Page 1 of 2

Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 12:39 pm
by stevekirks
What: KAPV to KBFL

MyFlightRoute details link: http://myflightroute.com/craft.php?star ... &altitude=
PEaware flights link: http://peaware.pilotedge.net/citypair.c ... PV&to=KBFL

Flight Planning Considerations:

VFR
  • Class Delta airspace restriction at Victorville, Palmdale, Bakersfield
  • Military Operations area north of the typical route
  • Terrain avoidance
  • Weather at Bakersfield
IFR
  • IFR minimum altitude on V197 means oxygen on board or choosing the right aircraft that can safely fly at 10,000 feet.
  • At Apple Valley, obstacle departure procedure EXCON1 requires RNAV and runway 36 only
  • STAR available for Bakersfield
  • Alternate minimums document for Bakersfield shows that four instrument procedures are not allowed if the local weather isn't available and the ILS or VOR/DME for 30R is also not allowed if the tower is closed.
General notes
  • Apple Valley is a non-towered airport
  • Apple Valley is closed to night operations on runway 8-26 due to terrain
  • Bakersfield has limits on operations if RVR is 1200 or below

Re: Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 11:32 pm
by bawells
I was pretty excited all day to get started on the alphabet challenge tonight but wasn't sure if the weather was going to hold up. Since I'm not 'IFR Rated' on PE (I haven't done any of the IFR ratings, odd personal rule) I'm limiting myself to VFR only and the big block of IFR rules that was stuck over BFL most of the day was pretty discouraging. By the time I was ready to make the flight though things had cleared up enough to just above weather minimums so I decided to go for it.

It ended up being a pretty uneventful flight though - I flew this corridor quite a bit when I first joined PE, flying controlled to uncontrolled and vice versa, so it's pretty familiar territory. There was a bit of cloud dodging here and there and besides one pass of the B1 drones near PMD, very little traffic. I was even able to take in a few minutes of Tim K's stream here and there while en route. The weather definitely got more exciting after passing over the ridge north east of the Gorman VOR but visibility was such that I was able to keep Hwy 99 off my left wing and in view to guide me in to Bakersfield visually. Rang up tower at BFL, got to make a rare request for clarification on which runway because the controller didn't specify L/R (he was busy and sounded new/unfamiliar - certainly not complaining, just enjoying the moment!) and set up for the left base to 30R using the Kern river as a reference. The controller was on the ball after that quite literally reading my mind and calling to clear me for landing just as I was going to call him on my base and clearing me to taxi just as I was making my turn off.

Looking forward to doing more of these, plus these pireps force me to think about what I did a little more and recognize some mistakes in hindsight. I need to work through my ratings as I would like to be able to incorporate some IFR flights, the weather lately has been a little restrictive when it comes to my self imposed VFR prison but has been beneficial to my offline helicopter practice.

Anyways, 1 flight and 105.6 miles down, 34 flights 5,305.7 miles to go!

Re: Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 3:27 pm
by stevekirks
I've made this flight a couple of times now, and earlier today I did a run as VFR only since the weather was nice. Now that I have the basics down, I think I'll do an IFR flight on the network to count as a Challenge flight. My goal is to prep everything as printouts and have the procedures briefed, then "lock the cockpit door" and make a run.

I've been encouraged by everyone's posts so far. Can't wait to get more of the legs done!

Re: Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 4:51 pm
by flyingdrill
Steve,

Looks like you made a great job of that one.

Welcome to the party!

Re: Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 11:47 am
by Nelson L.
About to start the Alphabet Challenge, and in typical fashion, I have yet another dumb question:

If the aircraft I'm flying doesn't have RNAV capabilities (it does, but I don't know how to use it...), and I want to depart APV IFR, would that mean that I'm allowed to execute a diverse departure? Looking at the takeoff minimums,
-------------------------------
APPLE VALLEY (APV)
TAKEOFF MINIMUMS AND (OBSTACLE) DEPARTURE PROCEDURES
AMDT 1 00167 (FAA)
TAKEOFF MINIMUMS: Rwy 36, 300-1 or std . with a min. climb gradient of 340' per NM to 5800.
Rwys 8,18,26, NA.
DEPARTURE PROCEDURE: Use EXCON ONE RNAV DEPARTURE. Rwys 8,18,26, NA.
--------------------------------
it appears that RWYs 8,18, and 26 don't have DP's (N/A). Does that mean that if I depart on one of those 3 runways, the Excon1 doesn't apply to me, or does it mean that you simply can't depart IFR on those runways?

Re: Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 11:56 am
by Keith Smith
N/A doesn't mean "not available". In this case it means "NOT AUTHORIZED."

As a Part 91 pilot you can do anything you like if they don't issue a SID or vector, however, a diverse departure is not an option from those runways since an ODP has been published for the airport.

See this workshop for more info: http://www.pilotedge.net/workshops/ifr- ... emystified

Re: Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:11 pm
by Nelson L.
Ah, the whole N/A thing is coming back to me now. And some of the finer details of that workshop must have escaped me, but it was my understanding that if an ODP is published for an airport, and ATC doesn't give you departure instructions, you must/can choose to fly the ODP? Or can you just go direct to the first point on your flight plan (i.e. Palmdale) in lieu of departure instructions (which would make it a diverse departure?). I'm afraid that you've completely lost me now...

Re: Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:19 pm
by Keith Smith
A diverse departure is an option if it's an IFR airport (ie, it has at least one approach) and an ODP is NOT published. In this case, there IS an ODP, and it precludes the use of certain runways.

So, executing a diverse departure from random runways is not going to guarantee you any obstacle/terrain clearance.

Re: Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:23 pm
by Nelson L.
Keith Smith wrote:As a Part 91 pilot you can do anything you like if they don't issue a SID or vector, however, a diverse departure is not an option from those runways since an ODP has been published for the airport.
The Diverse Departure part is understood, but what is the difference between "anything you like" vs Diverse Departure? I'm just confused as to what I'm supposed to do once wheels up, given the lack of RNAV capabilities and therefore lack of an ODP to follow.

Re: Alphabet Challenge - Leg 1 - Apple Valley to Bakersfield

Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:30 pm
by Keith Smith
I see. Poor choice of words on my part. "Do anything you like" means you can navigate to the fix anyway you like (including a diverse departure), but you might die in the process.

So when I said a DD wasn't an option, I meant in the sense of it providing terrain and obstacle clearance.