Alphabet Challenge Leg 32 KL52 - K67L

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Talan2000
Posts: 207
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:59 pm
Location: McKinney, Texas, USA, Earth

Alphabet Challenge Leg 32 KL52 - K67L

Post by Talan2000 »

Pilots,

Situation:
http://peaware.pilotedge.net/flight.cfm?id=88626

Ok, this is the one you have been dreading. And justifiably so...I mean 336NM -- the longest leg! Ungh. I definitely had "get home-itis" on this one too as - if you can believe it - I launched at 2300 CST and landed not too long before PE shut itself down. This time crunch, and fatigue influenced my flight planning. I should have enjoyed the beach at Oceano and relaxed, as it was, I just wanted to end the alphabet. When you reach this point, I think you will understand.

So - draw a straight line to Mesquite...I'll wait. Ok, so Skyvector did it for you without you even having to slap down that somewhat warped plotter of yours on a wrinkly sectional...or two? ...Great, let's get to it:

Lessons Learned:
"This (Airspace) Belongs to Me and You": Ok, so nobody can spend any time in the West (above it or on the ground) without a strong impression of just how vast it really is and how much of the airspace seems to be reserved for governmental use. So you'd better get comfy with MOAs, training routes, and Restricted Areas -- just like you would rattle snakes and scorpions and static shocking yourself to death in the dry cold days in Nevada winters. But I digress.

You have a couple of options for how to plan your route. One easy straightforward but slightly out of the way option is to go the Southern Route. See Brian's path. Perfectly fine. Not too out of the way.

The other way to get to Mesquite is to go straight at it...that's what I did. Key to this route is an understanding of the restricted airspace near China Lake. The Feds have seen fit to leave a rather narrow corridor through the restricted airspace allowing one to squeeze through and be on your way. Real world, I'd probably take the southern, slightly longer route. At midnight on PE, I wanted to see if I could pull off the Restricted Zig Zag route.
Zig Zag!
Zig Zag!
RestrictedZigZag.JPG (192.1 KiB) Viewed 4970 times
You'll need GPS to make this happen. I felt a bit like Red Leader in the trench on the Death Star ... especially as ... just as I entered the most critical element of this entire flight -- circa 1201 AM CST -- you guessed it...Dual ENGINE Failure -- right there over that salt evaporator (which I didn't see because it was night time of course but they are not that much to look at anyway)...not satisfied with just a simple failure the "gremlins" saw fit to give me a dual engine FIRE. Nothing to do here but ditch really, don't bother restarting etc. Or, calmly look at Show failures, smile at Dual engine fire, and "reset all failures"...I don't think I lost more than a few hundred feet - if that. Remember best glide in a c90 -- 125kts. The timing, occurring at this exact spot, well let's just call it highly coincidental and move on.

Some of you are calling your local FAA office now to point out that I blazed right through R2506. Yep. Sure did. But a close inspection of the chart reveals it's only extant up to 6000MSL AND only then from sunup to sundown. I had double protection, as it were, due to my altitude and it being dark and all (pre engine fire). Maybe they tested an alien heat ray on me...

Navigating KLAS B feels like superhighway compared to the China Lake Zig Zag: Easy to go over the B. Seemingly not so hard to get a B clearance. I was tired so I kept trying to cut little segments -- like going direct to Santa Fe casino instead of LAS. Saved like a minute I think but it was worth it :) I really wanted to go the the "Spaghetti Bowl" whatever the heck that is! Maybe some other time.
One Meatball
One Meatball
SpaghettiMonster.JPG (188.21 KiB) Viewed 4970 times
The Stars at Night...: I know what you are thinking since I'm writing this from Texas...but no, i really mean that is was just gorgeous in X-Plane flying over Las Vegas at midnight. I can only imagine what it would look like with Tom Curtis's Glitter Gulch scenery instead of just stock scenery and simheaven ortho pics. I may have to get Curtis's work. Maybe some of you can recommend it...And it's really easy to follow major highways like I-15 at night.

Uneventful landing. Remember you lose your depth perception at night and keep scanning up and down the length of the runway. Now, Go Get some sleep...

Todd
Peter Grey
Posts: 5716
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2010 3:21 pm

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 32 KL52 - K67L

Post by Peter Grey »

really wanted to go the the "Spaghetti Bowl" whatever the heck that is!
Having lived in Las Vegas I'm happy to inform you that the Spaghetti bowl is the highway interchange between I-15, I-515, US-93, and US-95 just north of downtown.
Peter Grey
PilotEdge Director of Quality Assurance and Operations
peter@pilotedge.net
Talan2000
Posts: 207
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:59 pm
Location: McKinney, Texas, USA, Earth

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 32 KL52 - K67L

Post by Talan2000 »

Well that's soooo boring. I had hoped it was some sort of Vegas Monumental extravagance. Sigh.

And come on Peter! You have to comment on my flight path! :)
Peter Grey
Posts: 5716
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2010 3:21 pm

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 32 KL52 - K67L

Post by Peter Grey »

And come on Peter! You have to comment on my flight path!
Not sure what you are looking for out of me on it. It's a legal flight plan so I have no complaints.
Peter Grey
PilotEdge Director of Quality Assurance and Operations
peter@pilotedge.net
Talan2000
Posts: 207
Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:59 pm
Location: McKinney, Texas, USA, Earth

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 32 KL52 - K67L

Post by Talan2000 »

"Not sure what you are looking for out of me on it. It's a legal flight plan so I have no complaints."

That's exactly what I wanted :) Or if you knew of how commonly used these little corridors are out in this area. Were they created only after public (GA) outcry or did they plan ahead and put them in. That sort of thing.
flyingdrill
Posts: 271
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2014 4:15 am

Re: Alphabet Challenge Leg 32 KL52 - K67L

Post by flyingdrill »

I did the Southerly IFR route, then over LAS and cancelled IFR at MMM. Straightforward today.
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