Lndwarrior
New member
This is another question related to my upcoming circumnavigation of the US in my VFR, light sport homebuilt aircraft (a Zenith CH 601 XLB).
My plan for my first leg would have me spending the night in Kingman (after departing Pine Mountain Lake in central CA) and getting a very early start on a bucket-list visit to Sedona. I would probably land, have a short look around and be on my way fairly quickly. I would then head south to a over-night stop at one of the airports south east of Phoenix.
The recent crash of the Cessna 140 at Clark Memorial Field has led me to re-consider my route.
This trip is about the journey, not the destination. I have been fascinated at the idea of landing at Sedona since I first started flying 30 years ago. When I first started planning this trip, Sedona was second only to First Flight at the top of my bucket list.
Under my current plan I would land at Sedona around 8 or 9 am on March 25 or so. The actual departure day my vary slightly based on weather.
I will certainly get a full weather briefing but even then, the winds in this area can be unpredictable.
I guess I am just second-guessing myself on whether to do this - or just bypass Sedona altogether and take the low-terrain route down the west side of Phoenix.
Even if you get a full weather briefing, I know enough about mountain flying to know that wind, turbulence and density altitude can vary greatly from forecasts.
If you were going to do this is a light sport plane, what would you consider no-go conditions for Sedona?
I'm now leaning on the side of bypassing Sedona and avoiding what might be unnecessary stress on my month-long journey.
It would be great to hear from those who may have flown a light sport aircraft in this area.
My plan for my first leg would have me spending the night in Kingman (after departing Pine Mountain Lake in central CA) and getting a very early start on a bucket-list visit to Sedona. I would probably land, have a short look around and be on my way fairly quickly. I would then head south to a over-night stop at one of the airports south east of Phoenix.
The recent crash of the Cessna 140 at Clark Memorial Field has led me to re-consider my route.
This trip is about the journey, not the destination. I have been fascinated at the idea of landing at Sedona since I first started flying 30 years ago. When I first started planning this trip, Sedona was second only to First Flight at the top of my bucket list.
Under my current plan I would land at Sedona around 8 or 9 am on March 25 or so. The actual departure day my vary slightly based on weather.
I will certainly get a full weather briefing but even then, the winds in this area can be unpredictable.
I guess I am just second-guessing myself on whether to do this - or just bypass Sedona altogether and take the low-terrain route down the west side of Phoenix.
Even if you get a full weather briefing, I know enough about mountain flying to know that wind, turbulence and density altitude can vary greatly from forecasts.
If you were going to do this is a light sport plane, what would you consider no-go conditions for Sedona?
I'm now leaning on the side of bypassing Sedona and avoiding what might be unnecessary stress on my month-long journey.
It would be great to hear from those who may have flown a light sport aircraft in this area.
