I've got a month off and I'd like to fly my wife and puppies up to my Dad's place in northeastern Washington. Our proposed departure date is 19 Dec with a solid 3 days of roughly 5.5 hrs flight time.

For initial planning I'm looking at Huntsville to Falls City, NE to Black Hills to Sandpoint. It looks like my highest MEF is 9.7 and I'd be crossing the Rockies vicinity Great Falls.

Anyone local to those areas, how's the weather this time of year? I'm straight VFR so icing should not be a factor. Also, we've got time to spare, don't mind waiting it out somewhere if most patterns only last a day or so. If it's habitually crappy this time of year, we might take an aluminum tube.


EDIT: fixed my text!

Stop by Newport, Oregon!! I'll buy you lunch and an amphib ride.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KONP


November WX 2012:

The couple of times I've done cross country trips in the winter, I've stayed south as long as possible. The middle of the country can be bad for long stretches this time of year. One year I flew a southern route from Virginia down to Arkansas, across the top of Texas through New Mexico and Arizona and crossed the mountains via Tehachapi Pass and then up the California and Oregon coasts to Washington. Last year I made the trip in October and flew the southern route to Albuquerque and then up through Boise and through the Columbia River gorge to get to western Washington. The weather in October is a lot better than it is in December though! Both of those routes are longer trips with their dog legs than you were looking for, but even the big aluminum tubes have problems maintaining schedules in December. I hope that little Piper has a good heater! It sounds like you need 2 good stretches of VFR to get to WA and then to get home. That's asking Santa for a LOT. How good have you been this year?

Hey Mr. 8GCBC - those are not average December pictures for the Oregon Coast. Don't get caught doing false advertising!

Flyhound wrote:Hey Mr. 8GCBC - those are not average December pictures for the Oregon Coast. Don't get caught doing false advertising!

(Pictures removed, not Winter WX)

I am afraid you are correct. Add 1 mile visibility and 35kt winds.

KONP will be nearly impossible VFR if on a scheduled flight. 3 of 7 days a week are marginal VFR the rest IFR some years. Sometimes the sun comes out too. But, not likely in December.

Ice can happen in rain and showers too, VFR. Supercooled droplets impact and harden.

If you are on a schedule consider commercial and relax.

Cameron,

If you take the southern route, drop in at Kingsley (MO9) and I will buy you a meal at the hanger cafe. Kiman will also put you up in Ag student quarters (little private rooms.) I made the arrangement when you were coming south from Alaska. I'll check on student load, but I don't think that would be a problem.

Jim

Having flown the latter half of the route you are considering quite a number of times, once after October, I have to agree that a more southern route is strongly advised. I once left a 182, fully IFR capable in Missoula, MT for a week after giving up waiting for the ice to clear over the Bitterroot Range. The jump over the Continental Divide is the easy part. The weather there tends to be drier. It is the mountain ranges west of there that get difficult in the winter with low clouds and mountain obscuration.
A southern route that leaves you only waiting for the weather to clear over the Siskyous and good weather underneath up through OR is a much better plan.

If you end up going north and go through Great Falls, fly over the Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall Wilderness when you cross the divide.

Lately it's been below 32F with overcast sky's in my part of western MT FWIW.

So it looks like this is the way to go?

Huntsville to Oklahoma City area to Albuquerque to Elko to Priest River, ID.

It's still too far out for any predictions to get published that I've found.


I looked at the Siskyous route, but that'd put me on the WA coast. I'm looking to go to the redneck side of the state .


Jim, I looked into MO9, it makes the first day too short and the next day too long. I'll make a trip out and see you this spring on a nice weekend though!

Carry excellent cold weather gear (operationally and safety) Elko, Nevada is 8F tonight

For that type of weather planning I'll make a shameless plug for https://weather.af.mil. It is hands down the best weather planning tool I've come across. I just checked and it doesn't go out to the 19th, yet (currently the model ends at 0600z 18 Dec), but you'll soon be able to check your route. The site requires you to register with your CAC, but any DOD is eligible (no, they don't discriminate against non AF types). It's pretty easy to use, but maybe not the most intuitive if you haven't seen it first. You'll be wanting the time phased vertical cross section tool using the GFS model. If you sign up, I'll PM you the low down on how to get what you want out of it.

eric

I looked at the Siskyous route, but that'd put me on the WA coast. I'm looking to go to the redneck side of the state .

Did you mean to title the thread NE Washington?

I'll be making nearly the opposite flight at the same time from central Oregon to St. Louis and then on to New York. The weather can obviously be pretty dicey that time of year, but I've always enjoyed the long XCs that I've taken in December/January. When you put down in a place that you would not ordinarily go, things out of the ordinary tend to happen, which is the essence of adventuring.

I have a friend that flies from Idaho Falls to Richmond, WA pretty often in the winter. It is almost always IMC. He does it in a C180 with no IFR GPS so he should have died many flights ago[emoji57]

I'd definitely attempt the trip but I'd take a southern route. I spent a winter flying in Pullman and several winters flying in Boise; there are lots of great weather days in those places. It is getting across the mountains that is tough...but of course you know that.

If you need a fuel stop/break between Albuquerque and Elko, stop in to Escalante (1L7) We can get you refueled, fed and on you're way again. If you need to wait out some weather, we have a place to stay and space in the hangar

Chris

CamTom12 wrote:I've got a month off and I'd like to fly my wife and puppies up to my Dad's place in northwestern Washington......I'm straight VFR so icing should not be a factor.....If it's habitually crappy this time of year, we might take an aluminum tube.

Where in NW Washington? I'm in Port Townsend, feel free to look me up when you're out here. Don't forget, you can get ice while VFR in rain too, you don't have to be in the clouds. And don't forget frost / frozen dew on the wings in the mornings, and sometimes in the late afternoons on esp cold days. Our winter weather here in western WA is usually gray, often rainy & drizzly, but sometimes clear and great for flying. I've been here 23 years and haven't seen any rhyme reason or pattern to it-- it's just kind of a crap shoot from one day to the next. Stormy weather usually brings bumpy air, and gusty winds out of the south or southeast.

Not to be argumentative but, the proposed route is terminating in the vicinity of NorthEast Washignton State?

Nope, you got me! I said NW WA, but I totally meant NE WA. I'll actually be flying into Priest River, ID since its the closest airport to my Dad's that allows transients.

CamTom12 wrote:Nope, you got me! I said NW WA, but I totally meant NE WA. I'll actually be flying into Priest River, ID since its the closest airport to my Dad's that allows transients.

Then, I would NOT see you flying the Gnarly Coast of Oregon! Fly safe.

Note:

Consider a modified rhumb line to Billings, MT then I-90 thru the pass to Coeur d Alene, ID. Caution: The plains can be very windy... travel between lows to preclude headwinds. But, the rhumb line keeps you East of the Rocckies and away from mountains until Montana. Just another thought.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhumb_line