Hey all,

Quick route question. Looks like I am closing on a Citabria 7ECA tomorrow in Ogden. Planning on lighting out Wed. AM heading East. Looking at basically flying I-80 . Winds and weather look good getting out of the Wasatch right now, but pretty stout mid Wyoming to the Nebraska boarder. Looking at grabbing some fuel in western Wyoming, and making it to Nebraska where surface winds are forecast to be manageable. Service ceiling is 12,000, so I will be at either 9,500 or 11,500 over the high ground. My question is mechanical turbulence issues on that route. Obviously I will check weather and airmets before I head out, but looking for some local knowledge. The terrain Looks high, but fairly flat so my hope is that I won’t get into anything over my head. What I don’t want to do is get myself into something stupid. Not looking for an answer, just more info to put into the noggin. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Pete

Couple years ago I delivered our old Pacer from E WA to Denver in late October. Flew down via Cody/Powell area towards Medicine Bow. By the time we got towards 80V daylight was dropping and there was a wall of weather straight out of a movie scene - serious white squall level. One of the buyers was right seat and we looked at each other about the same time and there was no second guessing on a hard nope. Turned around and landed at Casper for the night. Luckily Casper was dead calm, which for Casper means less than 20 knots.

Made it to BJC the next morning, actually not too turbulent but landed with winds 32G45. Within 10 or so degrees of the runway so that worked but controller was giving me lip about being slow and not having ADSB though I had filled the ADAPT form out the day before. Sent a trainer Cessna behind me around, they decided not to land due to the wind anyways. Two strokes of luck - I only had 200 or so yards crosswind to taxi and didn't get caught by a gust in that time. Had I not been flustered I should have requested wing walkers.

Hopefully someone local chimes in but my limited experience is the high flat country is beautiful and manageable but definitely to be respected.

I've done that route twice, once eastbound and once westbound. My first trip (westbound) got a late start which put me in Wyoming in the afternoon of June- big mistake! Thermals were terrible, I couldn't keep within a few hundred feet of my altitude sometimes. Full throttle and sinking, or idle and climbing. If I remember right the highest terrain was around the Wasatch range. Thermals not an issue as I entered Utah.

The second trip (eastbound) I got an early start for an uneventful trip. The views are amazing! Take the time to plan carefully, watch winds surface/aloft, and leave lots of margin for error and you'll have a great trip.

I flew to Oshkosh one year from Jackson Hole, in a C-310, flown by it's owner. Once we "got above all those mosquitoes" after departing Wittman field (his term for the slow movers, we had climbed thru the low ceiling/filed IFR) he set the Otto pilot up and told me it was all mine and he went to sleep. Right as we crossed the WY border it started getting bumpy, he was in the back seat and before he looked out the windows said "feels like we're back in Wyoming."

As other said that part of the country can get brisk temp and winds wise, I’d shoot for airports with crosswind runways.

Fly my first plane, older tailwheel, flying it home home in May years ago.

IN to WA, landing in WY as it was getting dark, hell of a cross wind, took a couple passes, had to even use some brakes all the way through taxi in SHR with a direct 30kt cross as the other runway was closed or something, don’t quite recall, ether way it was sporty

Same trip spent a couple nights in 38S (MT) due to getting weathered in with snow, low freezing level, etc. pushed the plane into a very old very odd hangar we found, was fun in deer lodge city, no taxi so the cops drive you around, one was a K9 and the cop was telling us how the dogs been going for crotches lately lol, had the police taking us to the different bars and then to the hotel, met some cool folks along the way too.

I don’t think you need to crack 10k to make that trip, and as you know the higher you go the more fatigue, I’d also keep a eye on outside air temp and I’d be very cautious about getting above cloud layers

Following roads is always a good idea as you mentioned

Other than that, pretty country to fly over, was one of my favorite flights

Thanks guys! Talked to a couple of pilots here in Ogden and got some good advice and route suggestions getting out of the Wasatch range and across Wyoming. Basically the same that was given here, plus a little local knowledge. Looks like tomorrow is a go. Winds look strong but manageable with the worst coming well after I hopefully have Wyoming in the rear view mirror (nothing against Wyoming, it’s beautiful). The goal is somewhere in Nebraska tomorrow.

Pete

93K - was it this hangar?

I've flown East and West across Wyoming several times, it's beautiful but honestly it's my least favorite part of long XCs between my home in Idaho and family in IL.

Gnarly mountain wave, cloud buildups on the ID border, and wicked thermals. The issue is that the terrain is so high MSL that in a non-turbocharged aircraft it's difficult to get high enough to avoid the turbulence.

As least you'll be flying eastbound. I'm usually pretty grumpy by the time I get to the ID border westbound.

Visualize the wind as water rolling over the hills and you'll pretty quickly find the most desireable path, but I'd recommend staying near the interstate, I usually do.

Also, don't forget to keep an eye on density altitude if you land in Wyoming. My first eye-opening experience with extreme DAs was four or five years ago in Wyoming. Taking off in a 182 at 11k + DAs even on a long runway can be humbling.

montana182 wrote:93K - was it this hangar?

Ha!

I think it might have been, I remember having guide my tailwheel along a kinda elevated wood track thing when I put it in there

Crazy small world

Twice in the last month I was out flying on what was reported as a good weather day. Turbulence sent my wing beyond vertical. As my instructor said if can't fly in the wind you can't fly in Montana and I think that is even more true in Wyoming