Looking for winter advice—Bay Area to Co Springs

[sleeper-319]

I’d like to fly my J from KLVK to KCOS this month. I’ve done this trip in Summer/fall, so I’m not new to flying over/around the Rockies, but I’ve not done it in Winter.  I’m looking for any advice you all have to offer.

Pilot and the plane are both IFR capable, and I have supplemental O2. I don’t mind IMC, but doing this trip in VMC seems prudent for a lot of reasons. And I do have plenty of time and flexibility to wait for favorable weather for both legs. Of course I’m fairly unfamiliar with winter weather patterns.

And then on the ground… I’ve never parked in a snowy place. Do FBOs offer transient hangar rental? Is it OK to park outside there? If so, do I use my cover, or will it freeze to the airplane? Basically I’m looking for any advice to help inform (even if the advice is that’s stupid, don’t do it). Thanks. 

Oh, It doesn’t have to be COS, that’s just the closest to my destination. Prob even Denver’s area airports would be fine if there’s good reason to go there instead. 

[Ragsf15e]

1 hour ago, sleeper-319 said:

I’d like to fly my J from KLVK to KCOS this month. I’ve done this trip in Summer/fall, so I’m not new to flying over/around the Rockies, but I’ve not done it in Winter.  I’m looking for any advice you all have to offer.

Pilot and the plane are both IFR capable, and I have supplemental O2. I don’t mind IMC, but doing this trip in VMC seems prudent for a lot of reasons. And I do have plenty of time and flexibility to wait for favorable weather for both legs. Of course I’m fairly unfamiliar with winter weather patterns.

And then on the ground… I’ve never parked in a snowy place. Do FBOs offer transient hangar rental? Is it OK to park outside there? If so, do I use my cover, or will it freeze to the airplane? Basically I’m looking for any advice to help inform (even if the advice is that’s stupid, don’t do it). Thanks. 

Oh, It doesn’t have to be COS, that’s just the closest to my destination. Prob even Denver’s area airports would be fine if there’s good reason to go there instead. 

Id definitely plan to be vmc as your likely to find icing in many of these winter clouds - not all, some are really dry, but I try not to check before someone else.  It can definitely be done as your route keeps you far enough south that it’s actually pretty sunny and nice when there’s not a front coming through and they are predicted several day in advance.  Winds aloft might be stronger than you find in the summer so be careful around the front range and you might be slow on the way home.  I’d definitely call around and see who might have hangar space at least for helping you prepare to leave.  If you can’t keep it in the whole stay, do the night before so you can preheat the engine and get all the frost off.

Meadowlake and pueblo might be options too.

Edited January 8 by Ragsf15e

[Fritz1]

Leave yourself plenty of time, run the weather every day to get a feel for it,  clouds over the mountains more likely that not have icing, therefore stay clear of clouds, call ahead to make sure that you have a hangar the night before you leave, preheat engine and cabin in hangar, parking outside in winter for a couple of days does not hurt the airplane, everything is frozen, no hail or thunderstorms, make sure your side vents are really closed and your heater develops max performance, having a battery charger in the trunk and plugging it in the night before you leave can't hurt. Dress for the occasion and pack survival gear including personal locator beacon.

[toto]

2 hours ago, sleeper-319 said:

Do FBOs offer transient hangar rental?

As a personal preference, I always hangar when parking away from home if at all possible. Every FBO has some kind of hangar to use - I’ve even been able to secure a spot in a shared maintenance hangar ahead of a coming storm. 

Call ahead. If the airport has multiple FBOs, call each of them. And don’t necessarily take their first offer - if you have reasons for preferring one FBO over another but their hangar fee is higher, they will often be willing to match the lower price of their competitor across the field. 

I always bring my Hornet heater, and even an unheated hangar will normally offer an extension cord with an outlet if it’s really cold. As @Ragsf15e mentioned, it’s better to have a heated hangar if possible - even if just for the last night. But make sure you know in advance. I asked a Colorado FBO to put my plane in a heated hangar one time during an awful snowstorm, and I only learned when departing that their rate was $160/night. I’ll never do that again

 

[N201MKTurbo]

When I first started flying, My M20F was based outside in Denver. I flew almost every day for work. Flying every day is an advantage because you can clean the snow off every morning before it melts and subsequently freezes on. Keeping a good coat of wax on the plane will make it easier to get the ice  off if some water has frozen on. I usually got the ice off by gently banging the ice with the side of my fist which will crack it, then brushing it off with a towel or brush. If you use a windshield ice scraper, don’t use the hard plastic scraper, just the brush and rubber squeegee. 
 

None of this matters unless there was a snow storm, and if there is a storm, try to go to the airport and brush the snow off as soon as it stops snowing or first thing in the morning. Even without snow, you will have frost. You should get all the frost off the wings and tail. A towel and squeegee are the tools of choice. Some heat helps a lot, either from the sun or a space heater or a hair drier. If you can move the plane next to the sunny side of a building wall so you get some reflected sunshine, it helps. The FAA says you must get all the frost off the whole airframe. They didn’t say that 40 years ago when I was flying every day, so I can tell you if you get the big chunks off the fuselage, you will be fine.

Also leave a prop blade pointing down so if the spinner fills full of snow and then melts, the water will drain out.

As far as the engine is concerned, I was young and poor (well for a 27 year old airplane owner) and would only pay for a preheat if I couldn’t get it started. I could get it started 95% of the time. I suspected the times I couldn’t get it started was because the spark plugs were all iced up. If you can get one cylinder to fire, you are good to go. The others will start firing in short order. I never detected any engine issues from the cold starts. Let the flames commence. I used the theory that higher RPM after starting was better for the engine because it got the oil flowing faster. I think one of the reasons I never had any engine damaged was that I flew the plane every day, so everything was always coated with nice thick oil.

[PT20J]

Watch out for snow showers. Rain reduces visibility, but snow can be completely opaque. 

Best to be flexible about your route and time frame. You can keep going south down to ABQ and then back north if necessary.

[N201MKTurbo]

I would suggest going north instead of south. The winds in New Mexico in the winter can be awful. My favorite place to cross the divide is over the MBW VOR. You can even fly IFR through there at reasonable altitudes.

[Rmfriday]

i purchesed my Mooney from KCOS a few years ago, i was able to get hangar space from Five Star Avation for a few days. I dont rember what it cost but it wasnt crazy,

[sleeper-319]

Thanks for the responses so far! And I do have a decent survival kit. :-) 

[Joe Linnebur]

Just some weather issues to consider:

winds aloft over the Rockies in the winter tend to go up in the winter months. 20+ knots flowing over the rocks can make for lengthy moderate/severe turbulence over the route. Mountain waves can create downdrafts in excess of your aircraft’s performance, and if flying higher, your performance will already be limited. Flying directly over the big stuff should only be done if all stars align (perfect weather, perfect craft) and even then always have a plan B and C. Dealing with a severe up/downdrafts when you’re only a few thousand feet agl is not worth any time saved. Go around the stuff

As for IFR, steer clear in the winter of visible moisture. 
 

There are lots of stories of people who flew here who had never dealt with this type of flying and subsequently either lost their life or got really close. 

[Ragsf15e]

1 hour ago, sleeper-319 said:

Thanks for the responses so far! And I do have a decent survival kit. :-) 

Id even consider staying along highway 50 or I80/70 across nevada Utah and Colorado just because its really remote in parts and very cold at night, however I70 is not a great place to cross the front range.  If you’re far from civilization and land out in a field or desert, you’ll be there a while.

Edited January 8 by Ragsf15e

[ArtVandelay]

Cutter is an excellent FBO at COS.

The weather in Northern California can suck for long periods of time this time of year.

It’s all about the weather, and storm tracks coming off the Pacific, including wind speeds.

[StevieDee]

I always try to avoid mountain obscuration when flying a SEP even if there is no ice.

[Pinecone]

For frost or light snow, a garden sprayer with TKS fluid or even just RV water system antifreeze (non-toxic) can make things easier.

[phxcobraz]

As others have said, a heated hanger the night before you depart or at least a few hours before departing will help a ton. Not just for the engine, but keeping any frozen moisture off of surfaces.

I have paid around ~$100/ni at Colorado airports. Most heat to around 50deg. If you have an engine heater, carry a long extension cord just incase.

 

Really watch winds aloft along your planned and alternate routes. Easy to do in foreflight weather page of an airport.

Not only winds aloft, but check the actual winds through the passes. Colorado offers a number of AWOS stations in the passes, you can call them up and listen before getting in the air. Anything over 25-30kt starts getting pretty dicey.

https://www.codot.gov/programs/aeronautics/mtnawos