Vegas Baby!

[Dave in Eugene]

Heading to Vegas for this coming week and looking for shelter for my Long EZ. If anybody has a tips or a corner in a hanger I'd love to know.

Trying to leave this afternoon..business permitting to beat the storm track lined up off of the coast.. Should be in Vegas on Sunday... my cell is 541-501-8980. thanks,

http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/fax/evpn12.jpg


http://www.weatherunderground.com/Aviation_Maps/Flight_Rules/FL100-000.html#a_topad

Dave

[Dave in Eugene]

Vegas Baby!

Eugene to Vegas.

Eugene to Redding 1.8 hours
Redding to Vasalia 2.7 hours (vasalia just south of Fresno)
Vasalia to Boulder City 2.2  (Boulder City is just south and east of Vegas)

Here is a quick review of the flight.

Very exciting for me as I have had 408 EZ for over a year and the longest flight I have had the opportunity to take it in is was about 250 miles...

Watched the satellite and decided if I could get done with work early I would try to get to Redding a night early cause the high pressure was giving way and the dual storm track was lined up for a direct hit of the North West.... My Sweetie was ready at 3 PM ..Wheels up at 4:10 -  on the ground in Redding at 6:10ish. Pretty smooth flight with high overcast.. and down to 100kts ground speed as the front was pushing in hard against us ..Spent some time with my down jacket and mittens all over me... The women at the front desk asks "Can we fill it up for you?" I said "Sure would you like me to supervise the refueling" she assured me that that was not necessary and arranged a ride to La Quinta in Redding for us. I said that I would like 15 gallons in the right tank... We arrive at the the hotel with a message from the airport. Dusty didn't understand which side was which... the propeller in the back and all.... so 3 gallons in on the left and 28 gallons in the other...I told her that I would forgive them if the had a clean hose and a couple of buckets ready in the morning....Nothing like the taste of 100LL for breakfast... got a mouth full...burped it for the next 4 hours...I will supervise all refueling no matter what from this day forward...

Upon pre-flight noticed that the large bolt that holds the wheel pant to the wheel was flat gone....stop...find parts on Sunday at the Jet Center...Met Mike who was generous with his shop and parts bin... tried to get it started..couldn't...off with the wheel pant...yep as I expected broken off stud... backed 8EZ to the shop and with air power drill and "easy-out" had us in business in short order..Would not take a dollar... liked the plane.

Picked up Flight Following from Sarcramento approach and enjoyed the company of jet pilots to recips all bitching about turbulence.. Again 35-40 knots on the nose and amazingly consistent bounces... We tightened down our shoulder straps when we both hit our heads on t he canopy...Something nice about listening to King Air pilots talking about getting their ass-kicked when we were too...


Redding to Vasalia... Center says "Long EZ 8 EZ your grounds speed is at 100 knots are you sure that you don't want to rent a car and drive there...you'd get there faster.....heheheheh" I say "' Go easy my wife is in the back"...a bull-ride went from 5,500 to 3,500 to try and find less wind and smoother air....not...flew between the haze layer at 2,500 and the overcast at 10,000. Evaluated fuel and had 10 gallons decided I wanted more for the flight over the Sierra's... so picked Vasalia...6,500' long and no control tower seems like an EZ choice.

Vasalia to Vegas..

I am cruising at 7,500 as center tells me that a Cessna 172 had experienced a "Mountain wave" at 7.5 and turned around... I told them that I would climb to 9.5 to which he responded that he had sent several planes over at that altitude with no reports... Noticed 700' feet per minute up in level flight on the west side and 500' per minute in a climbing attitude on the east side... lost 500' before we were out of it... to be expected given the winds... Centers advice appreciated. Now racing across the desert at 160 knots...Something nice about looking down at a highway traffic jam when clocking close to 200mph.

Tony from Vegas did his best to find shelter for our plane and was very helpful in directing us to Boulder City Airport... A stress free place to land. Thanks Tony..

(Still looking for shelter..if it is easy)

Flight following was almost seamless and very professional except for 1 good Wise-crack.

Great flight...Looking forward to flying home...

Thanks everybody...

Dave

[easyrider]

Dave
I have been waiting with baited breath for details of your return flight.
Did you spend the gas money at the tables?
Easyrider

[Dave in Eugene]

Almost made it home.... airplane in the big hangar at K-Falls Hertz to Eugene for work...today... More later...thanks for asking.. Dave

[tonyslongez]

Dave

Glad you made it home safe buddy. Great talking with you. Next time, we have to get together so you can see the N.T.S.B. crash site that is in my garage :lol:  Sorry we couldn't get you a hanger. There are plenty available now that everyone is back in town. Give me a call about a week before you come to town and maybe we'll have better luck. do you have any pics of your bird and the flight over?

Tony

[Dave in Eugene]

Vegas to Eugene ...(which ended up Vegas to Klamath Falls)

Direct Carson City, Direct Klamath Falls

Boulder City (near Vegas) to Carson City (just south of Reno)  342 nm 2.4 hours (average 142. knts)
Carson City to Klamath Falls  220 nm 1.5 hours  (average 146 knts)

Checking weather in Vegas a day before scheduled departure made some clear decision about leaving early based on a well developed systems scheduled to arrive in the northwest on Friday. "Honey, pack your bag"...

Wheels up at 1 pm... Later than I would like. It was crisp, cold and clear. Had all of our gear and 320 pounds of human body and 33 gallons of fuel on board... I think airport altitude was around 2,500. I am pretty sure I saw more than 1/2 of the 6,500' runway before feeling light. Again I dreamed of 160 hp... Sure I would like the extra speed but I am just not a fan of watching the departure end of the runway coming at me at 70-80 knts.

Had a hard time getting through to Las Vegas approach and was paranoid about the intensity of the airspace around that area. So spent way-to-long circling south of the airport to get cleared for a north departure. Finally picked them up at 6,500' . Guess the rocks were in the way. Great views climbing out over redrocks and watching the expanse of desert unroll in front of us. The Sierras like a great wall on the left and a broken layer of cumulus between 8,000' 10,500 ft. We climbed through to 12,500... It was great. I have never flown so high for so long. Dipping below 12.5 occasionally with the air currents and then being gently lifted as we watched rolling cumulus erupting beside us...really cool. and...Ka ka ka Kold... OAT was about 19F... bundled heavily. mittens over mechanics gloves.. Down jacked (ala Tom Staggs...worn backwards having pulled it out in flight) over pile jacket, ski pants and Sorrells... Dropped into Carson City to thaw out and  score enough fuel for the rest of the ride home...Thankfully the front is colder than the back... Pam was still having fun.

(Side note 100ll $3.20/gallon in Boulder city & $3.10 gallon in Carson City...what a deal...)



As we neared Klamath Falls time was 5 PMish.... 10 gallons on board...55 minutes ETA to home base, o-dark-thirty thinking would be about 6:30-6:45. Given the forecast and the intensity of the dark flying was not what I wanted to do... checked flight watch... Eugene still reporting  broken but scheduled to rain at 8 PM... pondering choices I watch the broken around me start to tighten up... only one good hole infront of me (still lots behind me) I decide to go look at 7.5k to see if I could squeak a pass underneath back into the Willamette Valley....7.5 turns out to be 6.0k before clear VFR and it is rocking down there... K falls reports 27 knots gusting to 40. Options ... Climb back up and hope that Eugene holds broken for 55 minutes and if not have about 30 minutes of fuel before quiet or... land in K falls and call it a great day...

It was a great day..

K- Falls has a squadron of F-16s and a 10,000' runway. Tower called wind 3 times on my final approach... all high 20's...15 degrees off of runway center line...not bad....

K Fall also has a giant hangar with maybe 30 planes in it.. It is like a plane conference.. I hope 408 EZ is behaving...

Looking for a break to bring her home.

All the best y'all

Dave

[tonyslongez]

Dave

good thing you left.  I'm at the airport right now (McCarren Intl.)

Clear skies

winds are 28 gusting to 40 I hate working in this stuff.

Tony

[Drew]

In 2000, I was doing a PCS move from Pax River to Point Mugu.  Flew my Longez out there to base it in Camarillo.  I arrived in the middle of the Santa Annas.  Forty knots on the surface---luckily right down the runway.  It was actually a pretty difficult approach and landing even with the wind right down the runway.  It required a lot of pitch deflection.  Seemed like it was full stick deflection fore and aft----maybe had something to do with gusting wind.  I was kind of worried leaving my plane on the ramp---sure was dancing around on the tiedowns.

[Dave in Eugene]

.9 of an hour from K-Falls to Creswell (just south of Eugene). Glad to have her home.. my engine hates to start in the cold... got to find out what she likes.

Spent an hour under the hood today with a CFII. Shot an approach (1st time ever) getting vectors from Cascade approach to the ILS. Darned if it didn't work out just right... Took the hood off and ...was looking right down the runway...to cool.

Hope to sit for my Instrument written in the next 2 weeks. Passing practice tests (barely) at this moment.

Dave

I am newbie and asking for advice.  I applied as recruiter manager at JobQueen, they promise to pay $87,000.00/year. I would like to know  how can I get quality sales reps in China. So if you want to help me out please contact me direct at my email: kimwongshu@yahoo.com

[Snappy]

Dave,  too bad I read about the return trip toooo late!  Next time you or any other Rutan drivers needs an overnight home in KFalls, call me!  I have my long hangared and safe with room for another nose down parker.  They do nest quite nicely!

541 892 7531

Glad you had a good trip!  I also have rented a car and drove home from Susanville when the passes were to high and the ceiling too low.  On that trip, Dave (rest in peace) let me share his hangar for a couple days and took me to lunch at the casino before departing.

I remember a quote from Jack, "tis better to error on the side of safety"

[Bruce Hughes]

Hi, Snappy, Dave, Al, and others in OR

I hope to have a flying Longeze soon and will be looking for places
to go that are not TOO far from Yelm (near Olympia) WA.

My wife has relatives in central OR.

Also we have a motorhome and have been going through Klamath
Falls, Eugene, and Portland for several years on the way to and/or back
from the Reno Air Races.   Once was stuck in Portland for 18 hours.
Luckily my wife knows all of the Ercoupe people around.

So we will hope that you do not mind having visitors.  We have lots
of stories (my wife is a pilot, too and once was married to a Boeing
engineer) and are willing to listen to your stories, too.  

"There I was at -----"

When we have the motor home all we need is a parking spot at the curb....

[Snappy]

You've got my number.  Give me a call if you're coming through KFalls!  Lots and lots of airplane stories to hear/tell over the campfire.

I will be headed for Seattle and a week of work as soon as the wx clears.  What is your closest airport???

[Bruce Hughes]

Hi, Snappy

Well, we LIVE on an airport - Western Air Park.
However it is better for canard pilots with a lot of experience
landing.   I will not land here for a long, long time.

The runway is 2,845' x 30'.   Good asphalt, just awfully short for
a canard.   And we have VERY high trees at the west end.
Landing is usually on 27.   There may be wind from the south
and the houses and trees make that a rather inconsistant
wind.

Email me at bruce@ywave.com.    There is more (Good and bad).

[Drew]

It is good you are being conservative---but you will eventually be able to work yourself down to 2000 ft. And...when you are comfortable landing on 2000 ft strips, the limiting factor will be takeoff (if you have an O235-----if you have a bigger engine, no problem).  That narrow runway will sure give you a ground rush----that takes some getting use to!!