West Coast flying

[Stetson20]

So we moved out here to southern Nevada. An hour west of Las Vegas. We have adult children that live in central Washington. We've also visited, and love, the Reno-Tahoe area. Routes I envision are Pahrump-Reno and  Pahrump-Moses Lake to the north, and Pahrump-ABQ-points east when we decide to visit out there. Family located in central Michigan and (soon-to-be) Great Lakes, IL.

I'd like to make it from southern NV to central WA in a day. Restricted areas between here and there (Area 51 and such) require a route that takes us near Reno. Flying east, I'd like to comfortably make it to OKC area in a day, spend the night, and fly the rest of the way up to the Chicago/SW Michigan area.

Once east of ABQ, it looks like the terrain wouldn't be much of a factor. Going north looks like terrain is a big factor in planning.

What types of Mooney models can make these flights? 150kts/hr I'm looking at 6 hours flying time to central WA (900nm). SWAG to Chicago area is double that?

Thoughts? Thanks guys/gals!

[amillet]

Here is my April 2018 flight back home from the PPP at KHND.   6.1 hours. J model with standard tanks, nonstop. My home airport is a little farther than Moses Lake.

[Stetson20]

Nice! So what altitude(s) did you fly? I'd be looking at a break halfway in any case, to stretch our legs, hit the restroom, etc..

[skydvrboy]

Break?  If you want to stop and take a break in the middle of a 6 hour leg any Mooney will suit your mission.  I thought you were looking to get to central WA or OKC non-stop.

Do you have any other limiting factors that would steer you to one model or another, useful load, passengers, budget???

[amillet]

10 & 12K trying to find a tailwind. No luck, it was 0-10; kt headwinds.

[amillet]

I did use the Gatoraide bottle on that flight 

[Stetson20]

1 hour ago, skydvrboy said:

Break?  If you want to stop and take a break in the middle of a 6 hour leg any Mooney will suit your mission.  I thought you were looking to get to central WA or OKC non-stop.

Do you have any other limiting factors that would steer you to one model or another, useful load, passengers, budget???

If it's me alone, I wouldn't need a break. But I expect *most* of the time, my wife will be flying with me.

Not sure on the budget this time. Hangar rental is very limited, so I'd have to most likely buy a lot at the local air park, and put up a hangar (or some shelter- summer is brutal here) to protect my plane.

I had a Mooney previously, but flying was mostly flatland and my primary mission was commuting about 1+15 back and forth from central MI to MDW.

I desire to make it to central WA comfortably in a day, not necessarily non-stop. amillet said he made it easily at 10k-12k alt nonstop with a J model. I should start looking there.

Edited May 15, 2019 by Stetson20
nonstop vs stopping

[N201MKTurbo]

I fly Phoenix to Portland periodically and the terrain isn’t that big of a deal until until you get to Oregon. You can make it at 4500 till you get  to the Cascades and you still get there at low level if you fly through the central part of Oregon and then shoot down the Columbia river. 

If you want to go direct you will be at least 10000 figure 12000 for IFR. Any Mooney will do that.

If you are going east to Michigan, I would cross the Rockies just north of Colorado over Rawlins Wy. You can go through there at 7500 or so. It is relatively flat.

Heading east to the south, head to Socorro NM. It is lower than ABQ and you can make it under 10K.

[skydvrboy]

9 hours ago, Stetson20 said:

amillet said he made it easily at 10k-12k alt nonstop with a J model. I should start looking there.

An F model would make that trip non-stop as well, but would take an extra 20-30 minutes.  The F's are significantly cheaper than the J's, it just depends on how much you are willing to spend.  Other newer models are even faster.  How much is that time worth?

[flight2000]

After living with my M20E in Reno for about 18 months before selling it for a bigger plane, my personal preference would be something with a turbo and possibly FIKI or inadvertent deice capability (thinking M20K or TLS/Bravo).  Winter is brutal for icing and clouds seem to hang out just above the mountains.  I'd want the turbo to be able to get higher faster, especially in the higher elevations with heat issues in the summer. 

It can all be manageable with a NA bird if your schedules are flexible and you have the time to wait for good weather, but those two added features above would make it so much easier (and comfortable) to find the "go" days.  There are plenty of passes to get you through the Rockies and Sierra Nevada's safely though.  Those routes are just not as plentiful. 

Just depends on what you want to spend.

Cheers,

Brian

[SantosDumont]

I fly around in the SW, which most days you can do VFR at 6500/7500.  I just took my first trip out to Denver in my F last week.  Went around South of the rockies East of Santa Fe at 11500, came back through Mosca pass at 12500.  Sometimes I think a turbo would be nice, but after a few flights with an O2 hose in my nose I realized I'd rather just ride SWA if I need to go higher.

[Jerry 5TJ]

I flew my E and C all over the west for two decades.  Over the mountains they were fine in day VMC. Occasionally I flew them up to 14,000, but normally at or below 10,000.  

[Ragsf15e]

I fly my 68F all over the northwest from our home in Spokane.  It’s just fine as long as you’re realistic with ifr altitudes and density altitudes.  I load it up with wife and 2 kids (excellent useful load) and fly vfr from Spokane, WA to Carson City NV spring, summer, fall.  Winter is dicey.  As mentioned, icing becomes a problem north of Reno or over any of the mountains.  You can generally get anywhere at 10,500’ if you’re vfr. Ifr altitudes are higher unless you follow circuitous airways routing. I watch the density altitudes and don’t fly past noon in the summer due to turbulence from thermals.