high winds in Palm Spring

I have read this discussion here with delight because I am wanting to
make this flight over this Memorial day weekend. I studied the
different routes suggested here and plotted them in my flight software
(Voyager) they all seemed OK, but the high terrain and turbulence
concerns me a bit. In thinking about it I thought of maybe getting to
KUDD from KPAO by going the over the hills to the coast via Woodside
then roughly, Salinas, Paso, SLO, Santa Barbara, Burbank, Banning onto
Palm Springs and KUDD.

The terrain is 2500-3000MSL (unless I am not seeing something) and it
is a little longer but only by about 12-18 minutes. Am I crazy or
would this be a good route? It avoids the LAX bravo and seems OK.

I wish that I had more experience with this, but I guess that is why
there are forums where you can ask questions! =)

David
202hrs, VFR pilot, 2003 Piper Archer III

wrote:
I have read this discussion here with delight because I am wanting to
make this flight over this Memorial day weekend. I studied the
different routes suggested here and plotted them in my flight software
(Voyager) they all seemed OK, but the high terrain and turbulence
concerns me a bit. In thinking about it I thought of maybe getting to
KUDD from KPAO by going the over the hills to the coast via Woodside
then roughly, Salinas, Paso, SLO, Santa Barbara, Burbank, Banning onto
Palm Springs and KUDD.

The terrain is 2500-3000MSL (unless I am not seeing something) and it
is a little longer but only by about 12-18 minutes. Am I crazy or
would this be a good route? It avoids the LAX bravo and seems OK.

I wish that I had more experience with this, but I guess that is why
there are forums where you can ask questions! =)

David
202hrs, VFR pilot, 2003 Piper Archer III

I can't say anything about north of SLO, but the rest is no problem.

I would recommend at least 5500/6500 to get above the local traffic
and flight following as there is a lot of traffic going that route
and you will be crossing over several class C airports.

Going from Santa Barbara to Camarillo to Van Nuys is a couple of
minutes longer than Santa Barbara direct to Van Nuys, but more
scenic if there is no coastal fog.

Burbank doesn't have a VOR, but Van Nuys does.

Van Nuys to the Pomona VOR to the Banning pass is basically a straight
shot.

You can get through the Banning Pass at 5500/6500, but depending on
the winds and your tolerance for the bumps, you might want to go
through higher.

Unless you are really high, you will lose ATC once you enter the
pass and pick them up again at about the Indian Casino which is
the huge, tall building in the middle of nowhere that sticks out
like a sore thumb next to the freeway.


--
Jim Pennino

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Jim,

Thanks very much for the advice. The trip from Plao Alto to SLO is an
easy and nice flight. I will put the route you suggested into Voyager
and check it out. I have no problem going through Banning at
8500/9500, I just wanted a route that would have the most low
terrain. Personal preference on my part. Besides, I love flying
above the coast. And I do know the Indian casino building for ATC
pickup, I have driven by it on the freeway. BTW what do you fly?

David

wrote:

Jim,

Thanks very much for the advice. The trip from Plao Alto to SLO is an
easy and nice flight. I will put the route you suggested into Voyager
and check it out. I have no problem going through Banning at
8500/9500, I just wanted a route that would have the most low
terrain. Personal preference on my part. Besides, I love flying
above the coast. And I do know the Indian casino building for ATC
pickup, I have driven by it on the freeway. BTW what do you fly?

David

8500 is the highest I've ever had to go to get a fairly smooth
ride, but if the Santa Ana's are blowing, I don't go near the
passes.

The winds have been calm and are forecast to stay that way for
a while.

I fly a 79 Tiger.


--
Jim Pennino

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Jim

A '79 Tiger ehhhhh, nice

I was wondering about the heat in Plam Springs and if there are any
problems getting out of there when it is relatively hot during the
day. I know that at Tahoe we keep a very close eye on the temp with
the airport being at 6K+. I would like to come back home in the
afternoon and the temps are forecast to be in the mid '90s. Do you
have any experience trying to leave daytime? I just will not try to
fly VFR at night through the mountains at this point in my career. I
also have the concern that the Archer has a 180hp engine. It gets me
out of Tahoe OK, but real slow.

Thanks

David

Jim

A '79 Tiger ehhhhh, nice

I was wondering about the heat in Plam Springs and if there are any
problems getting out of there when it is relatively hot during the
day. I know that at Tahoe we keep a very close eye on the temp with
the airport being at 6K+. I would like to come back home in the
afternoon and the temps are forecast to be in the mid '90s. Do you
have any experience trying to leave daytime? I just will not try to
fly VFR at night through the mountains at this point in my career. I
also have the concern that the Archer has a 180hp engine. It gets me
out of Tahoe OK, but real slow.

Thanks

David

wrote:
Jim

A '79 Tiger ehhhhh, nice

I was wondering about the heat in Plam Springs and if there are any
problems getting out of there when it is relatively hot during the
day. I know that at Tahoe we keep a very close eye on the temp with
the airport being at 6K+. I would like to come back home in the
afternoon and the temps are forecast to be in the mid '90s. Do you
have any experience trying to leave daytime? I just will not try to
fly VFR at night through the mountains at this point in my career. I
also have the concern that the Archer has a 180hp engine. It gets me
out of Tahoe OK, but real slow.

Thanks

Well, the altitude at UDD is 73 feet with a 5000 foot runway, and
with a temp of 104 according to the chart I'm looking at gives a
density altitude of about 3000 feet.

Getting off the ground shouldn't be a problem with an Archer.

UDD is about 20 some miles from the mouth of the pass so getting
to the 4000 feet or so minimum to get through the pass shouldn't
be a problem either.

All the times I've landed at PSP was before I bought the Tiger
and in a 172 and never had any problem getting to altitude
before the pass and PSP is a bit over 10 miles from the pass.

If it were the middle of the summer with temps well over 100
and flying something like a 152 at max gross, you might want
to depart to the south east to gain altitude then turn back
towards the pass, but the Archer should have no problem.

Going through Banning pass at night is no big deal. You just
follow the freeway through.


--
Jim Pennino

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Jim,

Thanks so much, you have been a world of help to me. The farthest I
have been from Palo Alto so far is Santa Barbara. This is not that
much further, but the unknown is the unknown. I will have a much
easier time now and more peace of mind with your help.

David

wrote:
Jim,

Thanks so much, you have been a world of help to me. The farthest I
have been from Palo Alto so far is Santa Barbara. This is not that
much further, but the unknown is the unknown. I will have a much
easier time now and more peace of mind with your help.

David

Not a problem.

Just be sure to use flight following and keep a good scan for traffic.

--
Jim Pennino

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On 2007-05-22, wrote:
If it were the middle of the summer with temps well over 100
and flying something like a 152 at max gross, you might want
to depart to the south east to gain altitude then turn back
towards the pass, but the Archer should have no problem.

I did it from a little further down the valley (Thermal airfield, I
can't remember what it's official name is, but it's actually below sea
level) in an 85 hp C140... with a cruise prop, on a day which was over
100 degrees. It didn't climb very well, but I didn't have any trouble
getting through Banning pass.

Two weeks later, I crossed the Sierra Nevadas in that aircraft. It took
more or less 100 miles of climbing to get enough altitude to cross :-)

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