Across the USA in an LSA
I flew a Cessna 162 Skycatcher 2,923 miles across the USA alone, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.
After two joyous years of ownership, and the goal of earning my PPL fulfilled, I decided to sell my Cessna 162 Skycatcher. It was time to upgrade to something bigger, faster, and with air conditioning. I found a buyer in Seattle. But they were nearly 3,000 miles away and uncomfortable with flying it through the mountains. So was I.
At first, I figured we’d just have a professional ferry pilot handle this. But then, I thought, why can’t I take it the whole way?! It will be an adventure!
Being one to push myself outside of my comfort zone, I decided to go for it.
Had I ever flown in the mountains on my own before? No. Had I ever landed at a high-altitude airport before? Nope. Had I ever even left Florida at the controls of an airplane? Sorry, no again. I’m a low-time pilot with only a couple hundred hours of mostly flatland cruising. But guess what? I didn’t die. In fact, it turned into one of the best experiences of my life.
Preparing for Departure
In the days leading up to departure, I kept a close eye on the forecast weather along my entire route. I gave myself three consecutive launch days and picked the one that best aligned for favorable projected weather and winds.
I used ForeFlight and Aviation Weather Center for planning (though ForeFlight has just about everything AWC has). I also checked the MyRadar Pro and Windy apps before each leg. In the air, I had ADS-B weather data through ForeFlight on my iPad thanks to a Sentry, and SiriusXM weather through the plane’s MFD.
To prepare for the mountain flying and high-altitude airport operation, I read every FAA publication I could find about the topics. I took notes and put 500 words of bullet points to remember on a clipboard that I kept in the airplane and reviewed each morning of mountain flying. I also printed off the airplane’s performance charts and relevant high-altitude pages from the POH for quick reference. And I brushed up on my radio communications by reading the book “Say Again, Please.”
What I Packed
I brought a PJ2 handheld backup radio, as well as an Iridium satellite phone, a personal locator beacon, and a seatbelt cutter (in case a forced landing ended with a flip). I took a Wellue O2Ring to keep track of my blood oxygen. I added a memory-foam back cushion and seat cushion to the left seat to enhance comfort.
I also packed an extra quart of oil, paper towels, microfiber cloths, a small can of Plexus for windshield cleanings, backup battery for my iPad, eye drops, some medicine (including Emetrol in case I had any nausea, which I did not), flashlights, extra batteries, hand wipes, a big stack of $5 bills to tip the linemen along the way, UV sleeves to protect my arms (since the windows aren’t UV proof), and a few Travel Johns with plastic bags.
I also brought my own tie-downs, wheel chocks, stepstool, and tow bar. Plus, snacks and about 40 lbs. of bottled water. Also, a small empty suitcase to pack everything into for my airline flight home. I bought a bin that fit snugly in the passenger footwell so that everything was in easy reach.
Choosing my Route
I chose my route by first mapping a straight line to Seattle. Then I adjusted the route to keep myself within glide of a road or field. Then I determined my stopovers based on the airplane’s range and how close a decent hotel was to the airport. I also accounted for the length and number of runways. Wherever possible, I picked an airport with multiple runways aligned in different directions to reduce the risk of not being able to land due to a strong crosswind.
I picked a route through the mountains that resulted in the lowest terrain and widest valleys. Where the elevation was the highest, I picked airports with extra-long runways like Cheyenne (KCYS), which has a 9,270’ strip. I also checked the comments in ForeFlight to ensure the FBO had good reviews. And I favored airports with on-field restaurants like Bentonville (KVBT) and Stearman Field (1K1). (FlightsForBites.com is a great resource for this.)
What about airports with the lowest fuel price? I prioritized convenience and overall infrastructure (quality of accommodations and food) that would result in a more enjoyable trip. Even though the buyer was paying the fuel on this trip, I would have done it no differently if I was paying. The $9/gallon at KPDX initially gave me pause, but the Sheraton is a five-minute walk from the FBO and the views following the Columbia River into Portland were among the best of the trip. Did it really make sense to skip Portland and skip that glorious flying just to save 50 bucks? No way.
Ready for Takeoff
On an early Friday morning in early August, I took off from sunny south Florida and the following Friday I landed in Seattle. I could have done it faster, but I didn’t want to rush. Ultimately, the pace was perfect.
I made it to Meridian, MS (KMEI) the first day, where I got to eat at Weidmann’s, Mississippi’s oldest restaurant, which opened in 1870! Terrific food. Highly recommend The Threefoot Hotel (vintage building with a wonderful rooftop bar and a great gym). The folks at Meridian Aviation are terrific and let me keep the crew car overnight. Also, you might get to park your plane next to some T-45s!
That Doesn’t Look Good
In Bentonville, AR (KVBT), I felt like a Gulfstream when they rolled out the mat for me before I stepped out of the plane. But after I did, I noticed some oil on my prop. Whoops. Failing crank seal!
I called Yingling in Wichita, since that was my next stop two hours away. “3 weeks.” That’s the soonest they could get to it, even after understanding my situation. Ha! Summit Aviation on the field at Bentonville said they could perform the repair immediately since I was a transient, but they didn’t have the part.
It was a Sunday and there was nothing that could be done then, so I went into town and checked out the very cool Walmart Museum at Sam Walton’s very first location. Did you know Walton bought his first airplane, an Ercoupe, in 1954? But before that, I grabbed a bite to eat at Louise, the lovely restaurant right on the field at KVBT. And since I wasn’t doing any more flying that day, I ordered a sangria and it was the best I’ve ever had! (KVBT’s FBO also has the coolest plane roundabout you’ll ever see!)
The next morning at 8am, I phoned Aircraft Specialties Services in Tulsa, paid for the $36 part over the phone, and had it in an Uber 10 minutes later on its way to Bentonville. Two hours later, the Uber driver arrived with the new crank seal and Summit Aviation had it installed three hours after that. (Those guys rock!) After a full throttle static run-up to confirm no leaks, I was back in the air and flew to Wichita.
In Wichita, KS (KICT), I got to tour the Cessna factory! Enough said!!
From there, it was off to Cheyenne (KCYS), which was the longest leg at 4h 14m (and I still had one hour of fuel remaining after landing). Cheyenne also marked the beginning of high-altitude airport operation for me. At 6,160’ in elevation, and a density altitude of 9,000’, I did my first full throttle static run-up to lean for max RPM.
After Cheyenne, I flew to Alpine, WY and it was absolutely gorgeous! Stopped just before Alpine in Afton, WY (KAFO), which has an airpark connected to the runway and you come to a big gate that opens with three clicks on the radio. I parked at the end of the taxiway and walked over to Red Baron, enjoyed a tasty burger and fries, then hopped back in for the quick jump up to Alpine.
Terrain Terrain, Pull Up, Pull Up
After a tour of the lovely Alpine Airpark from Lisa, I cruised north low over the lake, where I had the best views of the trip (and disabled TAWS because it kept screaming “TERRAIN TERRAIN, PULL UP”). After taking in the views, I pushed FPL on the MFD and entered my route to Boise (KBOI).
My instruments showed thunderstorms ahead. With ForeFlight and SiriusXM providing conflicting weather data, and it being too hazy to see very far ahead, I asked Center for intel and a nearby jet landing Hailey, ID gave me a helpful PIREP which made it clear it was just light rain ahead. The timing was perfect; the Skycatcher needed a bath after all the bugs we had just smashed in Wyoming.
From Boise to Portland (KPDX), I followed the Columbia River and got incredible views of Mt. Hood to my left and Mt. Rainer to my right.
Carb Ice, Emergency Descents, and 37-Knot Crosswinds
Between Portland and Seattle, I picked up some carb ice. But it was no factor. I flew most of that leg with partial carb heat to keep the carb temp out of the yellow. Even with partial carb heat, the Skycatcher still climbed like a champ.
I got stuck over an endless overcast layer, but right as I was about to give up on one of my stops and continue on (I knew it was clear 40nm ahead), I spotted a hole and pulled a Mike Goulian to shoot the hole while riding the barber pole (Vne). My VSI maxed out at 2,000 fpm as I said “yee-haw” and down we went in a descending turn through the hole. Once through, I leveled out and there was the airfield I wanted to land at two miles directly in front of me. The incredible timing was as if the skies had parted for me.
When I hit some mod-severe turbulence, I just tightened down my seatbelt, pulled the throttle back a little, and smiled as I looked at the incredible views out the window.
I discovered a love for the longer 3- to 4-hour legs because you can climb up to 10.5, lean it out, and just cruise there for hours and hours with the cold air and breathtaking views.
I lucked out with tailwinds most of the journey. Occasionally headwinds, but nothing too terrible. The worst was a 37-knot crosswind, so you can imagine how crabbed I was in the little Skycatcher! Never had an issue on the ground with crosswinds. I think the worst crosswind I had to contend with on landing was just 8 knots.
What a Trip!
The trip ended in Seattle at Renton Municipal (KRNT) on the same runway where all of the world’s 707s, 727s, 737s, and 757s first took to the skies. My last stop before catching an airline flight home was a visit to the world-class Museum of Flight (highly, highly, highly recommended), where I got to hang out with Amelia Earhart.
All in all, it was a spectacular trip and thrice as good as I thought it would be. Even the crank seal repair didn’t feel like a setback as it was just part of the adventure and only delayed me by one day.
With no autopilot, I thought I would be considerably more fatigued by constantly maintaining heading and altitude and chasing engine RPM — for 30 hours — but it was more adventure than chore.
With everything I was hauling, I was slightly under MTOW with full fuel. Which means this trip wouldn’t have been possible with a passenger.
When preparing for this trip, I was surprised to learn how many experienced pilots are uncomfortable flying a single-engine 100 hp naturally aspirated airplane through the mountains. The Cessna 162 is a real airplane, folks! There wasn’t a single moment during this trip that I felt worried or unsafe. The only thing I regret is that the buyer wasn’t in Europe, because then the trip would have been longer!
(If anyone has a 162 they want ferried, call me!)
I’ve been fortunate enough to have done some pretty neat things in my life, including going inside the Space Shuttle when it was still flying, climbing to the tip of a 1,100’ radio tower in China (that was scary!), driving cars at over 200 mph, and spending a weekend with a billionaire on his private island. But for so many intangible reasons, this trip flying an LSA transcon all by myself was one of the most joyous things I’ve ever done. I got into such a rhythm with the airplane that it felt like gliding. Just me, a little Cessna Skycatcher, and the open sky!
I really think more pilots should go on an adventure like this. With the right precautions and study of mountain flying and high-altitude airport operation, it’s quite safe and marvelous fun!
Trip Highlights
- 2,923 miles flown (2,542nm).
- 30.6 hours flying the airplane.
- Got to talk and listen to 8 of the 21 Centers (ARTCC) in the U.S.
- Longest leg: Wichita to Cheyenne at 4 hours 14 minutes.
- Averaged 4.5 gph, incl. T/O. (The 162’s happy place is leaned at FL105.)
- Highest density altitude encountered: 14,500' (while cruising at 12,500’).
- Primarily cruised at 8.5 or 10.5, where the air was cool and mostly calm.
- Density altitude was 9,000' on T/O from Cheyenne. Zero issues with T/O or climbing. The Cessna 162 is a better performer than people realize.
