On June 17th, my oldest son Alex and I embarked on a cross-country in my new-to-me A36 Beech Bonanza. The plan was to depart from Indy and fly all the way to Southern California via Santa Fe, NM and Sedona, AZ and land in John Wayne Airport, sight-see a little and then fly up the coast to San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe. Then, make our way to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon (cannot get enough of it), Flagstaff, and make our way home to Indianapolis. Trip Distances:
| FROM | TO | Distance (nm) |
| KUMP (Indy Metro) | K81 (Miami, KS) | 428 |
| K81 (Miami, KS) | KSAF (Santa Fe, NM) | 495 |
| KSAF (Santa Fe, NM) | KSEZ (Sedona, AZ) | 301 |
| KSEZ (Sedona, AZ) | KSNA (Santa Ana, CA) | 322 |
| KSNA (Santa Ana, CA) | KSQL (San Carlos, CA) | 331 |
| KSQL (San Carlos, CA) | KMPI (Mariposa, CA) | 115 |
| KMPI (Mariposa, CA) | KTVL (Lake Tahoe, CA) | 132 |
| KTVL (Lake Tahoe, CA) | KCDC (Cedar City, UT) | 381 |
| KCDC (Cedar City, UT) | KFLG (Flagstaff, AZ) | 222 |
| KFLG (Flagstaff, AZ) | KDHT (Dalhart, TX) | 463 |
| KDHT (Dalhart, TX) | KMHL (Marshall, MO) | 505 |
| KMHL (Marshall, MO) | KUMP (Indy Metro) | 341 |
| Nautical Miles | 4,036 | |
| Miles | 4,641 | |
| Kilometers | 7,475 | |
June 18, 2016
Indianapolis Metropolitan (KUMP) to Miami County, KS (K81)
Left shortly after 6 AM and time en route of 2:35. Perfect warm-up leg.
K81 is a small field with an on-site restaurant We B Smokin’ http://www.websmokin.com. Its claim to fame is it was a site of President’s Obama visit in 2012.
Cheap self-serve fuel. After good breakfast we departed on the second leg of the day to Santa Fe (KSAF). Route of flight:
K81 LENIN LBL DHT FTI KSAF 155kts 15gph N36BR 10000ft
This was a 3h 40 min flight. Most of the flight was at 10,000 but we did have to climb to 12,000 right before Santa Fe to clear some peaks. We landed and went to Jet Center which arranged rental car for us and topped us off. They also booked us at the Marriott Courtyard at a reasonable rate.
Santa Fe is a real gem of a town. The downtown and square with the St. Francis of Assisi church nearby.
June 19, 2016
Next day we flew from Santa Fe to Sedona to kick off Father’s Day with breakfast at the US most picturesque airport – Sedona.
KSAF ZIASE GUP INW KSEZ 155kts 15gph N36BR 10000ft
After breakfast, it was time to complete the journey Westbound and land at John Wayne airport.
KSEZ DRK EED TNP PSP KSNA 155kts 15gph N36BR 10000ft
June 23, 2016 – John Wayne (KSNA) to San Carlos, CA (KSQL)
ANAHM7 VTU V25 PRB ROM V485 GILRO 155kts 15gph N36BR 8000ft
John Wayne is busy and not my favorite place to land and take-off. Just little nerve-wrecking despite the controllers being excellent. There is a departure procedure that takes you out to SLI VOR.
June 26, 2016 – KSQL San Carlos, CA to KMPI Mariposa, CA (Yosemite)
SJC V334 SUNOL V195 ECA V244 HABXU V459 BAGBY 155kts 7000ft
After spending a few days around San Francisco, we decided to continue onto Yosemite. The departure out of San Carlos is a tricky one as there is a departure procedure for noise abatement. For the life of us, we could not see the “diamond shape waterway” as in the DP. For future reference, this is basically at the departure end of the runway. This routing makes me wish I had my GN480 again as typing NAV waypoints into GNS530 sucks. Time to invest into FlightStream 210 I guess.
June 27, 2016 – Yosemite to Lake Tahoe
KMPI COGOL MARRI KTVL 155kts 15gph N36BR 12500ft
Lake Tahoe exceeded my expectations. Alex and I hiked for two days in the Emerald Bay and I would say probably it was the nicest small town I have seen in the US thus far. OK, it is on the short list with: Tiburon, CA, Flagstaff, AZ, Provo, UT, and Sausalito, CA.
June 29, 2016 – Lake Tahoe to Cedar City, UT
HUYJO V494 CHIME V105 YERIN MVA OAL V244 ILC BERYL 155kts 15gph N36BR 13000ft
Made a pit-stop in Cedar City to fill-up my oxygen tank.
Cedar City, UT to Flagstaff, AZ
KCDC BCE GCN BISOP KFLG 155kts 15gph N36BR 13000ft
This was a VFR flight as I wanted to cross the Grand Canyon via one of the corridors. Flagstaff is a perennial favorite of mine.
June 30, 2016 – Flagstaff, AZ to Home
Now the long and arduous trip home through bunch of nothingness. Kansas is interesting weather-wise as always and we had to do some deviating around some precip. Landed in Marshall, MO which is getting a new terminal.
First leg was easy and weather-free. Routing below:
KFLG INW GUP V62 TAFOY FTI V190 DHT KDHT
Then fun began, we were in Kansas after all. Initially filed to Lee’s Summit but had to divert to Marshall due to weather.
KDHT KMHL 155kts 15gph N36BR 9000ft
After refueling in Marshall, MO, we flew the last weather-free leg to Indy. I was missing that DIRECT routing we get all the time in the Midwest!
KMHL KUMP 155kts 15gph N36BR 7000ft
Flight of Passage 