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Re: mtn crossing planning
Larry if you need any help passing through the desert north of Los Angeles, from Daggett to say Tehachapi or Bakersfield, I will be glad to offer any assistance if I'm not on work-travel. Phone 818-701-6801, victorbravo (at) sbcglobal (dot) net
As you pass Daggett airport (DAG), please say hello to the ghost of my Ventus racing glider that burned up in a hangar fire in 1987... you'll see several big long "shade" hangars and one of them in the row will be missing.
When you get out into the desert following I-40, remember a few things. First, don't try too hard to maintain a specific cruising altitude... you probably won't be able to if it is in the middle of the day. Just keep it within 500 feet of your desired altitude and roll with the ups and downs. Fly on your oil temp or CHT gauge first, all other instruments second.
Second, fly on the right side of I-40, and DON'T fly any further from the highway that you would want to walk among the rattlesnakes. Look up "Mojave Green" rattlesnakes on Google for a wake-up call.
Third, don't try to cut the corner and squeeze through the tiny gap (Trona) between the Edwards AFB and China Lake NAS restricted areas. Go the extra 25 miles around south of Edwards, through Palmdale and Lancaster. You cannot track directly outbound from DAG VOR to Lancaster WJF, it will run you into the corner of Edwards airspace.
Do NOT land at Palmdale (PMD), it is legally a civilian airport but it is also a government installation and you will be met with M-16's. The SR-71 airplane parked there should give you a clue. Mind their airspace the same as you would Edwards. Lancaster General Fox (WJF) 5 miles away is a nice little civilian airport with gas and a pilot lounge.
Apple Valley (APV) southwest of DAG is a good stop, if you have any trouble you can ask around there for my friend Ross Briegleb who is a Taylorcraft expert.
When you go through Tehachapi, the municipal airport has gas. If you don't need gas but have any mechanical problems, the glider airport is less than 2 miles south of there and I know enough people there to get you some help. Have Jane Barrett contact me or put you in touch with Les King, Mark Grubb, or any one of the other locals there.
Before you leave the Tehachapi area, check in with Flight Service or whoever (radio or phone) and see what the visibility is in the San Joaquin Valley. If the valley has poor visibility it will have poor visibility for a long long way.
Bakersfield Airpark (L45) has a big EAA chapter based on the field with about 50 RV series homebuilts. It is the home of the "Harmon Rocket" RV on steroids. Bakersfield Meadows (BFL) is a tower controlled regional airport with some airline service and probably more expensive fuel.
Shafter Minter Field (MIT) north of Bakersfield is an OK place to stop, if you have any airplane trouble find my friend Pete Plumb of Wood Wing Specialty. He is one of the last olde tyme wood airplane specialists.
If you want a really great fly-in restaurant/steakhouse, with avgas available, go to Harris Ranch airport near Coalinga, CA. Pilots fly in there from hundreds of miles around for their restaurant.
After that, you're up in Darryl (FlyGuy)'s territory and he knows the area far better than me
Have a safe flight.
Larry if you need any help passing through the desert north of Los Angeles, from Daggett to say Tehachapi or Bakersfield, I will be glad to offer any assistance if I'm not on work-travel. Phone 818-701-6801, victorbravo (at) sbcglobal (dot) net
As you pass Daggett airport (DAG), please say hello to the ghost of my Ventus racing glider that burned up in a hangar fire in 1987... you'll see several big long "shade" hangars and one of them in the row will be missing.
When you get out into the desert following I-40, remember a few things. First, don't try too hard to maintain a specific cruising altitude... you probably won't be able to if it is in the middle of the day. Just keep it within 500 feet of your desired altitude and roll with the ups and downs. Fly on your oil temp or CHT gauge first, all other instruments second.
Second, fly on the right side of I-40, and DON'T fly any further from the highway that you would want to walk among the rattlesnakes. Look up "Mojave Green" rattlesnakes on Google for a wake-up call.
Third, don't try to cut the corner and squeeze through the tiny gap (Trona) between the Edwards AFB and China Lake NAS restricted areas. Go the extra 25 miles around south of Edwards, through Palmdale and Lancaster. You cannot track directly outbound from DAG VOR to Lancaster WJF, it will run you into the corner of Edwards airspace.
Do NOT land at Palmdale (PMD), it is legally a civilian airport but it is also a government installation and you will be met with M-16's. The SR-71 airplane parked there should give you a clue. Mind their airspace the same as you would Edwards. Lancaster General Fox (WJF) 5 miles away is a nice little civilian airport with gas and a pilot lounge.
Apple Valley (APV) southwest of DAG is a good stop, if you have any trouble you can ask around there for my friend Ross Briegleb who is a Taylorcraft expert.
When you go through Tehachapi, the municipal airport has gas. If you don't need gas but have any mechanical problems, the glider airport is less than 2 miles south of there and I know enough people there to get you some help. Have Jane Barrett contact me or put you in touch with Les King, Mark Grubb, or any one of the other locals there.
Before you leave the Tehachapi area, check in with Flight Service or whoever (radio or phone) and see what the visibility is in the San Joaquin Valley. If the valley has poor visibility it will have poor visibility for a long long way.
Bakersfield Airpark (L45) has a big EAA chapter based on the field with about 50 RV series homebuilts. It is the home of the "Harmon Rocket" RV on steroids. Bakersfield Meadows (BFL) is a tower controlled regional airport with some airline service and probably more expensive fuel.
Shafter Minter Field (MIT) north of Bakersfield is an OK place to stop, if you have any airplane trouble find my friend Pete Plumb of Wood Wing Specialty. He is one of the last olde tyme wood airplane specialists.
If you want a really great fly-in restaurant/steakhouse, with avgas available, go to Harris Ranch airport near Coalinga, CA. Pilots fly in there from hundreds of miles around for their restaurant.
After that, you're up in Darryl (FlyGuy)'s territory and he knows the area far better than me
Have a safe flight.
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