Come Fly with Us 		The Leading Edge
Newsletter of the Flying Aces............................. October 2003 Volume 34, Number 5
August Schedule:
Instructor & Aces Meeting: Tuesday, October 7th 19:00 at Squadron 2 RHV. The Aces meeting will follow the instructors' meeting, starting perhaps 19:45.


August Meeting Summary:

The annual picnic went off as scheduled, with BBQ and food provided by John Gould. Considerable effort went into lighting a new barbecue for the first time, but it eventually produced more than enough hot dogs and sausages.

NOTAM:
Note that the October meeting is on the 7th, instead of the 8th, so that it may coincide with the instructors' monthly meeting.
Come and see what the instructors talk about every month!
NOTAM:
Also note that the December dinner party will be on the 7th, instead of the 8th, so that it falls on a Sunday, instead of Monday.
Flying to SOCAL:
Several years ago, I wrote about my solo flight in a C-152 from San Jose to Riverside, which required a fuel stop near Bakersfield. Last month, I covered a sim ilar route, but many things had changed.

My route now is a downwind departure from Watsonville, out toward San Juan Batista, and then turning right to join V485 to Avenal, then Gorman, and then direct to Riverside. The only reason not to proceed WVI direct AVE is that it would go right over the Pinnacles.

I originally planned to cruise at 11,500', but Madeleine had warned me that the C-172 would probably not want to do that on a hot day. She was right, of course, and the ascent rate was barely 300fpm as I got to 9,500'.

It is always exciting to approach rising terrain, and as I neared Gorman, I tightened the lap belt, anticipating the bumps. The route from GMN direct RAL is not on a Victor airway, but it goes right by Lake Hughes VOR, and then right over Agua Dulce airport, which is in a pleasant looking valley, with Mt. Wilson to the southwest, Mt. Baldy to the east, and a sharp ridge separating it from the high desert area of Palmdale. Agua Dulce has green grass and trees, but the road to get there follows a steep valley running east/west on the north side of Mt. WIlson.

I contacted SOCAL approach, and shortly after began descending at 500fpm at 105KIA. I passed right over Cable airport, and then over the west end of the Ontario runway as a Southwest Airlines jet was taking off. RAL was already identifiable, largely because I had approached from this direction just a few weeks before, on a day trip returning from Camarillo. My descent reached pattern altitude just in time to begin a right downwind for 27 at RAL.

The time for this trip was 2.8hr Hobbs time, which was also the time for the return on Labor Day. Winds aloft were very light, which is unusual.