacramento, so Flight Following is recommended.

For the best in scenery, and if you don't mind being in some remote areas, there's the eastern Nevada/southern Utah/Grand Canyon route. We sometimes go KVUO - KBNO (fuel) - KEKO (fuel) - ELY - ILC - KCDC (fuel) - Tuckup Corridor through the Grand Canyon SFRA - KGYR. Click here for photos of this route from Feb. 2015. This route and the Reno route are about the same length.

Have a great trip.

 

[BillTIZ]

I think I saw your plane at the fuel pumps in Jean NV. ,!!
Our glider club is on the east side.

Jean is a popular refueling stop between RNO and PHX, outside the Class B and an easy walk to the casino for lunch.

Great pictures!

 

[Pilawt]

I think I saw your plane at the fuel pumps in Jean NV. ,!!
Our glider club is on the east side.

I was wondering if you were there! It was Friday 5/27, probably around 11 am. Just after we took off I heard someone taking the Pawnee around the pattern to start the day.

BTW, what's the story with that jet?

 

[BillTIZ]

Yes I was there! That was the start of a great soaring day, one pilot did over 700 km. One of my pre solo students had a great lesson in thermals and how to use them with an intro to XC. We had the Schweizer 2-33 primary trainer (23/1 Ld) down to Primm at 10,500ft. He flew, I coached.

The jet, there is a company that contracts with the military to train forward air controllers. Ground FAC. They teach how to work with aircraft and how to call in air strikes against ground targets with troops in contact. They have been looking for a "home base" to service Yuma (Marines), Ft Irwin (Army), and Nellis (Air Force). The Jean runway gets a little short at high temps and large fuel loads.

 

[G-Man]

Really cool and fun pictures and story. Good to learn the routing, too. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Pilawt]

Yes I was there! That was the start of a great soaring day, one pilot did over 700 km. One of my pre solo students had a great lesson in thermals and how to use them with an intro to XC. We had the Schweizer 2-33 primary trainer (23/1 Ld) down to Primm at 10,500ft. He flew, I coached.

Yeah, we hit some of those thermals between Jean and KHII. I remarked to my wife that I bet the glider guys were loving it!