Route into LA area

Your trip reports, airport experiences, etc. are welcome here.

Moderators: Rick, Lance Murray

Post Reply
User avatar
dafzero
3 Diamonds Member
3 Diamonds Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 2:22 am
First Name: David
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N468MA
Airports: KAVL
Has thanked: 17 times
Been thanked: 8 times

Route into LA area

Post by dafzero »

We're getting ready to head west from Asheville to LA and I would love some "local knowledge" on the preferred routes for getting to KBUR. We'll probably overnight at Sedona then top up at Twenty Nine Palms, which probably isn't strictly necessary, before heading on to KBUR.

Is it better to go via the Morongo Valley or just go direct over the mountains? I can imagine some pretty dicey conditions on the leeward side of the mountains with a westerly wind. I'm assuming VFR with flight following.

If it's IFR then I'll just file and take what they give me but hoping for a nice day. ETA's 4/21.

We plan to spend the weekend in LA before heading home. The daughter is in the Hollywood area hence the choice of KBUR.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

David
David Bevan
2005 40.547
Asheville, NC
User avatar
pietromarx
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 433
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2016 2:52 am
First Name: Peter
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: NZZZ
Airports: KWHP
Has thanked: 29 times
Been thanked: 156 times

Re: Route into LA area

Post by pietromarx »

I'd suggest you might want to land at Whiteman or Santa Monica vs. Burbank. Whiteman in particular is an easy GA airport about 4 miles away from Burbank that has self-service AvGas, tie-downs, etc. in a fairly calm environment. Getting an Uber / Lyft is trivial and the time to the airport is around 20-25 minutes from Hollywood.

By comparison, Burbank is a class C airport that primarily focuses on Southwest flights these days. You might want to look at Van Nuys, too, also close by, but it is a busy airport and you have to keep your wits about you. (I personally enjoy it, but I'm used to dense environments like LA, SF, NY, etc.)

Getting to Whiteman via air is straightforward. Call up SoCal approach and ask for flight following. They will give you vectors and transitions through the airspace while helping to keep you safe from other traffic, LAX class B airspace, and terrain. You can reach them from anywhere in the LA basin or before (say, abeam Palm Springs or Joshua Tree, depending upon your route.) While they are busy, they are also extraordinarily helpful and professional.

Beware of gusty conditions over the mountains and near Whiteman, Burbank, and Van Nuys airports. CA has been having heavy winds here and there and I have seen both moderate turbulence (and reports of worse), as well as wind sheer. The controllers are on top of this and will generally help with reports, but check the PIREPs (and give them).

Enjoy the trip. Have fun! I have the fully wrapped red/white DA40 at Whiteman parked in front the FBO.


Peter
User avatar
dafzero
3 Diamonds Member
3 Diamonds Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 2:22 am
First Name: David
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N468MA
Airports: KAVL
Has thanked: 17 times
Been thanked: 8 times

Re: Route into LA area

Post by dafzero »

Hi Peter,

Great tip on Whiteman vs KBUR. I'll take that recommendation.

I'm not opposed to calm environments when it comes to aviation. Asheville is Class C so I'm used to that and I have operated in and around the Charlotte and Atlanta Class B stuff, as well as a little around the DC TFR "Forbidden Zone" and like yourself I get a kick out of being vectored around. Within reason that is.

Going to Charlotte was interesting, especially leaving. KCLT has published low traffic periods when it is reasonable to come and go. It was novel facing off across the runway with a 777 while another dozen waited behind it. Fortunately they let me go first but the turn out call occurred at about 200 AGL which had me low over the terminal building. Fantastic!

Our DA40 has red/blue stripes. Thanks for the tips and I hope we see you on there.

David
David Bevan
2005 40.547
Asheville, NC
User avatar
Colin
5 Diamonds Member
5 Diamonds Member
Posts: 2006
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2010 8:37 pm
First Name: Colin
Aircraft Type: DA42
Aircraft Registration: N972RD
Airports: KFHR
Has thanked: 319 times
Been thanked: 527 times

Re: Route into LA area

Post by Colin »

KSEZ JUWSO DRK EED HEC BASAL APLES HESPE CRCUS KPOC KEMT KBUR KWHP

They have removed some of my navigation points (by closing an airport), but I like coming through the Cajon Pass because you come over the desert and then pop out in the moist air of the Los Angeles basin. I am at 8,500 as I come through the pass and then in a steady descent so that I hit El Monte at 4,500 I think. Keep a sharp eye on the Bravo, but if you are talking to them SoCal will do some of that for you.
Colin Summers, PP Multi-Engine IFR, ~3,000hrs
colin@mightycheese.com * send email rather than PM
http://www.flyingsummers.com
N972RD DA42 G1000 2.0 s/n 42.AC100 (sold!)
N971RD DA40 G1000 s/n 40.508 (traded)
User avatar
dafzero
3 Diamonds Member
3 Diamonds Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 2:22 am
First Name: David
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N468MA
Airports: KAVL
Has thanked: 17 times
Been thanked: 8 times

Re: Route into LA area

Post by dafzero »

Many thanks Colin. That is exactly the type of information that I was looking for. We launch in the morning.
David Bevan
2005 40.547
Asheville, NC
User avatar
dafzero
3 Diamonds Member
3 Diamonds Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 2:22 am
First Name: David
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N468MA
Airports: KAVL
Has thanked: 17 times
Been thanked: 8 times

Re: Route into LA area

Post by dafzero »

Colin and Peter,

We are back in Asheville after our little soiree out west. Our route was: KAVL KTCL 4R7 KTXK KTUL KBGD KSAF KFLG KVCV KWHP KTYL KSAF KOJA KTUL KDYR KAVL

Roughly 3900 nautical miles leaving out various VOR's, procedures and sightseeing. I never liked the conditions at Sedona while it was en route so we skipped it this time around. In fact our stop at Snowflake AZ (KTYL) was blowing 27 with gusts to 49 but fortunately straight down the runway and I managed to pull off one of my smoother landings. The extra speed disappeared pretty quickly once I was on the ground and pulled the power off. Once I got clear of the runway though I had a heck of a time getting the plane to taxi in the right direction. It just didn't want turn without a Lot of power.

The scenery between KSAF and KFLG was out of this world. I had travelled and camped extensively through that area years ago but seeing it from a relatively low level was unforgettable.

KWHP was a snap in and out and we didn't get the cranky tower ATC that everyone talked about there.

Monumental tailwinds when we headed east but our 40 gallons just never seemed to be quite enough. Guess we'll just have to keep saving for the DA42.

A couple of things gear-wise: I had a flat in Eunice LA (4R7) and had cleverly left my spare tube at home. A local A/P sorted us out but the upshot was that I found a nifty portable air pump/gauge that now stays onboard. It's by Airex and costs $50. Works great and gets inside the wheel pants easily enough. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

I had also installed a Mountain High O2 system (strapped to the passenger seat) with the pulse system before we left. Technically we only needed it a couple of times but I tended to use it at 9500 and above just to avoid fatigue. It worked well.

A couple of sunscreens saved us from being roasted and we also wore UV resistant fingerless gloves since our hands seemed to always be exposed.

Thanks again for your suggestions. It was a great adventure.

db

N468MA holding off the big boys at KVCV
N468MA holding off the big boys at KVCV
David Bevan
2005 40.547
Asheville, NC
User avatar
Colin
5 Diamonds Member
5 Diamonds Member
Posts: 2006
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2010 8:37 pm
First Name: Colin
Aircraft Type: DA42
Aircraft Registration: N972RD
Airports: KFHR
Has thanked: 319 times
Been thanked: 527 times

Re: Route into LA area

Post by Colin »

David, that sounds like a great trip, I hope the first of many.

Just being the tiny plane in the huge landscape was one of the things I loved the most about all those trips in N971RD.
Colin Summers, PP Multi-Engine IFR, ~3,000hrs
colin@mightycheese.com * send email rather than PM
http://www.flyingsummers.com
N972RD DA42 G1000 2.0 s/n 42.AC100 (sold!)
N971RD DA40 G1000 s/n 40.508 (traded)
Post Reply