Since my original plan for Day 2 was to only get to Odessa, TX. I had planned my next leg to take me to Cochise, AZ (P33). Since I had made it to Winkler, I could now extend that leg a little. I wanted to extend this leg a little because otherwise I'd have to make a quick stop and a short flight near Inyokern. If I could extend this leg, I would avoid having that last stop. My plan now was to fly to Marana, AZ (KAVQ) just north of Tucson, AZ. I flew that flight at 10,500 ft and it was a nice smooth flight.
On the ground getting my next weather briefing for my last leg to Inyokern, I got the usual AIRMET for turbulence and strong surface winds. Palmdale, Mojave, Edwards, Big Bear, etc already had strong surface winds, but Inyokern and China Lake (KNID) did not. Inyokern does not get TAFs (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast), but China Lake sometimes does and they weren't forcasting strong winds for a few hours. Of course I took off with a alternate in mind (Victorville, CA (KVCV)). By this point, you're probably wondering why I keep taking off into turbulence and strong winds. I'll talk about that at the end of this post.
Just like yesterday, even though I just landed in smooth air, taking off now, I was flying in continuously turbulent air. I finally got to smooth air at 9,500 ft and it stayed smooth with only occasional bumps at 10,500 ft. I was nervous about the surface winds so I called up flight watch to get an update on Victorville. You guessed it, they now had horrendous winds. So I started asking for weather closer and closer to where I was to see how far I could get before I had to land. The next two airports I was supposed fly over were the last two with good winds so I started checking them out. The options were Gila Bend, AZ (E63) or Blythe, CA (KBLH). From the map, the yellow blobs for cities looked about the same size, but Gila Bend was much closer to the city than Blythe. This means there would be a much greater chance of getting a ride into town for the night.
As I was descending into Gila Bend, I noticed that my attitude indicator was indicating a very steep dive. I know I wasn't diving because I could look out and see where I was going. My altimeter and vertical speed indicators were also normal. This was my first instrument failure of my flying career. I've had a variety of issues before including engine problems, but this was my first instrument failure. Pretty soon it was saying I was climbing sky-high in a steep left turn. I wanted to just cover it up because it was distracting, but I didn't have anything handy. I just ignored it while I came into land.
As it turns out Gila Bend is a hole in the wall tiny place. There was nothing at the airport besides an abandoned building where an office used to be. I called the local motel that was supposed to offer transportation to and form the airport, but she said she was the only one working and could not come give me a ride. She gave me a number to the other motel in town, but I got the same response. Just about then, I saw some guys pulling 2 airplanes out of a trailer. I went over and talked to them. They had 2 jet powered airplanes roughly based on Jim Bede's BD-5 micro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bd5j.jpg). I was lucky they were there because they had planned on being at the Air Force auxiliary airfield to the south (KGBN), but apparently they crashed a plane on the runway shutting the airport down. That is why these guys were up here now. One of the gentlemen was nice enough to give me a ride into town. He mentioned he was a contractor for the military and that he comes to China Lake to work with the F-18 folks. From the website on the business card, it seems like they use the airplanes as radar targets (http://www.smart-1.us/). The guy's name was Robert Bishop here is a video that was on his website that talks about his work with the jet in the James Bond movie Octopussy.
So it was only noon and I was already stuck for the day. I decided to wander around the city, which only took me an hour since its so small. Most of the shops were closed and have very limited hours and working days. Most businesses aren't open here on Sunday through Tuesdays. At least this motel has internet and with nothing else to do, I went to take a look at the FARs (Federal Aviation Regulations) to confirm that the attitude indicator is not required for VFR flight and that I would still be able to make the flight home. FAR 91.205 lists what is required and does not include an attitude indicator. This makes sense because it is just an artificial horizon. This is very important if you fly in the clouds, but since I won't be and I can just look outside at the horizon, I don't need it for my flight.
So why do I keep taking off into turbulence you ask??? Well I now live in Ridgecrest so my airplane is based out of Inyokern (KIYK). This is in the middle of the Mojave desert at the Eastern Base of the Sierra Nevada's just south of Mt. Whitney. Every day I go flying I have to deal with strong winds and turbulence. I remember the days there WASN'T an AIRMET for turbulence instead of when there was one. The winds coming over the mountains create "mountain wave" effects and create a lot of turbulence and the thermals from the desert create a lot of turbulence. If I didn't fly every time they posted an AIRMET for turbulence and wind, I would sell my airplane. The weather usually is bad, but not unflyable. You just have to be careful and have an alternate in case things get bad. And trust me things do get bad, just not every time they forecast it. So that is why I now fall under the mindset of try and see, if it's bad land otherwise its just another AIRMET for flatlanders.
On the ground getting my next weather briefing for my last leg to Inyokern, I got the usual AIRMET for turbulence and strong surface winds. Palmdale, Mojave, Edwards, Big Bear, etc already had strong surface winds, but Inyokern and China Lake (KNID) did not. Inyokern does not get TAFs (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast), but China Lake sometimes does and they weren't forcasting strong winds for a few hours. Of course I took off with a alternate in mind (Victorville, CA (KVCV)). By this point, you're probably wondering why I keep taking off into turbulence and strong winds. I'll talk about that at the end of this post.
Just like yesterday, even though I just landed in smooth air, taking off now, I was flying in continuously turbulent air. I finally got to smooth air at 9,500 ft and it stayed smooth with only occasional bumps at 10,500 ft. I was nervous about the surface winds so I called up flight watch to get an update on Victorville. You guessed it, they now had horrendous winds. So I started asking for weather closer and closer to where I was to see how far I could get before I had to land. The next two airports I was supposed fly over were the last two with good winds so I started checking them out. The options were Gila Bend, AZ (E63) or Blythe, CA (KBLH). From the map, the yellow blobs for cities looked about the same size, but Gila Bend was much closer to the city than Blythe. This means there would be a much greater chance of getting a ride into town for the night.
As I was descending into Gila Bend, I noticed that my attitude indicator was indicating a very steep dive. I know I wasn't diving because I could look out and see where I was going. My altimeter and vertical speed indicators were also normal. This was my first instrument failure of my flying career. I've had a variety of issues before including engine problems, but this was my first instrument failure. Pretty soon it was saying I was climbing sky-high in a steep left turn. I wanted to just cover it up because it was distracting, but I didn't have anything handy. I just ignored it while I came into land.
As it turns out Gila Bend is a hole in the wall tiny place. There was nothing at the airport besides an abandoned building where an office used to be. I called the local motel that was supposed to offer transportation to and form the airport, but she said she was the only one working and could not come give me a ride. She gave me a number to the other motel in town, but I got the same response. Just about then, I saw some guys pulling 2 airplanes out of a trailer. I went over and talked to them. They had 2 jet powered airplanes roughly based on Jim Bede's BD-5 micro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bd5j.jpg). I was lucky they were there because they had planned on being at the Air Force auxiliary airfield to the south (KGBN), but apparently they crashed a plane on the runway shutting the airport down. That is why these guys were up here now. One of the gentlemen was nice enough to give me a ride into town. He mentioned he was a contractor for the military and that he comes to China Lake to work with the F-18 folks. From the website on the business card, it seems like they use the airplanes as radar targets (http://www.smart-1.us/). The guy's name was Robert Bishop here is a video that was on his website that talks about his work with the jet in the James Bond movie Octopussy.
So it was only noon and I was already stuck for the day. I decided to wander around the city, which only took me an hour since its so small. Most of the shops were closed and have very limited hours and working days. Most businesses aren't open here on Sunday through Tuesdays. At least this motel has internet and with nothing else to do, I went to take a look at the FARs (Federal Aviation Regulations) to confirm that the attitude indicator is not required for VFR flight and that I would still be able to make the flight home. FAR 91.205 lists what is required and does not include an attitude indicator. This makes sense because it is just an artificial horizon. This is very important if you fly in the clouds, but since I won't be and I can just look outside at the horizon, I don't need it for my flight.
So why do I keep taking off into turbulence you ask??? Well I now live in Ridgecrest so my airplane is based out of Inyokern (KIYK). This is in the middle of the Mojave desert at the Eastern Base of the Sierra Nevada's just south of Mt. Whitney. Every day I go flying I have to deal with strong winds and turbulence. I remember the days there WASN'T an AIRMET for turbulence instead of when there was one. The winds coming over the mountains create "mountain wave" effects and create a lot of turbulence and the thermals from the desert create a lot of turbulence. If I didn't fly every time they posted an AIRMET for turbulence and wind, I would sell my airplane. The weather usually is bad, but not unflyable. You just have to be careful and have an alternate in case things get bad. And trust me things do get bad, just not every time they forecast it. So that is why I now fall under the mindset of try and see, if it's bad land otherwise its just another AIRMET for flatlanders.
UPDATE: Here is the GPS track of day 3 to CA
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