Day 30: The Grand Canyon & Las Vegas

Day 30: June 29th, The Grand Canyon & Las Vegas. If I thought that my takeoff out of Winslow, AZ was an elementary education in density altitude, I would earn my Ph.D. in density altitude today. I shared a cab ride to the airport with a roommate from the hostel in Flagstaff. He had called for a cab the day before, but of course, they didn't remember in the morning. Even though the cab was late, I assured him that he would make his commercial flight. Marc is from Fyvie in Scotland and is here touring the United States this summer, stopping in many of the same places that I am. I was dropped off at the general aviation side of the airport and he was then brought to the commercial side.

I carefully preflighted the airplane and proceeded to the approach end of runway 3 at Flagstaff. This airport has the highest elevation of any airport I've ever operated from in my life: 7,015 ft! After my takeoff, it would be the highest airport I would ever even consider operating from. When the temperature and pressure is factored in, the density altitude was 9,000 ft, which was also the highest for me. Unfortunately, the takeoff performance chart for my plane stops at 7,000 ft and indicates that the chart should not be extrapolated beyond this. That is not say that the airplane can't take off above 7,000 feet, but that they are not providing you with hard data. You are on your own and accept the liability for such a takeoff. The runway length at Flagstaff is 8,800ft, which is over a mile and half long. Thankfully, I was taking off in the morning, before the afternoon heat pushed the density altitude to 10,000 ft and beyond. In any case, I had estimated that I would have adequate runway for the departure, based on my experience in Winslow . I began the takeoff roll and spent the first 3,000 ft on the ground, still trying to develop lift. Finally, the airplane left the ground, but I kept in mind ground effect and allowed it to accelerate a bit before attempting the actual climb out. The climb out was extremely shallow. There were no real obstacles to speak of at the end of the runway, and yet, I was concerned that I was not producing adequate lift to yield a climb. I departed the runway environment no more than 50 feet above the terrain and continued my feeble climb to the north. I made a very shallow right turn, so that I would be close to the airport should I encounter a downdraft (sink) which might render me incapable of maintaining altitude. Once back in the pattern, I felt safe again and began to climb very slowly. With a few hundred feet under me, I felt confident enough to depart the pattern and continue my trip to the Grand Canyon.

This is NOT a departure that a low-time pilot should ever consider. In order to eek out my feeble climb, I had everything optimized. I was configured for a max performance short-field takeoff obstacle climb, meaning that I had two notches of flaps and was climbing out at my best climb speed Vx. I also had leaned the engine to peak RPM just before takeoff. A novice pilot in this situation may not have been proficient in the short-field takeoff procedure and may have forgotten to lean out the engine, since this is only done for high density altitude takeoffs. In that situation, the airplane most assuredly would have been in the trees. Even after taking all of these precautions, the takeoff was really a nailbiter. This was truly the absolute limit of my airplane. Any heaver or any hotter, and this would have been an NTSB report.

As I departed the Flagstaff area, I truly felt at the whim of the atmosphere. My airplane is so underpowered for these higher altitudes, that atmospheric updrafts and downdrafts would prove stronger than my engine and would either push me to higher altitudes, prevent me from climbing, or push me lower. For this reason, I had to rely on my knowledge and skill as a sailplane pilot, as I had before with David Page years ago when we flew this same airplane to 14,000 feet in the Rockies. Several miles to the south of Flagstaff, I encountered a small hill. Knowing the wind direction, I approached this hill on the windward side hoping to catch some orthographic lift as the wind was pushed upward along the ridgeline. I did get a little lift, but when I reached the western end of the ridge, I experienced a strong pocket lift. This was not orthographic lift, this was a much stronger thermal, an updraft caused by heating of the ground below. I dipped my wings to the right and began a tight clockwise circle trying the keep the airplane over the same point on the ground. This is no different than the spiraling turns you may see a hawk perform as it also seeks these thermals for a free ride to higher altitudes. The thermal provided more climb performance than my engine could at this altitude, so I stuck with it, climbing from 7,500 feet all the way up to 10,500 feet. Once there, I leveled the wings and proceeded on my trip to the Grand Canyon. It was at that moment that I was so thankful for all of the years of sailplane flying which had given me the ability to seek out and really work a thermal like that. I thought of my sailplane instructor Jim Norton, and my dearly departed friend Justus Taylor, who had introduced me to sailplanes. I felt Justus's presence and know that he would have relished the opportunity to join me on such an adventure.

As I approached the Grand Canyon airport, the Grand Canyon itself came into view. WOW! Just the day before, I had witnessed the most amazing geological scene I had ever witnessed, Sedona, AZ. Now, the most impressive geological feature in the United States was being revealed to me from 10,500 feet. I was in complete awe at both the size and depth of this feature. A few decades ago, the airspace over the Grand Canyon was modified and there are now many "no-fly" zones in which a small airplane like mine are prohibited. I had reviewed the charts on my computer the night before, but I did not have the special charts you need to navigate over the canyon on board, so I could only see it from a distance and approach the airport. I would cross over sections of the Grand Canyon later on my departure. While an overflight might have been impressive, I must say that the view on the ground from the rim is impressive enough, an awe inspiring vision.

The landing was uneventful. The airport elevation is at 6,600 feet and the density altitude was probably about 9-10,000 feet. This is not an issue for landing, but would again be an important factor for takeoff. I taxied in and was directed to a parking spot. One thing I noticed on the ramp is that there were no underpowered Piper Cherokee's like mine on the ground at the time. There were more powerful turbocharged singles and twins. Hmmm, should have been a good hint, huh? Anyway, the lineman gave me a ride to the terminal and I walked into the office for Grand Canyon Airlines. This is a commercial tour operator, providing aerial tours of the Grand Canyon by airplane. There was also extensive helicopter traffic, more tours. Here, I was able to purchase my pass to the Grand Canyon National Park. With pass in hand, I was able to pick up a shuttle bus to the park itself. After a 25 minute ride, we arrived at the information center where you could connect to any number of other shuttle buses that would take you to various points along the south rim of the park. I asked a young park ranger where the best views of the canyon are and what I should do since I only had a few hours to spend at the park. He indicated that I should take the blue shuttle to the Bright Canyon Lodge, then walk along the rim to the red shuttle. On the red shuttle, he recommended getting off at Pima point and walking to the westernmost portion of the park, Hermit's Rest. I did just that.

I arrived at the Information Center, and from here, one could experience their first view of the Grand Canyon from the rim. A short hike to the rim revealed the magnificent Grand Canyon in all its splendor and glory. As the canyon came into view for me, a tear actually came to me eye. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I first laid eyes on the canyon from this perspective. Such a magnificent sight, and to realize that I brought myself here in my own airplane, flying all the way from NY, I was truly convinced that ANYTHING is possible. You simply need to establish a goal and continually work towards that goal. For this trip, the goal is to visit almost every friend in the country and while that seems overwhelming on the surface, it is indeed achievable, but not in one big step. I am achieving it one flight at a time over two months. It really hit me upon seeing the Grand Canyon that I was achieving a dream. I was seeing people and places I've always wanted to see. My family never did any traveling when I was young, so it was my duty to realize this goal on my own, and I was doing it now at 43 years old. The Grand Canyon was the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life. If you have never witnessed it for yourself, make it a point to see it and experience the awe and wonder I did at this moment. Do it now!

From here, I took the bus to the Bright Canyon Lodge and walked east to visit the El Tovar Hotel, a magnificent lodge built in 1905 located right on the south rim. Here, I checked in with the concierge to purchase several postcard stamps for postcards I purchased a bit earlier. I then walked west towards the red shuttle which makes its way to Hermit's Rest. There was a long line, because this is a popular route, but luckily two buses arrived and I was the last person on the second bus, so my tour would fit within my time window. Based on the bus driver's recommendation, I stopped at the Abyss along this route to marvel at the sheer drop of 3,000 feet to the Tonto Platform. Also visible from here are several isolated sandstone columns, the largest of which is called the Monument. The stop was well worth it, and I was completely alone here for some time to enjoy the grandeur in silence and solitude.

Soon, another red shuttle pulled in and I boarded it so that I could be taken to Pima Point. From there, I hiked about 1.5 miles to Hermit's rest. It was a beautiful day and a fantastic short hike along the south rim. I found some unique flora an fauna along the way and took some photographs. There weren't too many people hiking the path in the desert heat, but I was glad that I had decided to do it. Upon reaching Hermit's rest, there was a small lodge here which stocked some snack food, so I rewarded myself with a lemonade and a little ice cream before making my way back. Knowing the bus schedules, I had planned it perfectly, such that boarding the bus at Hermit's Rest by 3pm should get me back to the airport by 5pm so that I could continue on to Las Vegas.

On the bus ride back, I used my iPhone to calculate density altitude at the Grand Canyon airport. At 6,600 feet elevation and 84 degrees Fahrenheit, I calculated a density altitude of 9,450 feet, which again broke a record for my flying career. I carefully considered whether I should take off or not, but was able to rely on my experience at Winslow and Flagstaff. There were factors that weighed in my favor, but several were stacked against me. The higher density altitude and the taller trees at the end of the runway were definitely not in my favor. The factors in my favor included: lower weight, having burned off fuel from the flight over from Flagstaff; longer runway (8,999 feet); and having a better feel for the performance (or lack thereof) of my aircraft. I began the takeoff roll and didn't become airborne until about the 3500 foot mark. I again experienced a very shallow climb using my best short field takeoff procedure and with the engine leaned to peak RPM. I was seeing something on the order of 50 ft/min in the climb and at one point considered aborting the takeoff. Finally, I reached the point of no return and continued the feeble climb out of the Grand Canyon airport. As I crossed over the trees at the departure end, the tower had to call out a cell phone tower, which I had to steer left of to remain clear. I was still below the height of that cell phone tower! Finally, I was out of danger and began my climb to 10,000 feet for the trip to Las Vegas. In the process, I crossed a portion of the Grand Canyon and took some amazing photographs.

Approaching Las Vegas over Lake Mead, I was given the following instruction: Navigate direct to the Stratosphere and then direct to North Las Vegas. Well, I guess I could have responded that my airplane can't get anywhere near the stratosphere and that I could only maintain about 10,000 feet. Of course, he meant to navigate directly to the Stratosphere Casino, which is the tallest casino on the strip. It is basically a tower and shows up prominently on the sectional map. Having been to Las Vegas before, I recognized the Stratosphere immediately and visually navigated towards it. Unfortunately, I never did see the Hoover dam when I traversed Lake Mead.

As I descended into the North Las Vegas airport, the air vents began to feel like heat vents as I entered 100+ degree temperatures once again. I taxied up to the self-service fuel pumps and there was Jim Holden waiting for me in his car. He tossed me a cold bottle of water, a most welcome relief after the hot descent. One of the best parts of the legs of my journey is to arrive in a strange place only to have a good friend there waiting for me. Despite a few problems we had with the fuel pumps, we topped off the tanks and taxied the airplane into the tiedown spot for parking. Jim gave me a brief tour of the airport, culminating with a visit to his hangar. His hangar looked as it did in Albany, with the same tools, photos, and his Cessna 182 Skylane. For a moment, I felt like I was back in Albany. Everyone in Albany misses Jim, but I can see from his hangar that he is settled in and here to stay.

Later, we joined his wife Carole and daughter Michele for dinner. It was another amazing day: Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas, all in one day. For the next day, I would explore the strip in Vegas.