AOPA Fly-in Sept 14-15 Santa Fe NM, 337s?
 

Hey all,

Today I just committed to flying N639GC, my pressurized 337 from Gaithersburg MD to the AOPA fly-in in Santa Fe NM. It will be my longest trip ever; 1400nm will probably take a very full long day each way.

Any other 337s going?

Tim

Last fall I made a very similar trip to Taos, N.M. so I have some familiarity with the route. Unless your other hobby is competing in "ironman" competitions you might want to consider splitting the ride into two days. Particularly westbound into the wind. Coming home, in the flight levels, with a favorable wind pattern, maybe. Otherwise, unless you're being paid for the work, stop and smell the roses. Fatigue is a risk factor to be ignored at your peril. Have a great trip.

I'm not going to the NM event, but ...

There's no doubt it would be a long day, and that headwinds westbound should be taken into account.

However, for reference ...

Earlier this week I completed an 1150nm routing between Springbank, Canada (CYBW) and Orange County CA (KSNA) in one day. I departed at 7AM Mountain time, and landed at 2:30PM Pacific time, with 6 hours of daylight remaining. I stopped twice for fuel, bathrooms, and refreshments (though I could have done the trip with only one stop).

My point is this: If I had an additional 250nm to go (making it a 1400nm trip), I feel it would have been quite manageable.

I would characterize a 1400nm Westbound trip as a long, yet manageable day, to be preceded by a good night's sleep, and followed by a restful day.

Eastbound, the trip would be faster (tailwinds), but due to time zones, the number of available daylight hours is less (but still enough -- I'd want to leave at dawn though).

I very much agree with Steve. Fatigue is an issue on a flight of this length, and must be carefully considered and managed. Splitting over two days is a good idea if you can do it, but single day is manageable if not.

Final thought: I would be careful of get-there-itis. Even if doing it in a single day, leaving an extra day or two in case of weather or other issues makes sense. This is always true, but particularly in the summer thunderstorm season.

Just my two cents.

Dan

I will be attending that event also I'm flying into double eagle and driving over with some friends
You better make it a 2-day flight out of it, I have a short 2.5 hour flight, from 4KS. One word of caution if you're coming in late in the afternoon the Mountain Wave just east of Santa Fe and east of the mountains can get extremely rough and severe

I plan on flying in on Friday, for the 1st day’s events. Then fly out the same evening. I live in Albuquerque so it’s a local flight for me.

Anyone need local advice please ask.

good advice...
 

Thanks all, I agree that it's a LONG ways. Also agree that pilot fatigue is, quite literally, a killer. But I'm going with at least one other, maybe two other pilots, both IFR certified and one of them has considerable 337 time. So it's probably not as audacious as it might sound. The Mountain Wave thing would be new for me, as would taking off from any airstrip higher than 500'MSL.

This will be my first fly-in. Do they give awards for comming the furthest distance? Might we win?

Tim

get current on your crosswind landings. IMHO