What's your most familiar route?

What route do you fly most often or feel most comfortable with? How
far could you wander from your home base without needing a map or even
a compass to find all the cities and airports?

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

What route do you fly most often or feel most comfortable with? How
far could you wander from your home base without needing a map or even
a compass to find all the cities and airports?

With 12 gal gas, the Cub has an effectived radius of one hour without
refueling. I most often fly from Hampton NH up to Lake Winnipesaukee,
touring Alton Bay and if the flight has gone quickly Wolfeboro also.
(There's an airport at Wolfeboro, but no gas.) If I have the plane for
more than two hours, I'll land and refuel at Moultonboro. The Big Lake
is one of the loveliest places I know.

A couple years ago I wrote a story about this route for the Wall
Street Journal: www.pipercubforum.com/biglake.htm



all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! blog www.vivabush.org

"Ben Jackson" wrote:
What route do you fly most often or feel most comfortable with?
How far could you wander from your home base without needing
a map or even a compass to find all the cities and airports?

I assume you're also excluding, GPS, VOR, etc. I suppose I could make
it ok from Mobile to Houston without a map or a compass or even without
following I-10 the whole way. After a couple dozen trips I probably
have it wired - might be interesting to try it next time if the
weather's nice.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

Ben Jackson wrote:

How
far could you wander from your home base without needing a map or even
a compass to find all the cities and airports?

I could make it from Old Bridge, NJ to Atlanta, GA without a map or compass. It
certainly wouldn't be a direct flight, and I wouldn't know *all* the airports, but
it's pretty easy to do. My usual runs would be more like 60 miles from Old Bridge and
return (Pocono Mountains).

George Patterson
This marriage is off to a shaky start. The groom just asked the band to
play "Your cheatin' heart", and the bride just requested "Don't come home
a'drinkin' with lovin' on your mind".

I can think of several places out of Tacoma Narrows I could get to without
map or compass -- given good visibility. Hoquiam, Kelso, Port Angeles, even
Friday Harbor (though I might not be able to find my way back).

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...
I can think of several places out of Tacoma Narrows I could get to without
map or compass -- given good visibility. Hoquiam, Kelso, Port Angeles,
even
Friday Harbor (though I might not be able to find my way back).

Chris, I think you underestimate yourself. We have all those wonderful
crinkly shorelines: Nisqually Reach coming from the south, and Whidbey
shoreline from the north and northwest, are pretty good for orienting
yourself back home. Personally, I might find it harder on the outbound to
Kelso and FHR.

-- David Brooks

"David Brooks" wrote in message
...
"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...
I can think of several places out of Tacoma Narrows I could get to
without
map or compass -- given good visibility. Hoquiam, Kelso, Port Angeles,
even
Friday Harbor (though I might not be able to find my way back).

Chris, I think you underestimate yourself. We have all those wonderful
crinkly shorelines: Nisqually Reach coming from the south, and Whidbey
shoreline from the north and northwest, are pretty good for orienting
yourself back home. Personally, I might find it harder on the outbound to
Kelso and FHR.


Yeah, well, I have been lost twice crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca, both
times due to overconfidence bred of familiarity with the area. It is too
darned easy to start following the wrong coastline.

In article , C J Campbell wrote:
I can think of several places out of Tacoma Narrows I could get to without
map or compass -- given good visibility. Hoquiam, Kelso, Port Angeles, even
Friday Harbor (though I might not be able to find my way back).

When going to Friday Harbor (FHR) from Boeing Field (BFI), I would just
head north up the sound, along the east side to Paine, then turn NW to
follow the long narrow peninsula that points directly to FHR. Not only
does it make visual navigation easy, but it keeps you closer to land
than you would be taking the direct path.

Pretty much anywhere in the Puget sound area is trival pilotage.
Unfortunately, I never got to practice much DR navigation.

Of course, there was the time I was doing some night practice at
Bremerton (PWT) and decided to go to Tacoma Narrows (TIW), which I
knew from day trips is oh, about thataway from PWT. After about 3
minutes, I was hopelessly lost among the lights, and I didn't want to
blunder into the Seattle Class B airspace (nor the McCord airforce
base for that matter), so I did a 180 back to Bremerton. Then I
looked at the map, estimated the distance and heading, and calculated
an ETE. Worked beautifully.


Morris (currently living on the wrong sound)

Just about anyplace from Cheyenne, WY to ABQ, NM. No problems. Keep
the mountains on the west side.

As a rule, if I can't see Pikes Peak from the house ('bout 60 sm)
I don't head south. If I can't see Longs Peak (about 40 sm) I
don't head north. And if the thunderboomers-fluffy white clouds
are covering the entire east sky, I change my plans and go
shopping.

Just about anyplace from Cheyenne, WY to ABQ, NM. No problems. Keep
the mountains on the west side.

I do much the same thing. Fly north, ocean on right (starboard . Fly
south, ocean on left.

The three most visible things when flying around southeastern New
Hampshire a Boston, Mount Washington, and the concrete runways of
the former Pease Air Force Base.

Plus the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Winnipesaukee, of course.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! blog www.vivabush.org