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Thread: Advice needed - XC Flight from Chicago to Sacramento

  1. #11

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    Don't go west at 9000 ft, that's an ifr altitude going east, not good to be head on to traffic.

  2. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Greenwood View Post
    Don't go west at 9000 ft, that's an ifr altitude going east, not good to be head on to traffic.
    He was traveling East from the west.

  3. #13

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    Since gyro copter is likely VFR , then 7500 or 9500 ft going east.

  4. #14
    Glenn Gordon's Avatar
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    At this time it looks like following I-80 out all the way to the Sac Valley is the way to go.

    I'll have my mounted hardwired Ipad with Foreflight, Comm, Mode C, ADS-B Out, plus a SPOT.

    This will be an adventure.

    Thanks for all the great tips. I'll be reading up more in the months to come!

    -Glenn

  5. #15

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    Truckee or Donners pass will be the real challenge.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by 1600vw View Post
    Truckee or Donners pass will be the real challenge.
    Yup, cannibalism is still a thing there.

  7. #17

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    I lived in Sacramento and at night it was always a sight to see the lights from the cars coming over Donner pass. Standing at almost sea level and watching lights that are thousand of feet in the air is something to see at night.

  8. #18
    SierraTR's Avatar
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    I am based at Reno-Stead. Coming through the Reno Area, Reno-Stead (KRTS) has nice big runways and while not the cheapest fuel, it's reasonable. Out of Stead it's fairly easy to get to 8500-10,500 to cross Donner Pass following I-80. The only challenge night be the date you come through. June 7-10 is the Pylon Racing School (PRS) at Stead (to qualify to race in September). The airport will not be closed but a race tower will be operating and there will be lots of fast-moving traffic in the area. For specific procedures check http://steadusers.org, the website of the Stead tenants. They will post the local procedures for operations during PRS. And keep an eye on the winds, especially in the afternoon. We have a front going through today and when I got up this morning Stead was 35G49. If you stop in Reno look us up - EAA Chapter 1361 (https://eaa1361.org/chapter-contacts/)

  9. #19

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    Glenn;
    I've made flights from Chicago area to home base in Big Bear, CA (L35) many times and from Big Bear to Sacto area. MY advice is to take the southern route near Alburquerque to avoid high Rocky mtns, especially if you are not mtn savy. I'd plan to go from Chicago to north of KC to panhandle of OK. It's all flat. From Guymon, OK to Tucumcari, NM following the sw trending hwy. At Tucumcari, head west toward ABQ, again fairly flat and drop south of ABQ toward indian country west of ABQ. In eastern AZ, Holbrook is a fuel stop. Continue west past Sedona to Kingman. Cross the Colorado River around Laughlin into eastern Calif over Mojave Desert to Apple Valley which is low at 3000'. From Apple Valley continue west, remaining south of Edwards AFB restricted areas toward Bakersfield. Once in the central CA valley, head north to Sacramento along hwy 99 with low land and lots of small airports.
    If you travel over deserts in June, they will get turbulent after 1pm so you need to arrange early morning flying. I'd be in the air at 6am with good daylight. Thunderstorms should not be a problem in June but with the weird wet winter we are getting, who knows.
    I live in Big Bear but would not advise stopping here because of high local mtns at 8500'. The most important factor for takeoff in mtns is leaning engine for best power before rolling. We have lost many planes here from lack of that. By purposely staying south of Rockies, you avoid mtn situations.
    Pull up Skyvector World VFR map to plan trip.
    Bob H

  10. #20
    Cary's Avatar
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    Most of my 44 years of flying has been in the Mountain West, primarily Wyoming and Colorado, with some excursions into Utah, Idaho, Nevada, and California. I've also been east as far as Ohio and New York, and I regularly attend OSH, but that's easy stuff compared to the high DAs of the West. So my suggestions are based on my own experience.

    If I were flying a strictly VFR airplane from Chicago to Sacramento, and assuming that you have a navcom in addition to your Foreflight program and a GPS (or even if you don't), I'd follow V6 all the way. It's a whole lot less tiring than trying to keep an eye on the twists and turns of any highway. Certainly you can make slight excursions right or left for fuel or food, and if I were doing it, I'd certainly use Flight Following, but again, all of that is easier if you stick with the airways.

    Coming from Chicago, the last time I was in Dubuque, they didn't have a new operator for the on-field restaurant as of last summer. The FBO, which is very accommodating, lent me a car to run to McDonald's down the road.

    There's a nice cafe at Grand Island, and Tregor Dugan is an excellent FBO. I've overnighted there several times on the way back from OSH (getting older and tireder after X hours of flying), and each time they've found room in a hangar, plus they have arrangements with local motels for less expensive accommodations.

    Ed Nelson at Sydney Aviation is a really decent guy, and if you want to visit the Cabela's flagship store there, call ahead half an hour before landing and the van will be waiting for you. You can eat there and tour the store, which is a real jewel.

    If instead of going direct on V6, you take V138 to Cheyenne, there's a nice restaurant on the field. The FBO has changed hands, so I don't have any information about it now.

    You can hop over the Summit on V118 to Laramie--very accommodating FBO run by the airport, and you can borrow a car to run into town. Similarly, though, if you stop at Rawlins, you can borrow a car and run into town to eat. You cannot get better real Mexican food than at Rose's Lariat, on the south side of the main street coming into Rawlins from the airport. Little dinky family owned place, with zero ambiance but superb food.

    On west, the Rock Springs Airport is way, way outside of town, and the Green River airport is a rough, dirt strip with no services in spite of its name, Greater Green River Intergalactic Spaceport--not even for the Starship Enterprise. So neither is a great place to stop, although for fuel, the RKS FBO is fine.

    Surprisingly, KSLC, Salt Lake City's Class B airport, is very accommodating to GA aircraft. The FBOs are at the south end of 17. But although I haven't been there, you'd probably pick Ogden at the north end of the Class B area instead.

    I can't help much from there west until Reno, and I found Reno to be a very pleasant place. I've only been there for the Air Races, so it was really busy, but very accommodating at Reno Tahoe International (Reno Stead was closed due to the Races).

    From Reno, it's just a hop, skip, and jump to Sacramento. Sounds like a fun trip!

    Cary

    PS: Don't forget to lean!

    C
    Last edited by Cary; 02-16-2017 at 09:25 PM.
    "I have slipped the surly bonds of earth...,
    put out my hand and touched the face of God." J.G. Magee

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