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Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 8:23 am
by stevekirks
http://flighttraining.aopa.org/magazine ... habet.html

I got my copy of the magazine for February and it had the article linked above. I wondered if that might provide some inspiration for a flying event on PE. Here's how it might work:

1. Start at a non-towered airport and fly through some Class A airspace.
2. Fly through a Class Bravo (or land)
3. Touch and go at a non-towered airport
4. Land at an airport in Class D airspace
5. Bonus--don't fly through any Class E airspace
6. Land at the original airport

This sounds like it could match up with FSEconomy too.

Thoughts?

(edited to remove a dumb mistake 1-20-15 at 0809PST)

Re: Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 8:50 am
by Peter Grey
1. Start at a non-towered airport and fly to an airport in Class A airspace.
Only flaw I see here is that there is no such thing as a Class A airport in the United States.

Otherwise sounds like fun.
Bonus--fly through Class E airspace if able
I think the bonus should be if you don't fly through Class E airspace while doing all of this. :twisted:

Re: Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:10 am
by stevekirks
Edited original post for the Class A mistake

Re: Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:32 am
by stevekirks
Draft Flight Plan:

1. Start at a non-towered airport and fly through some Class A airspace.

KSGU St. George Municipal, St. George, UT
Private Jet or Turboprop
Scenario: Flying your executive charter for a fun night in Boulder City (KBVU)

2. Fly through a Class Bravo (or land)

Land at Boulder City KBVU. Drop off the charter. You'll have to be back here in X hours time to pick them up for the return trip to St. George. While you're waiting, you pick up an instructor for time you booked last week. You're ready to recertify in a twin that you've also booked for a biennial flight review.

3. Touch and go at a non-towered airport

Take off from KBVU and do three touch and goes at Jean, NV (0L7) just south of Henderson. Return to Boulder City. Your buddy that runs the FBO asks for a favor: since they booked the instructor and airplane on short notice, they want you shuttle the flight school's Cessna 172 over to Henderson. There's a shuttle bus waiting for there to bring you back to Boulder City

4. Land at an airport in Class D airspace

Take off from KBVU in a Cessna 172 and land at Henderson KHND. Take the shuttle back to Boulder City (a 30 minute drive plus miscellaneous so an automatic hour delay).

5. Bonus--don't fly through any Class E airspace

Heh...

6. Land at the original airport

Your charter company sends you a text and says to be back early--the charter wants to go home since they lost all of their money on a bad bet at the roulette table.
Take off from KBVU and fly back to KSGU.

Other details:

On PE, run this event twice, once in the morning and once in the evening to give many people a chance to participate.

Feedback appreciated. If it's positive, I'll work on some flight plans and details.

Re: Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:47 am
by Peter Grey
With the plan you posted the bonus is actually impossible. There is no way to get to Class A airspace without entering Class E airspace as Class E always exists above 14,500 (with minor irrelevant exception).

Only way to do something like this without entering class E airspace would be something like this:

Depart CPM, remain below 700' AGL and land at KLAX, Depart LAX and remain below 700' AGL enroute to ONT, land at ONT. Depart ONT and go to CNO. Depart Chino and land at Corona without going above 700' AGL.

Obviously I wouldn't recommend doing this as a PE event, or in real life for reasons that should be obvious.

For your event the plan you post is great (just drop the bonus).

Re: Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:53 am
by Pieces
Why not add in a Class C airport as well?

Re: Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:29 am
by Keith Smith
I've always wanted to do an alphabetic event....airport beginning with A, to an airport beginning with a B...then a C....then a D...then an E....then an F....then a G....then an H....then an I.....well, I could go on but hopefully you get the idea.

Classes of airspace works, but I'd drop the Alpha since it rules out most piston planes.

Re: Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:31 am
by stevekirks
OK...so what if we found say two areas that we could run the alphabet with someone flying pilots between areas? Yeah, this is getting crazy, but it's not like we're trying to jam four helicopters and a Piper Arrow on a rooftop or anything...

I'll keep massaging Skyvector until something comes together.

Re: Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 11:42 am
by Peter Grey
For Keith:

APV-BFL-CMA-DLO-EMT-FUL-GCN-HII-IFP-TRM (Jacqueline Cochran Airport)-KNB-L77-MYF-NYL-ONT-POC-15AZ (Quail Mesa Ranch)-RAL-SAN-TOA-UDD-VNY-WJF-49X-NV11 (Yucca Valley Airport)-1Z1-0O2-1L1-2O7-3L2-49X-L52-67L-L77-L88-L90

I had to cheat in a couple places to make a complete list.

Edit: Added 15AZ for the Q destination. Thanks Ken!

Re: Flying the Alphabet - AOPA Article as Inspiration

Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 11:52 am
by stevekirks