Iowa to Washington State?

"EDR" wrote in message
...
O2 may not be required, but I would recommend it.

Recommended, sure, I'll agree with that. If nothing else, it will make a
huge difference in your condition by the end of the flight. Not only will
the final approach and landing go better, you'll feel a lot better and less
tired too.

But I don't think that was Jay's original question. And he's been here
long enough to see others post on the virtues of oxygen even when not
mandated by FAR.

Pete

Jay,
I have recently made two trips, both with overnights at IOW (last one
stayed at your place, ferrying a new Lancair 350). First trip was in my
Arrow (non turbo). No problems, all VFR. Go from IOW direct to Boise (a
little detouring to Bear Lake, then thru a valley to Pocatella, ID.),
then follow the low route to whereever in WA you are goint. I went to
SEA once and Redmond Ore. the last time. No Oxy, about 9 to 11,000.
Bill, KUCP

Jay Honeck wrote:
You've read "Flight of Passage" and have to ask that question?


Okay, let me re-phrase this question:

Can I safely take my family in a 235 hp, normally aspirated aircraft from
Iowa to Washington State?

If so, what route do you recommend? Will it require oxygen?

I have recently made two trips, both with overnights at IOW (last one
stayed at your place, ferrying a new Lancair 350).

You stayed overnight here, ferrying a Lancair 350 -- and I didn't get to see
your plane?

Was I out of town? I'd have traded you a night's stay for a ride in a
Lancair!

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

How about an elderly (excuse me, classic) 182?

{;-)

Jim



-Was I out of town? I'd have traded you a night's stay for a ride in a
-Lancair!


Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

jay:

there are a number of lower altitude routes where you won't have
altitude problems -- weather, possibly, but not altitude. Go find
the appropriate sectionals and start reviewing them. Don't depend
on DD or any other flight software to plan for you. They
are very misleading. For example, the DD route (V210/83) south of
PUB into ALS has MEF of 14.4. Yet I go thru there all the time
(cherokee 180) at 12.5. Why? Because there's pass (LaVeta Pass)
that isn't on the IFR charts or DD.

Come by a few days early and take the Idaho Mountain course or
the Colorado Mountain course. No problems with your 235.

Don't want to go high? BIL-JUGAP-HLN-MSO-MLP-W28 and
never over 10K. True, that's not an IFR route part of
the route, but there are lots of airports on the way.

In article ENfic.12459$w96.1176412@attbi_s54,
Jay Honeck wrote:

D.D. routes us northwest to Billings, Montana, and then west from there.
The terrain looks very high, indeed.

For the northern route I believe the wisdom is to fly I-90. I think
this is the route I copied from someone:

GEG MLP MSO DRU GLUES CPN HIA LVM BIL

I don't think you have to go too far over 10000 to fly that.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

I've delivered many a PA-28 to Seattle using the northern route. Not a
biggie, but not a walk in the park either. Use common sense and stay abreast
of the weather. You don't have to fly over the highest peaks, you know.

Bob Gardner

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:ENfic.12459$w96.1176412@attbi_s54...
According to Destination Direct, we are just 10.5 hours away from my
sister
in Sequim, WA.

D.D. routes us northwest to Billings, Montana, and then west from there.
The terrain looks very high, indeed.

Can Atlas make the jump? Is it possible for a normally aspirated plane
(and pilots!) to fly over the Rockies? How high must one go?

Thanks in advance...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:ENfic.12459$w96.1176412@attbi_s54...
Can Atlas make the jump? Is it possible for a normally aspirated plane
(and pilots!) to fly over the Rockies? How high must one go?

Should be doable just fine. Things get relatively low around the Cheyenne
area. Following I-80 across the Rockies should be okay.

At around Boise, you'll have to turn northwest and cross some more
mountains, and then once again to get over the Cascades. But all of those
should be no trouble even for a normally-aspirated engine. Make sure you
watch the weather though. Even IFR it can be tricky, and if I recall, you
are still working on your instrument rating?

When I fly Seattle to Fort Collins, CO, the highest IFR MEA along that route
is 13000', but only for a very short segment, and it's a result of the
airway going right over a lone bump. VFR you could easily cross the bump
lower, or just go around if you prefer.

I think it could done following I-90 the whole way too, but not having flown
that route (not farther east than Missoula anyway), I can't say without
looking at a chart I don't have in front of me.

Pete

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...

When I fly Seattle to Fort Collins, CO, the highest IFR MEA along that
route
is 13000', but only for a very short segment, and it's a result of the
airway going right over a lone bump. VFR you could easily cross the bump
lower, or just go around if you prefer.

I thought it was due to radar coverage? However, I could believe it's Mount
Stuart. BTW, from memory the MEA is 12K, so you'd see 13K eastbound. In any
case, yes, that's much higher than necessary for VFR.

The route from Seattle to Ellensburg has an 8K MEA.

I think it could done following I-90 the whole way too, but not having
flown
that route (not farther east than Missoula anyway), I can't say without
looking at a chart I don't have in front of me.

If you follow I-90, watch for the sharp turn at Snoqualmie Pass (the main
pass over the Cascades). At least one plane has missed the turn and come to
grief in a nearby canyon.

None of this helps you across the Rockies :-)

-- David Brooks

"David Brooks" wrote in message
...
I thought it was due to radar coverage? However, I could believe it's
Mount
Stuart. BTW, from memory the MEA is 12K, so you'd see 13K eastbound. In
any
case, yes, that's much higher than necessary for VFR.

I'm almost certain it's due to the terrain under the route. It's fun
watching the solitary mountain go by underneath as you fly by (when visual
conditions prevail, of course). I think you're right about the 12K/13K
thing though. All I could recall off the top of my head is that I knew I
wound up at 13K. Had I bothered to look at a chart I would've realized what
the actual MEA is.

In any case, the point is that it's easily doable VFR along that route,
without oxygen.

If you follow I-90, watch for the sharp turn at Snoqualmie Pass (the main
pass over the Cascades). At least one plane has missed the turn and come
to
grief in a nearby canyon.

IMHO, if you are crossing Snoqualmie Pass for the first time and you are low
enough that you have to follow the highway rather than cutting the corner,
you are too low.

That's just me though. I suppose others would disagree.

Pete