Cross-country Flying
One of the requirements for pilot training is to make a solo cross-country flight with a round trip greater than 150 miles. The plane I had been flying, a Cessna 172 with a 160 HP engine was temporarily down for maintenance so I decided to use the club’s Cessna 150. I knew that the 150 would be a bit slower but I thought it would still easily do the job.
On the outbound leg I noticed a fire in the mountains to the east. I advised the Ramona tower and was informed that the air tankers were already working the fire.
My flight was from San Diego to Apple Valley and had to cross over mountains that were more than 6000 feet high. I chose 8500 feet as a cruising altitude. This would give me ample altitude should I encounter any downdrafts. The 150 climbed its’ heart out and finally reached 8500 feet just in time to cross over the mountains. Over the mountains I met a UAL 737. I rocked my wings vigorously to let him know that I did not want to land at LAX.
Then it was an easy descent to Apple Valley. Landing was uneventful. The “effort” of the climb made the flight exceedingly slow and consequently took a lot longer than originally planned to reach my destination. It also used a lot more fuel. I added enough to get back over the mountains. A full tank would have made the plane heavier and would have required more climbing time to be high enough to cross the mountains safely.
From Apple Valley I was able to climb to about 6000 feet by the time I reached the mountains. I was not comfortable and turned back to find some “lift” (glider pilot speak for a thermal, or air that is rising). I remembered passing through those conditions about 5 minutes previously. I was able to find the lift once again and climbed to 8000 feet, enough to cross safely.
Continuing on the way home the fuel gauge was reading lower than I felt comfortable. I had planned to stop at Ramona for additional fuel. A third stop was a requirement of the exercise. I decided to stop at French Valley airport for fuel. I could see that the fire was still burning and Ramona would be still busy. The only problem was that I couldn’t see the French Valley Airport. I knew that it should be nearby but could not find it. I knew that Hemet was also nearby if necessary. Then I banked steeply enough and spotted the airport directly beneath me.
After getting fuel the remainder of the trip home was uneventful. Overall it took about 5 hours. It would probably been about 3 hours in the 172. I might have learned another lesson about power vs economy.
On the outbound leg I noticed a fire in the mountains to the east. I advised the Ramona tower and was informed that the air tankers were already working the fire.
My flight was from San Diego to Apple Valley and had to cross over mountains that were more than 6000 feet high. I chose 8500 feet as a cruising altitude. This would give me ample altitude should I encounter any downdrafts. The 150 climbed its’ heart out and finally reached 8500 feet just in time to cross over the mountains. Over the mountains I met a UAL 737. I rocked my wings vigorously to let him know that I did not want to land at LAX.
Then it was an easy descent to Apple Valley. Landing was uneventful. The “effort” of the climb made the flight exceedingly slow and consequently took a lot longer than originally planned to reach my destination. It also used a lot more fuel. I added enough to get back over the mountains. A full tank would have made the plane heavier and would have required more climbing time to be high enough to cross the mountains safely.
From Apple Valley I was able to climb to about 6000 feet by the time I reached the mountains. I was not comfortable and turned back to find some “lift” (glider pilot speak for a thermal, or air that is rising). I remembered passing through those conditions about 5 minutes previously. I was able to find the lift once again and climbed to 8000 feet, enough to cross safely.
Continuing on the way home the fuel gauge was reading lower than I felt comfortable. I had planned to stop at Ramona for additional fuel. A third stop was a requirement of the exercise. I decided to stop at French Valley airport for fuel. I could see that the fire was still burning and Ramona would be still busy. The only problem was that I couldn’t see the French Valley Airport. I knew that it should be nearby but could not find it. I knew that Hemet was also nearby if necessary. Then I banked steeply enough and spotted the airport directly beneath me.
After getting fuel the remainder of the trip home was uneventful. Overall it took about 5 hours. It would probably been about 3 hours in the 172. I might have learned another lesson about power vs economy.
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