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Thread: Lake Tahoe or bust

  1. #1
    Senior Member DanB's Avatar
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    Default Lake Tahoe or bust

    Will be flying from Phoenix to south Lake Tahoe airport in a couple weeks. Just checking to see if there are any suggestions for best route when it comes to the Sierra Nevada's?
    Dan B
    Mesa, AZ

  2. #2
    Senior Member Pilot4Life's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lake Tahoe or bust

    Dan,
    I usually climb to FL240 and don't have any issues....it's really boring though! That's a cool place to visit. Drove in....We've flown over it a lot, but never flown into the airport. Should be beautiful when you arrive! Enjoy the trip.
    Chris Holaday
    Looking at the Model 5 or newer for size!

  3. #3
    Senior Member HighWing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lake Tahoe or bust

    Dan,
    Being in Cameron Park about 45 minutes West of Lake Tahoe we always flew the Highway 50 route through the mountains crossing the mountains at Echo Summit. We then flew across Lake Tahoe and flew North a bit to continue following 50 to Carson City and beyond. This route eliminated a lot of climbing and provided a certain level of comfort.

    Since you will remain on the Eastern Slope of the Sierras the high mountain crossing won't be an issue. I would suggest essentially flying up Highway 395 and then crossing the one range between the flatlands on the Eastern side and Tahoe when you feel comfortable. Flying to Carson City and across at 50 then back down to Tahoe would likely add a half hour or so to your flight. It would also provide a great view of the lake though.
    Lowell Fitt
    Goodyear, AZ


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  4. #4
    Senior Member DanB's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lake Tahoe or bust

    Lowell,
    Thanks, That is just what I was looking for. Should be a fun trip... meeting up with my son and doing some fly fishing on the Truckee. Looking forward to it.
    Dan B
    Mesa, AZ

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Lake Tahoe or bust

    I am based at TVL which is South Lake Tahoe. You can fly up 395 to Minden as a waypoint, turn west and shoot the gap over Kingsbury into TVL. I fly it every flight! You can also come up to Yerington and turn west.

    Our airport is "unusual" in that most of us fly out on 36 over the lake and we usually land on a long final on 18 in from the lake if traffic permits. When you cross over at Kingsbury you will immediately see why...be careful on carb ice as you will be dropping from 10k to 7500 pattern pretty fast. The displaced area on 36 is your friend.

    Also, be VERY careful around Minden. It's a glider mecca, with no gliders using radios. Even the tow plane pilot is crazy. I was shooting touch and gos with two other planes last Saturday, when one of the other planes called out that a glider had just landed under us! They love to grab thermals east of Minden and along the ridge at the lake. Expect at least one in the air without a radio.

    If you are heading to Truckee, your best bet is Carson City and over Spooner to Truckee as mentioned above. Minimize your time over the lake, at 32 miles long it is like flying over the ocean. We have had two crashes this week. The mountains are not very forgiving. Please proceed with caution up here. You will love it, we still have snow on the peaks. Take a spin into Emerald Bay and bank around the island. Don't worry, there's plenty of room to do a nice turn inside the bay.

    It's going to be quite a switch from Cactus to forest and mountains so be prepared to be wow'd. The lake clarity is so good you will be amazed at how far off shore you can see the bottom. Welcome to our paradise.
    Last edited by TahoeTim; 05-19-2013 at 08:31 PM.

  6. #6
    Senior Member DanB's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lake Tahoe or bust

    Tim,
    Great info that is highly appreciated! Looking forward to the flight. Would be great to meet up at some point and maybe do some flying. My son has an apartment just west of S Tahoe airport. send me a message with your phone # and I'll give a call when I'm there. I will either be coming in Sunday or Monday (26th or 27th) depending on weather and leaving near the end of the week.
    Cheers
    Last edited by DanB; 05-21-2013 at 02:19 AM.
    Dan B
    Mesa, AZ

  7. #7
    Senior Member DanB's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lake Tahoe or bust

    Update...
    I'm sad to say it went bust.
    Somewhere en-route this morning to Lake Havasu the small spinner on the front of the 3 blade Ivo Prop came off (yes, it was loc-tighted). I never felt or heard a thing. Got on the ground to re-fuel and noticed it missing followed by finding a 1/4" chunk out of the leading edge of one blade. Was able to do a field repair using super glue, baking soda and a file. Worked good enough to fill it in, build it up and profile the blade. Chose to terminate trip and limped back to FFZ as I didn't know how extensive the blade could be...one of those better safe than sorry calls. Big thanks to Desert Fox IV for the super glue trick.
    Some other time Tahoe Tim...sure was looking forward to it.
    Dan
    Last edited by DanB; 05-26-2013 at 03:03 PM.
    Dan B
    Mesa, AZ

  8. #8
    Senior Member SkySteve's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lake Tahoe or bust

    Dan, sorry to hear you didn't make it. Tell us more about the super glue and baking soda trick (with photos). And, good piloting decision. That's what keeps us alive.
    Steve Wilson
    Huntsville, UT
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  9. #9
    Administrator DesertFox4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lake Tahoe or bust

    Glad you're home safe Dan. Happy you made the no-go decision and stuck to it.
    Your tracking unit worked great. I was at the computer the whole return leg watching speeds, altitudes and progress. Knew you were OK when I saw your last report and it had you located on the ground , on the ramp abeam Falcon Field Tower and taxiing at 17 mph.
    Sorry your trip didn't work out. I know you were looking forward to spending time with Jason but he still has his father to spend time with another day hopefully real soon.
    You did venture further today than ever before with your new Kitfox.

    Let me know if you need help with the prop.


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  10. #10
    Senior Member HighWing's Avatar
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    Default Re: Lake Tahoe or bust

    Dan,
    Sorry about the spinner issue. Having flown pretty much your route a month ago, I sure understanding the decision. Definitely not a place to risk getting stuck.
    Lowell Fitt
    Goodyear, AZ


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