Rodtherancher
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- Joined
- Mar 24, 2012
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This is my first post here on the Piper forum. Last week on Friday 16 March, I took delivery of my first airplane ever---a 1982 Piper Dakota in Murrieta/Temecula, California at F70. My home base is Casper, Wyoming, KCPR, and I was immediately faced with a 751 nm cross country hop.
Since I neither had time in a Dakota, nor have a high performance endorsement, I had a CFII as my copilot for the flight to Casper. We accomplished this in two segments; F70 to KBCE, Bryce Canyon, Utah; we overflew Lake Mead, Zion National Park, as well as Big Bear Lake in California. From Bryce Canyon, we made a slight jog to the East over Hanksville and Price, Utah before overflyiing Vernal, Utah and Dinosaur National Monument on the way in to Casper. Total time elapsed on the tachometer: 5.48 hours. I was privileged to fly my first "real; instrument DP from Temecula due to fog; it was a DP to VFR on top. I flew the entire flight with only a few suggestions from the ferry pilot, ably assisted by the Century 21 autopilot and S-Tec altitude hold. Altitude from F70 to KBCE: 9,500 feet; from KBCE to KCPR: 11,500 feet. Navigation by GPS (Garmin 396 handheld).
It was enough to confirm that I'd made a good choice for a great cross country airplane. But...I have only a few hundred questions for other Piper owners which I'll post here later. But...this was one great introduction to aircraft ownership.
Since I neither had time in a Dakota, nor have a high performance endorsement, I had a CFII as my copilot for the flight to Casper. We accomplished this in two segments; F70 to KBCE, Bryce Canyon, Utah; we overflew Lake Mead, Zion National Park, as well as Big Bear Lake in California. From Bryce Canyon, we made a slight jog to the East over Hanksville and Price, Utah before overflyiing Vernal, Utah and Dinosaur National Monument on the way in to Casper. Total time elapsed on the tachometer: 5.48 hours. I was privileged to fly my first "real; instrument DP from Temecula due to fog; it was a DP to VFR on top. I flew the entire flight with only a few suggestions from the ferry pilot, ably assisted by the Century 21 autopilot and S-Tec altitude hold. Altitude from F70 to KBCE: 9,500 feet; from KBCE to KCPR: 11,500 feet. Navigation by GPS (Garmin 396 handheld).
It was enough to confirm that I'd made a good choice for a great cross country airplane. But...I have only a few hundred questions for other Piper owners which I'll post here later. But...this was one great introduction to aircraft ownership.
