RE: [COUPERS-FLYIN] California to Osh; which route?

[Ed Burkhead]

----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----   I flew the I-80 route out to the Minden, NV National convention.  I’d recommend flying from morning twilight till 10:30 a.m. (Maybe another flight in the evening would be OK.) I made two takeoffs at 10:30 a.m. and on both the thermals had me muttering “I WANT TO BE ON THE GROUND!!!” starting fairly soon after takeoff. For flight after 10:30 a.m. in the summer, west of Chyenne, Wyoming, be aware that the thermals can give your Coupe 1100 fpm up and downdrafts.  After a long, full power climb to aLTitude, I just maintained level aTTitude with power for 75 mph during those legs to avoid structural damage.  After the 10:30 a.m. takeoff at Rawlins, WY, I had to circle in the thermal to climb to cruising altitude. It was smooth as winter flying until 10:30 a.m., though. It was, however the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever flown.  Its scenery equaled the flight up the Columbia River Gorge and the flight home, which followed I-90 to Mineral, MT, then up the Flathead valley to Kalispell then through Marias Pass along US 2. (IMHO) For discussing scenery, remember that I’m a flatlander and any bump bigger than 150 feet is a “big” deal to me. Both routes were easy with my C-85 and climb prop (flying solo).   Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com/ [EMAIL PROTECTED]    -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 5:58 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; FlyIn@ercoupers.com Subject: Re: [COUPERS-FLYIN] California to Osh; which route?   Hi Ralph;     Either route is fine in your Coupes. Just plan to be airborne before the sun is above the horizon, and stop for the day about noon. The air gets rough quite quickly when you are within a few thousand feet of the surface, especially over the desert. And since you have a lot of "bumps" on the surface (in the form of mountains), they just add to the air roughness. If you fly the I-80 route through Salt Lake, I recommend going north by Ogden. There is a pass just east of Ogden that you can get through at about 7500 feet. Then on to Ft. Stockton, and further east is mostly down hill.        You will have to get to about the same altitude to go on the South route also. The higher you fly, the longer you will have smooth air to fly in each day. Unfortunately, neither route has a lot of scenery, or many airports until you get into the middle of the country.        Have fun and let us all know how it goes. Lynn Nelsen ============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/ ============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/