(Steve F.) wrote in message . com...
Two questions about VFR x-country from CRQ (Palomar, Carlsbad CA) to
LRU (Las Cruces, NM):

1) What's the best VFR route for a low time pilot.

2) What's the best time of year so that stranded in LRU by bad or IFR
conditions.


I've been flying from Phoenix to LRU regularly for about 15 years.
For the route, a course that generally follows I-8 into southern AZ,
then I-10 from Tucson to LRU is fairly free of mountainous terrain.
The Tucson to LRU leg can be done at 6,500 ft.

Weather wise, you have to keep an eye on the charts. It's not
unusual for a winter storm front to pass through and leave you with
low clouds and rain/snow for a day or so. Someone else pointed out
the spring winds. They can howl up to a steady 40 kts on the ground
if a front is passing. Fortunately, LRU has 3 long runways in a
triangle, so crosswinds are rarely a problem. In the summer(Jul -
Sep), you'll have to deal with the afternoon monsoon that often
generates a north-south line of thunderstorms in eastern AZ and
western NM. If you leave early, it's not usually a problem.

Those are the worst things that you can expect. If the weather
charts are showing a nice block of high pressure (as they usually
are), you can expect smooth flying in cool weather and continous chop
in hot weather.

If you stop in at the Southwest Aviation FBO, tell 'em John from
Phoenix says Hi.

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)