November 27, 2006 – Sedona, Arizona – San Diego, California
We had spent just enough time in Sedona and Grand Canyon (4days) and now we're ready for California . It is lovely bright Monday morning in Sedona as we prepared to leave but the west coast outlook is not rosy……
Sedona, Arizona – San Diego, Ca.
Date
Departure Arpt.
Ident.
Arrival Arpt.
Ident.
Distance nm
Time ER.
Actual
Nov. 27
Sedona Airport
SEZ
San Diego , Montgomery Field
MYF
311
2:32
35knot headwinds resulted in 150 ground speeds most of the way….
Checking the internet weather from the hotel, it looked like the flight would be in clear weather most of the way. A front is moving onshore from the Pacific - forecasting light rain, 1800' overcast ceilings and stronger winds in southern California . Not the lovely clear weather that we had grown used to but certainly Ok for our flight.
As we got our IFR clearance from Prescott Flight Service people in Arizona the controller warned us about worsening conditions to the west. Now they were expecting icing at our enroute altitude, strong winds and much lower ceilings in the San Diego area. We thought about delaying departure but decided to push on since the weather would likely only get worse. One thing about this area is there are lots of alternates if you need to divert…….we were ready to do that if necessary.
Again the information system onboard Nang Fah was fabulous. As we progressed south west we were able to look at winds aloft and on the ground, general conditions over the entire route, cloud cover and METAR (actual weather) for San Diego from the satellite transmissions which we received on the Garmin 1000.
The good news was that we did not encounter any cloud or icing at our 12,000' flight level and flew most of the trip in bright, clear skies. The bad news was that the weather was worsening, fast, at our destination. As we approached San Diego the reported weather at Montgomery Field had deteriorated to 1 mile visibility and 400' ceilings. Just above legal minimums but for pilots who only fly the occasional IFR approach to minimums these conditions get your attention and your adrenalin pumping. I thought about diverting to another airport but decided that we would shoot the approach to Montgomery as we have the training and equipment to do this safely. After all, this is one of the reasons we bought the new airplane with superior avionics…….
We landed in that???? Thanks Nang Fah and Garmin……
I can not say enough about the systems onboard the Ovation 3. We set up the Garmin and autopilot to fly the ILS approach to runway 21. We were into clouds starting the decent through 10,000'. Then followed the controller's radar vectors and monitored the autopilot, displays and approach chart to intercept the ILS and Glide slope. We broke out of solid cloud 400' about the ground with the runway straight ahead. Of course – that is the way it is supposed to be!!!! Right - but having the situational awareness, reliability and guidance of the G1000 is wonderful when you really need it.
We are staying with friends Peter and Dam in La Jolla. Dam is Thai who was educated and has lived in the US for 30 years. She and Lec are long time friends.
San Diego is a neat place. Prime real estate near the ocean is quite expensive and hard to find. Like typical tourists we visited some of the major attractions – certainly the San Diego Zoo - and drove the coastline. The highlights of the zoo are the giant panda’s of course.
“Papa” Panda in San Diego……
What a life…..retirement agrees with me too
I understand the zoo pays the Chinese government about $1million per year for “renting out” their panda's. I am glad they do ‘cause seeing these wonderful animals is really a once in a lifetime experience. The two Panda's in San Diego have given birth to 2 cubs over the years. One still lives with them while the other has gone back to China . San Diego only rents the parents – they don't get to keep the cubs.
Visiting this magnificent zoo makes us even more eager to add Africa to our world trip. But until then we will enjoy pictures and memories of the variety of animals here at the San Diego Zoo.
.
Flight to Catalina Island & visit to the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier
Our San Diego friends wanted to do some sightseeing up the coast towards Los Angeles and over to Santa Catalina Island . So we bought a VFR Chart, talked to some local pilots and headed off. It is quite busy airspace around San Diego and up towards L.A. There are nicely marked VFR corridors on the charts and the controllers are also very friendly and helpful; just like most that we have dealt with on this trip. Flight following is available and a MUST for strangers this busy area.
The 30 minute ride up to Catalina was beautiful. Along the coastline we passed the high cliffs, beaches and blue water of the Pacific. Turning northwest you could see Santa Catalina Island clearly from more than 50 miles out. We did not have time to land at Catalina airport (Avalon) so I can only show you a picture taken from above.
Local pilots told me that the runway mid point has many, many tire tracks embedded in the hard surface. Apparently the runway is very severely uphill for the first 2000'. When visiting pilots land, near to top of the upslope, they often hit the brakes very hard thinking they are at the end of the runway and going off the mountain. Big surprise when they go over the top of the hill and see another 1000 feet of runway ahead.
On the way back to Montgomery Field our traffic information system and the controllers were working overtime…….lots of VFR traffic. We came within less than a mile of an oncoming aircraft who was climbing through our cruising altitude. The controller had warned both pilots to look for the conflicting traffic so we knew there was potential danger. As I glanced at my display screen I saw the “intruder” aircraft getting closer and closer, heading straight at us, but no airplane in the sky ahead; it was a tense moment. The TIS “blip” on my screen turned yellow (serious warning) and just as the controller told me to “descend immediately” I saw the other airplane. Close but slightly above us and off to our right; maybe 500 yards…….OK problem avoided and on to Montgomery Field. .
Catalina Island Airport……
We also had the great pleasure of visiting the USS Midway aircraft carrier which is permanently docked in San Diego . It has been turned into a museum and well worth a visit for anyone passing through this area. We spent nearly 5 hours touring the ship and did not explore it all by any means.
USS Midway docked in San Diego……enormous and impressive
When you board, you are provided with an audio system/headset containing recordings of the ships activities. You activate the audio yourself for the sections you are interested in as you walk around the ship. Set your own pace and enjoy it…….
The “Apollo” helicopter……I remember watching those recoveries!!!!
Throughout the ship, knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers stage presentations of more complex activities. Such as “trapping” the landing airplanes, take off procedures, the bridge and captains facilities. They also have some very historic aircraft displayed on the carrier deck. One which I particularly enjoyed was a helicopter which had recovered about 5 of the Apollo space capsules after re-entry back in the 60's.
Update – November 2006 Part 3 
We landed in that???? Thanks Nang Fah and Garmin……
