Next year I would like to fly to San Diego to visit a couple friends. The XC trip looks fairly straight forward until I get to the Phoenix-to-San Diego leg - lots of restricted areas and mountains.
Any suggestions for this portion of the trip from those who have done it? Which route through the mountains, and which airport in SD would be the best. Looks like a southerly route just north of the border would be the ticket.
Thanks
I've made that flight a few times. After fueling in Casa Grande (usually the best price, self-serve, and a pleasant airport except for the abundance of IFR practice coming off the nearby VOR), I fly the corridor down from Phoenix and then along the border. With a GPS or VOR, navigating is simple. If you fly on the weekend, some of the restricted airspace may be open.
The trip over the mountains is quick and I haven't found it any sort of problem in an RV. But, I do keep my scan going constantly for favorable emergency landing sites, just in case. The descent into the San Diego area is abrupt.
I've flown into two fields in the area. Carlsbad/Palomar is a very busy, controlled airport and they have/had VERY limited tie down space. I think only 6 spots. I've always gotten (sometimes the last) one, but I'm not sure what happens if they are filled. Montgomery Field is also controlled and busy, but I have found it easier to go into and out of than Palomar. I think it's Gibbs Aviation that has done well by me.
My biggest warning on both airports concerns the habit for Center to drop you about 10 miles out from the airport and direct you to squawk 1200. Then, you have to try to break into the towers. So, VFR flight following doesn't help you transition into the controlled space. Then, I've had trouble breaking into the Palomar frequency and Paul had trouble doing so at Montgomery (
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=17397&highlight=montgomery+field). If you can arrive at a quiet time (or, maybe, file IFR?), it's worth it.
One more point. While climbing out from the Phoenix area and flying west, the military and airline traffic can be intense. The military folks sometimes seem to be a nearly steady north-south flow about the Glendale (west Phoenix) area and the airlines, forced into the same narrow corridor for flights to-from Southern California and Phoenix, will likely be descending/climbing along your path. It is one area that I have appreciated VFR flight following. Otherwise, you might want to stay low until you get further west.