FlyingDude Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 On 5/30/2026 at 5:16 PM, good2eat said: Monument Valley, overfly Bryce and Zion. Monument valley is a tricky runway with no go-around.
Ragsf15e Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 2 hours ago, dkkim73 said: Lights out at night with the XPNDR breaker pulled and a cheap Chinese FLIR-type camera....? Sounds safe. @Ragsf15e did you ever do LOWAT on NVG's, being a -E type of individual? Definitely. But I’m old enough to have also done it using the terrain following radar at 500’ through the Idaho mountains without nvgs. It was mostly done on autopilot (at least for the 500’ control). Occasionally the beacons would reflect off the ridge to your right or left and you’d get an idea how low and fast you were. Mostly it was better (psychologically) not to see anything. 4
Ragsf15e Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 44 minutes ago, FlyingDude said: Monument valley is a tricky runway with no go-around. I’ve not landed in Monument Valley, but I’ve flown over it several times and remember it being awesome. I actually think it’s worth flying through even if you’re not landing. Maybe watch some old westerns first.
MikeOH Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 3 hours ago, dkkim73 said: Lights out at night with the XPNDR breaker pulled and a cheap Chinese FLIR-type camera....? Sounds safe Now, don't go giving me ideas!
dkkim73 Posted June 6 Author Report Posted June 6 1 hour ago, Ragsf15e said: Definitely. But I’m old enough to have also done it using the terrain following radar at 500’ through the Idaho mountains without nvgs. It was mostly done on autopilot (at least for the 500’ control). Occasionally the beacons would reflect off the ridge to your right or left and you’d get an idea how low and fast you were. Mostly it was better (psychologically) not to see anything. That sounds pretty cool. I got to go along once on a MC-130H training sortie over Idaho. IIRC it was lower than that, using that kind of tech and a predictive lead/flight director. It was a bit surreal. Reminds me of the old joke to turn your landing light off if you don't like what you see. 1
Hank Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 33 minutes ago, dkkim73 said: Reminds me of the old joke to turn your landing light off if you don't like what you see. That was a joke? I thought it's what we're supposed to do on an engine-out night landing! 1
dkkim73 Posted June 6 Author Report Posted June 6 2 minutes ago, Hank said: That was a joke? I thought it's what we're supposed to do on an engine-out night landing! That's the one. It's a joke also not a joke, I think... You can fly straight ahead and land in a dark treescape, or try to maneuver and make it worse.
Skates97 Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 2 hours ago, Ragsf15e said: I’ve not landed in Monument Valley, but I’ve flown over it several times and remember it being awesome. I actually think it’s worth flying through even if you’re not landing. Maybe watch some old westerns first. Agree 100%, worth flying through even if you aren't going to land. You can fly low around the different towers and it's a rush to fly right over the top of some of the bigger ones as you cross them and the cliff drops away. 2
bonal Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 Might be too late for change but Boulder City NV just south of Vegas is a real nice town and a trip to see the Hoover dam if you’ve never seen it is well worth the visit. Also close to the Grand Canyon. Flying north through CA I recommend flying along the western side of the sierra foothills lots of airports along the way for planned or unexpected stops the air is usually pretty calm along the way and there are several small airports in the gold country with historical towns nearby all are worth a look. Have a great trip 4
Ragsf15e Posted June 6 Report Posted June 6 58 minutes ago, bonal said: Might be too late for change but Boulder City NV just south of Vegas is a real nice town and a trip to see the Hoover dam if you’ve never seen it is well worth the visit. Also close to the Grand Canyon. Flying north through CA I recommend flying along the western side of the sierra foothills lots of airports along the way for planned or unexpected stops the air is usually pretty calm along the way and there are several small airports in the gold country with historical towns nearby all are worth a look. Have a great trip And some awesome small wineries in the gold country/foothills! 2
DavePage Posted June 8 Report Posted June 8 I might throw out Chiriaco Summit (L77) as an unusual stop. Its got a great coffee shop . . . AND . . . the George Patton museum. Its the site of where Gen Patton trained prior to his N Africa adventures. Immediately adjacent to I 80, about 50 miles E of Palm Springs. No Fuel !!! 2
Skates97 Posted June 8 Report Posted June 8 On 6/6/2026 at 3:51 PM, bonal said: Might be too late for change but Boulder City NV just south of Vegas is a real nice town and a trip to see the Hoover dam if you’ve never seen it is well worth the visit. Also close to the Grand Canyon. Flying north through CA I recommend flying along the western side of the sierra foothills lots of airports along the way for planned or unexpected stops the air is usually pretty calm along the way and there are several small airports in the gold country with historical towns nearby all are worth a look. Have a great trip And you can fly over Yosemite which is beautiful from the air. 4
bonal Posted June 8 Report Posted June 8 (edited) The thing about Yosemite is the higher your altitude the less impressive it is. Spent lots of time on the walls back when I was immortal and I must say it’s most impressive when looking up from the valley. Beautiful pictures skates. Edited June 8 by bonal 1
dkkim73 Posted June 9 Author Report Posted June 9 Thanks guys! That is some good gouge. Nice flight into KSLC today (early is good and high enough that the up to 60+kts crosswind did not seem to shake us us despite the ridges to which we were flying parallel). Anyone have any tips on a route and/or entry/exit points along Monument Valley? I saw some downloadable waypoints for backcountry fields but no overlays or anything. I suppose once you're in the vicinity you can follow your nose, but there are a couple names on the chart, wondering about a loop vs. drop in from the East, etc. So many options! We're likely heading out early enough to be there before 10am, so thinking about checking the eastern sights (Lk Powell, Monument) vs. just getting up very early the next day and doing a grand tour well before 9am. Thoughts?
dkkim73 Posted June 9 Author Report Posted June 9 @kortopates @Skates97 any general tips on times of day (windows) to fly the Owens Valley? Or is it "life is a box of chocolates"? Guessing AM is better but are there any general principles? Thinking ahead a couple days. So far the early bird thing seems to work well for us. Such an embarassment of riches in this country when it comes to geology!
EricJ Posted June 9 Report Posted June 9 8 hours ago, DavePage said: I might throw out Chiriaco Summit (L77) as an unusual stop. Its got a great coffee shop . . . AND . . . the George Patton museum. Its the site of where Gen Patton trained prior to his N Africa adventures. Immediately adjacent to I 80, about 50 miles E of Palm Springs. No Fuel !!! +1 that Chiriaco Summit is a very fun place to stop. The cafe and the museum are both great. The runway is in good shape. After getting anidea of what the area is about at the museum you can fly around Desert Center, which was Patton's other airfield for the training center and next to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. The Eagle Mountain mine and ghost town are just to the north. Many zombie movies set in relatively modern times were filmed there. It's an interesting area historically, and is gradually getting covered by solar farms.
MikeOH Posted June 9 Report Posted June 9 Another thumbs-up for Chiriaco Summit for both the restaurant and Patton museum. Thing is, this time of year it is pretty damn hot! 1
kortopates Posted June 9 Report Posted June 9 [mention=7862]kortopates[/mention] [mention=15119]Skates97[/mention] any general tips on times of day (windows) to fly the Owens Valley? Or is it "life is a box of chocolates"? Guessing AM is better but are there any general principles? Thinking ahead a couple days. So far the early bird thing seems to work well for us. Such an embarassment of riches in this country when it comes to geology! Either morning or just before sunset the winds and turbulence will usually be least and either before or after the TRS buildups. But of course if there is a system moving through it’s more complicated.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1
Skates97 Posted June 9 Report Posted June 9 18 hours ago, bonal said: The thing about Yosemite is the higher your altitude the less impressive it is. Spent lots of time on the walls back when I was immortal and I must say it’s most impressive when looking up from the valley. Beautiful pictures skates. I agree, we toured the whole valley on bike, stopping to hike to different waterfalls. I was surprised however how much I enjoyed it from the air, the walls are impressive from the ground but the massive expanse of the park from the air is incredible. 15 hours ago, dkkim73 said: Thanks guys! That is some good gouge. Nice flight into KSLC today (early is good and high enough that the up to 60+kts crosswind did not seem to shake us us despite the ridges to which we were flying parallel). Anyone have any tips on a route and/or entry/exit points along Monument Valley? I saw some downloadable waypoints for backcountry fields but no overlays or anything. I suppose once you're in the vicinity you can follow your nose, but there are a couple names on the chart, wondering about a loop vs. drop in from the East, etc. So many options! We're likely heading out early enough to be there before 10am, so thinking about checking the eastern sights (Lk Powell, Monument) vs. just getting up very early the next day and doing a grand tour well before 9am. Thoughts? Not really any way points, just VFR flying looking out the window and flying past whatever looks good. The last time I flew it we departed Page and went east over Lake Powell and through the gap in the Grand Mesa if you're looking at a sectional. From there head SE towards the airport and just fly around the monuments. A couple pics of the monuments. 15 hours ago, dkkim73 said: @kortopates @Skates97 any general tips on times of day (windows) to fly the Owens Valley? Or is it "life is a box of chocolates"? Guessing AM is better but are there any general principles? Thinking ahead a couple days. So far the early bird thing seems to work well for us. Such an embarassment of riches in this country when it comes to geology! Like Paul said, mornings or late just before sunset. You can take a look at www.windy.com, click the altitude slider and look at the winds at 10k and 14k for direction and speed. It's not perfect but the models are fairly accurate. 3
dkkim73 Posted June 10 Author Report Posted June 10 Great! You are further incentivizing me to head to Monument Valley. Dawn patrol tomorrow out of KGCN, possibly to the eastern corridors then Lake Powell/Horseshoe bend, then Monument. Depending on time might split one of those off. Got a rec to land in Page and see some sights there. But the dance card is filling up! Got into KGCN before the wind picked up too much today (winds high today, falling Wed and Thurs) and did some hiking (Kaibab South to Ooh-Ahh Point, only a little over an hour but got the blood flowing after all the flying), visitor center, etc. It's really quite impressive. Mammoth is closed right now to fixed-wing... maybe runway work or maybe fire support? Thinking of maybe going to Tahoe, after overflying the Sierras... Advice on airports? Truckee is smaller IIRC but there're a lot of NOTAMs I think related to an airshow. South Lake Tahoe would be another option. Then a quick hop to Reno on Sat for the connector flight. 1
bonal Posted June 10 Report Posted June 10 Temperatures are forecast to go way up all over California starting tomorrow be real careful if you choose South Lake Tahoe as density altitude will be way up in the afternoon and departures have very unforgiving terrain. Lots of locations just a bit west of Tahoe in the foothills. Safe travels to you 3
dkkim73 Posted June 10 Author Report Posted June 10 15 hours ago, bonal said: Temperatures are forecast to go way up all over California starting tomorrow be real careful if you choose South Lake Tahoe as density altitude will be way up in the afternoon and departures have very unforgiving terrain. Thank you for the heads-up. It looks to be largely VFR the next couple days and we were planning early-mid AM arrival and early AM flights/depature... high 60s' low 70's in the first half of the day per Windy. So I'm thinking it should be OK with moderate awareness. We're at 6600-ish here at Grand Canyon and the DA is noticeable. Climbing out from Monument Valley this morning when it got bumpy and found myself noticing the difference in rates, made me double-check all the #s and gauges. 1
dkkim73 Posted June 10 Author Report Posted June 10 Early AM flight: Dragon and Zuni Corridors, Marble Canyon-> Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell to Monument Valley, then back. 2
EricJ Posted June 10 Report Posted June 10 1 hour ago, dkkim73 said: Early AM flight: Dragon and Zuni Corridors, Marble Canyon-> Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell to Monument Valley, then back. That's a nice trip. The terrain from Page all the way to Moab is amazing and my favorite part of the country to fly over. Glad you're getting to see some of it. 1
Ragsf15e Posted June 11 Report Posted June 11 9 hours ago, dkkim73 said: Thank you for the heads-up. It looks to be largely VFR the next couple days and we were planning early-mid AM arrival and early AM flights/depature... high 60s' low 70's in the first half of the day per Windy. So I'm thinking it should be OK with moderate awareness. We're at 6600-ish here at Grand Canyon and the DA is noticeable. Climbing out from Monument Valley this morning when it got bumpy and found myself noticing the difference in rates, made me double-check all the #s and gauges. Wish I was down at my folks now to meet you in Tahoe! South Lake is fine, but you’ll really notice you’re in the mountains. It’s also gonna require flying over the lake a bit. I did my “tower work” there getting my private license in the early 90s. No tower now. Id only land there in the morning with good weather. If it’s later, go to kmev or kcxp on the east side of the mountains. Flying the eastern side of the sierras is unbelievably pretty terrain. Both mev and cxp can get you a rental car and it’s a short and beautiful drive up to Tahoe. My old stomping grounds - it’s where we would go when we were seniors in HS and wanted to ditch class on a nice warm spring afternoon… 2
Recommended Posts