What to think about on cross country flight

[Yetti]

I usually think about what is below me.   I love looking out the windows of airplanes and figuring out what is going on down there.   Weather.  You should also think about that.

[steingar]

Don't be afraid to do lots of dual when you pick up the aircraft.  Lots.  Mooneys aren't particularly difficult tot land, but they bite if they're treated wrong. Best to have lots of flexibility as you bring it home.  Don't get tempted to fly your new to your plane into challenging conditions.  Don't be afraid to wait out the weather.  It's part of travel VFR.  Don't get too tired.  You do stupid things when you're fatigued.

Do have fun.  You're going on the adventure of a lifetime.  Don't forget to enjoy the journey.

[gsxrpilot]

A bit late to the party here... I like flying high as well. And not just for the wind. Altitude is range when the prop stops making power. I like keeping the glide ring on my ForeFlight screen as large as possible. Having said that, when I owned a C, my default altitude eastbound was 13,500. It flies fine up there and just sips the fuel.

I flew my C east from Seattle to Omaha and then south to Austin. It was with my wife and our dog and so I never topped 11,500. And it was no problem. Our route was roughly Seattle to Kalispell, West Yellowstone, Omaha. We stayed over big wide valleys the whole time with plenty of options.

Have fun, enjoy the trip. Long solo cross countries are one of the things I really enjoy with my Mooney. 

[Oldguy]

The Sensorcon CO monitor is a good one, and getting into a plane I had never flown before would be one of the most desirable items I would take with me. There is a discount code somewhere on MS provided by @Danb. It was still valid the last time someone used it.

Oxygen is great even for lower flights when you have several days of them stacked up one after the other. Traveling to Florida from Alabama, I do not have to get really high, but I typically put on the O² for most of the flight and find I have all the energy I need for the remainder of the day after I arrive.

Hyper-vigilance on what the plane is doing, what is below and around you will likely be a big part for the first few hours, but then you should be able to enjoy some of the scenery of the northern Rockies. And, like @KLRDMD said, trying to figure out how the plane will try to hurt me or itself consumes a bit of time.

[FlyinAggie14]

Done this route several times in my F model.  I am also in the higher altitude fan group so I always have oxygen.  My one bit of advice is start your day really early in Washington and knock off your longest leg first.  The sun rises this time of year at 05:00PDT which allows you to get a long ways before the afternoon buildups start or the air gets bumpy. 

 

[Danb]

I seriously can’t think of a good reason for not having oxygen for reasons mentioned above, an oximeter to actually know your saturation which can vary daily and the sensocon or another type co meter. Take time expect tough mountain winds and turbulence and be happy when it doesn’t occur. Last June flying over New Mexico enroute to Vegas I encountered the worse turbulence and winds in over 30+ years of flying. Enjoy the flight of a lifetime for many. Be safe.

[carusoam]

@Huitt3106

Can you mention, or did you mention...  ownership experience or flight hours or training...?

If this is the first plane you have owned, or you don’t have an IR, or you have only 100 hours...

Flying X-country, literally... is a big responsibility for yourself...

Dr. Keller, above, covered what I was going to write...  The unknown plane in an unknown environment is going to try to do something that you need to be very alert to...

Most insurance companies are requiring 10 hours of dual and 10hours of solo before carrying passengers...

I brought a CFII on my delivery flight, TX to NJ...  just to cover things that happen along the way... including runway closures because a jet ran off the runway... I have 1k+hrs and an IR...

So many new things that you encounter along the way has a way to load up your multi-tasking skills... you don’t want to accidentally exceed your own limitations...

typical transition training includes a day of local flights, a day of extended XC flights, and a day of delivery flying X-country...

My M20C stuck a valve in the first 10hours of dual... that was a land now, stressful situation....

Put those ideas into your big picture of getting the plane and you home in one piece...

PP thoughts only, not a CFI...

Best regards,

-a-

 

[hypertech]

19 hours ago, Huitt3106 said:

Awesome, there’s one not far from where I’ll be. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd take a CFI from VA out there with you and do the transition training on the way back.  Will Wobbe on that list has delivered many planes cross country.  He also did my delivery flight and my IFR rating.  

[hypertech]

20 hours ago, Huitt3106 said:

Awesome, there’s one not far from where I’ll be. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

double post

Edited May 23, 2019 by hypertech

[hypertech]

20 hours ago, Huitt3106 said:

Awesome, there’s one not far from where I’ll be. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

triple post :shrug:

Edited May 23, 2019 by hypertech

[carusoam]

Such a good idea... he said it thrice!

-a-

[hypertech]

Yeah - no idea how or why that happened or how to fix it.

[carusoam]

Comes with screen refresh issues...

Sometimes pushing send works... but the screen doesn’t indicate that the button got pushed...

Traditionally, The second posts usually get edited with ‘dp’  to indicate double post...

happens all the time...

Unfortunately, I don’t know a way to make a post go away completely...

How do you think I keep my post count so high?   

PP thoughts only, not an IT guy...

Best regards,

-a-

[gsxrpilot]

Just click the Option button... this is only available to the person making the post.

[chrixxer]

I should write a book, or at least a novella, about picking up 4BE in North Carolina and flying it to Santa Monica by way of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky (unplanned weather diversion), St. Louis, Missouri (planned, picked up a friend), Ft. Worth (planned; mmm, BBQ), Odessa (not planned - weather diversion), Tucson (planned), and San Diego (planned, dropped off my friend). The hydraulic flaps failing. Getting tossed sideways at Blue Grass Airport. No ground transportation at Mt. Sterling. Dashing into and out of a 24-hour Walmart to get tie-down straps ahead of that thunderstorm. Sideways rain and lightning in Odessa as the TV pixelated the show it was tuned to when I flipped it on: "Why Planes Crash." Tripped generator breaker at Tucson. Getting jump-started by the FBO's minivan. Seeing my first dry line from the air. Portable electronics backing up all the plane's systems (handheld radio, Stratus 2 with AHRS, iPad with ForeFlight)... Good times.

OP, advice: Your plans will change, while you're in the middle of making alternate plans. Carry cash and credit cards and checks. Take your time. Have a blast!

If you can, have ADS-B with you (Stratux or Stratus or ...). If you really want to be on the safe side, get a Garmin device with XM weather, too (stand-alone GPS or one of their GDL90 receivers), and a one-month subscription. I'd have a handheld radio, just in case. 

Edited May 24, 2019 by chrixxer

[Jim Peace]

On 5/22/2019 at 9:07 PM, Huitt3106 said:

Have you purchased one? I’ve looked at them some in the past but wasn’t sure of the accuracy/ sensor life.
 

No I have not purchased one I have purchased two.....side by side,,,,one to check the checker....very accurate....

[gsxrpilot]

8 hours ago, Jim Peace said:

No I have not purchased one I have purchased two.....side by side,,,,one to check the checker....very accurate....

Yep. I have a Sensorcon stuck to the ceiling and a Guardian in the panel.

[David Lloyd]

On a long cross country, I usually think at some point that this airplane should be faster.

[Yetti]

Go to wally world when you get there and pick up some blue paper towels, a  tool kit (TSA don't like pointy things on big planes), something to clean the windows. take a couple of spark plugs with you. Three wrenches to get spark plugs in and out.

Edited May 24, 2019 by Yetti

[BlueSkyTraveler]

...

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by BlueSkyTraveler

[apenney]

I bought my F in Southern California in August 2018 and I had about 150 hours or so total time.  This was about 5 months after returning to flying after a long hiatus.  I flew commercial to Southern California, finalized the purchase and then the previous owner flew us up to San Jose where I did my transition training which was two full days.  He flew back commercial.  At the end of the 2nd day, I flew solo for the first time in the Mooney to Stockton.  I was concerned about the marine layer near the coast and without an instrument rating, wanted to maximize the chances of leaving early the next day.  The Stockton area was having clear mornings so that was my logic.  The next day I flew 6.5 hours total over I80 essentially with a stop midway in Ogden, UT until hitting Scottsbluff, NE where I spent the night.  Flew another 5 hours to Wisconsin the following day, again with a midway stop in Lemar, IA. I'm still a low time pilot but some tips that helped me:

-Fly early  in the day

-Fly a route over an interstate - those are the lowest points over mountains and might provide a landing spot in an emergency if no airport is available.

-I was prepared to not fly if forecast winds 1000ft over peaks in the Rockies were more than 20 knots - my understanding is that a mountain wave is less likely to be an issue if wind speed is lower than that.  Just a rule of thumb and not sure if its backed by evidence.

-Don't wait until 12,500 to use oxygen, for reasons others have already mentioned

-Assume you'll have to stop earlier than you planned somewhere along your route due to weather.  If you don't, then thats a bonus.  I was anticipating having to leave the plane somewhere and then returning another week.  Fortunately, I had good weather for the most part...had to avoid some broken layers/clouds a few times but that wasn't a problem between ATC using flight following and Foreflight ADS-B In

-My plane came with portable oxygen, portable radio, and previous owner gave me extra emergency food packs/tools/bottled water/space blanket and things I might need if I had a forced off field landing...even a little stove!  

-I intentionally flew conservatively regarding fuel consumption because the plane was new to me and didn't yet have a method of getting accurate fuel flow at that time (or estimating it), other than the previous owner's experience

-Using a porta-john is much harder in flight than I thought it would be LOL!

 

 

 

[Huitt3106]

23 minutes ago, apenney said:

I bought my F in Southern California in August 2018 and I had about 150 hours or so total time.  This was about 5 months after returning to flying after a long hiatus.  I flew commercial to Southern California, finalized the purchase and then the previous owner flew us up to San Jose where I did my transition training which was two full days.  He flew back commercial.  At the end of the 2nd day, I flew solo for the first time in the Mooney to Stockton.  I was concerned about the marine layer near the coast and without an instrument rating, wanted to maximize the chances of leaving early the next day.  The Stockton area was having clear mornings so that was my logic.  The next day I flew 6.5 hours total over I80 essentially with a stop midway in Ogden, UT until hitting Scottsbluff, NE where I spent the night.  Flew another 5 hours to Wisconsin the following day, again with a midway stop in Lemar, IA. I'm still a low time pilot but some tips that helped me:

-Fly early  in the day

-Fly a route over an interstate - those are the lowest points over mountains and might provide a landing spot in an emergency if no airport is available.

-I was prepared to not fly if forecast winds 1000ft over peaks in the Rockies were more than 20 knots - my understanding is that a mountain wave is less likely to be an issue if wind speed is lower than that.  Just a rule of thumb and not sure if its backed by evidence.

-Don't wait until 12,500 to use oxygen, for reasons others have already mentioned

-Assume you'll have to stop earlier than you planned somewhere along your route due to weather.  If you don't, then thats a bonus.  I was anticipating having to leave the plane somewhere and then returning another week.  Fortunately, I had good weather for the most part...had to avoid some broken layers/clouds a few times but that wasn't a problem between ATC using flight following and Foreflight ADS-B In

-My plane came with portable oxygen, portable radio, and previous owner gave me extra emergency food packs/tools/bottled water/space blanket and things I might need if I had a forced off field landing...even a little stove!  

-I intentionally flew conservatively regarding fuel consumption because the plane was new to me and didn't yet have a method of getting accurate fuel flow at that time (or estimating it), other than the previous owner's experience

-Using a porta-john is much harder in flight than I thought it would be LOL!

 

 

 

That sounds very similar to the trip I'm facing, outside of starting in Southern California.  I'm planning the exact same 2 day transition period and I plan to leave at first light.  I've found an instructor there and he said he'd help me with planning the flight over the Rockies.  That's excellent information and I'm happy to hear of someone else in a similar starting situation as I'll be (outside of the flying hiatus).  It sounds like the previous owner set you up quite well for the flight!

[KLRDMD]

47 minutes ago, Huitt3106 said:

That sounds very similar to the trip I'm facing, outside of starting in Southern California.  I'm planning the exact same 2 day transition period and I plan to leave at first light.  I've found an instructor there and he said he'd help me with planning the flight over the Rockies.  That's excellent information and I'm happy to hear of someone else in a similar starting situation as I'll be (outside of the flying hiatus).  It sounds like the previous owner set you up quite well for the flight!

Please make sure your instructor has a lot of Mooney experience if they are doing your transition training into Mooneys.

[Hank]

4 hours ago, KLRDMD said:

Please make sure your instructor has a lot of Mooney experience if they are doing your transition training into Mooneys.

Yes! Yes! YES!!!

Get very good at speed control, descend at 500 fpm, figuring top of descent point, and speed control in the pattern and on final. Pretty much every moh/knot you are too fast over the numbers will be an extra 100' of float, and the "right speed" will vary with your weight on each landing--high weights will be near what's in the Manual, lower weights will be lower by 5 mph/knots for every 300 lb weight reduction below max gross. 

Other than that:  check weather; make a solid Plan A; make a solid Plan B, and what conditions will make you change to it; think about other diversions, enroute and at the end. Early on, plan for 3 hour legs until you're very confident in your engine management and fuel burn.

Then go fly safely, have lots of fun and take pictures!! Share them here, with your family, friends, coworkers and strangers in the grocery store. This is a trip you will always remember.

[Huitt3106]

15 hours ago, KLRDMD said:

Please make sure your instructor has a lot of Mooney experience if they are doing your transition training into Mooneys.

He does, he came directly from the Mooney Flyer list of instructors.