Sauduster Posted November 2, 2012 Report Posted November 2, 2012 I just flew my 64C Model from Dallas, TX to Sacramento, CA and back since getting my PPL on 10/19. All I can say is that I am totally impressed and very happy with my decision to get a MOONEY! Less than 12 hours total time each way, four total fuel stops and averaged 9 GPH, left Dallas in the morning and got to the Sacramento area in time for dinner. Sweet!
Jerry 5TJ Posted November 2, 2012 Report Posted November 2, 2012 Congratulations on a good long cross-country with your new ticket. We've flown our "C" from Northern CA to East Texas a couple of times. Generally we stop somewhere along the way -- Truth or Consequences, NM most recently -- and yes, it is about 12 hours each way via the southern route. A great trip in VMC.
thinwing Posted November 2, 2012 Report Posted November 2, 2012 Dallas to sacramento was my first flight in n1050q...we got off late in the afternoon so had two stops on the way..about 10 hrs as I recall..congrats,,kpc
MARZ Posted November 2, 2012 Report Posted November 2, 2012 I'm in Houston and have family north of Sacramento - what was your route?
aaronk25 Posted November 2, 2012 Report Posted November 2, 2012 Mooney's are great traveling airplanes. I love nothing more than getting into my J, climb up to 7-9,000 feet and set the fuel flow at 8.2-9gallons per hour and cruise 150Kts for 4-5 hours. turn the xm tunes on and enjoy the Ride. Most of the time I fly from Rochester MN to Long Island NY or Atlanta, GA non stop. Good choice in airplane. Aaron
rbridges Posted November 2, 2012 Report Posted November 2, 2012 you guys make me jealous. Hopefully some XC flights are in my near future.
Hank Posted November 2, 2012 Report Posted November 2, 2012 Hopefully some XC flights are in my near future. C'mon up and enjoy the mountains! I went to Yellowstone and back VFR, long trips are very possible. Even with an Instrument rating, you'll still have to watch the weather, just not as closely. A few clouds and some rain will not necessarily be a show stopper.
Amelia Posted November 4, 2012 Report Posted November 4, 2012 Oh, yes, this Mooney machine is magic! We had made much of this trip before, but every time it is a whole new adventure. Late last May, we left our coastal NC home and followed the big W until we got to water we couldn't see the other side of. it took us 17 hours to get from Edenton to Davis, CA, with stops near St. Louis to visit grandsons, here and there for gas, an afternoon in Sedona, AZ, breakfast the next morning at Mojave Spaceport, and to Davis by early that afternoon. Aerial tours of SF Bay and the Marin coastline, a fabulous family wedding, a day in Sonoma's vineyards highlighted our California stay, then we aimed eastbound toward Colorado Springs over totally amazing geology, and stops for fuel in OK and AR just to color in my last two states of the lower49 on my landings map. Enjoyed ground speeds of up to 245kts, and the joy of stopping wherever we had a notion to do so... It was a very fine adventure, and though airlines would have been faster and cheaper, we would have missed out on landing downhill on Sedona's exciting mesa-top runway, a close-up of the White Knight II, the great meteor crater, Canyonlands NP and other scenic aerial amazement, and two great visits with the world's cutest grandsons. There were opportunities to meet Internet forum friends all along the way, which was icing on the cake. Now I want to hit Alaska and maybe the Caribbean... Looking around for a good spot to drill for oil in the back yard.
FloridaMan Posted November 4, 2012 Report Posted November 4, 2012 Wait til you hit some severe clear air turbulence in New Mexico like I did last week. HOOooooly sh*t.
1964-M20E Posted November 4, 2012 Report Posted November 4, 2012 you guys make me jealous. Hopefully some XC flights are in my near future. Just pick a good weekend Leave Friday around Lunch and by dark you can easly be 600NM+ from PXE. When you fiish your IR you can be less concerned about the weather i.e. some low cloud layers that would keep you grounded or geting to the altitude you wnat to fly at.
AmigOne Posted November 5, 2012 Report Posted November 5, 2012 On that route, make sure that you talk to somebody specially if you go just north of El Paso. I was VFR on a gorgeous winter day on a leg between Casa Grande and an airport in west Texas just listening to music through my Zulu and not talking to anybody. Customs border control did not like it. There was a King Air waiting for us at my next fuel stop for a ramp check, documents, aircraft and luggage. They said that the radio silence "fit the profile of a drug runner". I guess that it was an exercise for them and interesting for me, to say the least. The officers were very nice and at the end we were making jokes and I took some pictures with them. Nice to observe my tax dollars at work (wink, wink). BTW, that was my first ramp check in more than 40 years of flying.
fantom Posted November 5, 2012 Report Posted November 5, 2012 Just another instance of overzealous profiling Glad it all worked out OK.
Joe Zuffoletto Posted November 5, 2012 Report Posted November 5, 2012 No knowledgeable drug runner would steal my Mooney. As equipped it won't carry even one bale of ganja!
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