The Great Circle Route!

[CFIDave]

Eric:

To see what you missed on a beautifully-clear day, almost exactly a year ago during a x-country trip to California I flew our DA42 over San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate squawking 1200 and not talking to anyone. :-D See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM0G9BrEv_M (Skip to minute 3:00 for a good view of the bridge.) Later in the video you can see a black Oracle America's Cup catamaran racing across the Bay followed by its chase boat.

It sounds like you're having way too much fun, though -- I'm really jealous. Our DA42 has unfortunately been sitting at KRUQ near your NC home base for the past 2 weeks getting minor engine cowling repair/repaint from our night-time bird strike a few months ago. Fortunately I've been able to fly other people's DA40s, conducting ferry flights and transition training. Hope to pickup our DA42 in NC later this week.

Have a safe trip back home!

[RMarkSampson]

Eric, about 10 years ago a did some "drive bys" during a cross country roadtrip. Been itching to do something similar by air.

Hoover Dam
Grand Canyon National Park (south rim)
Glen Canyon Dam
Zion National Park
Monument Valley
Natural Bridges National Monument
Arches National Park
Moab, UT for a day trip White Water Rafting on the Green River
Royal Gorge Bridge, IVO Canon City, CO
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Carlsbad Caverns (yep, this requires landing at the nearby airport but you get treated to a 68 degree tour without climbing to 15K feet... )

Enjoy - I'm a few years behind you for checking this off my bucket list!

[Gnomad]

Day 9...

Well I got weather alright...tailwinds!

Left Tucson a bit after 6am and made it back home to Charlotte about 11 hours later, with two fuel stops included. 20 to 30 knot tailwinds most of the way and barely any cells to dodge. On the second leg, I was up over 205 kts ground speed for 400 miles.

Except for today's winds (which completely made up for the first day), it was pretty uneventful without much scenery. Although there were some things going on on the radio...

SouthWest Jet had an emergency, passenger with a seizure, and was given best forward speed into Dallas with a ambulance standing by at gate 6. Ten minutes later, a sky dive pilot was given a phone number to call. Later, I got to relay messages back and forth from center to a pilot who had lost reception, and finally, the plane that landed at my home field, just after me, did a low pass because he wasn't getting his gear lights. Luckily they were down and locked and he landed safely.

As did I...

Too tired for the for day 9 pictures, but I'll load some up tomorrow with flight totals and Google Earth map. Guessing over 6,000nm. Also, flew 8 out of 9 days.

It was an epic trip, couldn't have asked for a better trip weather wise and airplane wise. The DA42 is an incredible cross country machine, that much I'm sure of.

Oh, and to make up for all my NORDO flying up in the NorthWest, I wound up flying IFR the last two days on all legs, San Diego to Charlotte.

[Gnomad]

Ok...not quite in bed yet...downloaded the flight data. 6,142nm in total.

[Kai]

Amazing trip, Eric! You have crossed the US from West to East and from North to South.

[Gnomad]

During my flight down the Pacific Coast, toward San Francisco, I finally got a break in the marine layer for some fun. Best 10 minutes of flying ever!

First short video of more to come...



HD Fullscreen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwCJ4ImdpmA

[Gnomad]

Another video...this time from the San Diego (Palomar) to Tucson leg. Took off IFR into low overcast, then dodged some thunder storms over Arizona.



HD Fullscreen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHIP0lEXc6M

[Gnomad]

Cranked out another video, this starts with an approach to Mt. Hood in Oregon with volcanoes visible North and South what had to be at least 100 miles. Also, Crater Lake and Mt. Shasta...it was all just so amazing to me after all my flying in the SouthEast.



HD Fullscreen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCcCNMPsd_Q