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Calgary to Florida Keys

TroyBranch

Well Known Member
Friend
This Friday the family is heading SE in the RV10. It will be the first time to the SE for us and we are pretty excited. Clearing customs at 9:00 in Cutbank, topping off the tanks and then making miles. Plan to stop in KRAP and then on to Kansas City area for the night. (Suggested stop would be appreciated) Sat we will want to stop somewhere in Alabama for lunch likely (Any good on field restaurants?) and then on to Clearwater Airpark. Route could change depending on weather. After a few days there we head down to Key West. Vacations starts once the prop starts turning:D

Suggestions and tips if you have good ideas in the areas we will be, don't we shy to share.


Here is our Spot Track if you want to follow along.
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0K2qUrM1205OcaMGxkSqBFXnY4fQmhF4E

Thanks
 
Meridian Mississippi (KMEI) is a great place to stop for fuel ($3.95 today for SS 100LL) and has free hot dogs, chilli dogs, fruit, ice cream starbucks coffee etc. You also have a chance to see some US military crew and planes.

From there it is an easy flight to spend the night in St Augustine FL (KSGJ). Great historic town with lots to see and great food. From there it is an nice flight down the coast with a low approach at KTTS (the NASA Shuttle Landing Facility) where you fly over the visitor center and see the launch pads and assemply buildings.

TJ
 
One stop along the way

As you come down the West Coast of Florida, be sure to stop at Cedar Key (KCDK). Great little island, good seafood, beautiful views. Judy will call you on CTAF to see if you want a ride. You want the ride. It's a long walk to the restaurants/shops.

Link to a CDK thread and photos

If it fits into your itinerary, you won't be sorry.

Everglades City ( X01) is another you may want to consider. Lots of photos have been posted but Ted's thread has some of the best. Triad Seafood will pick you up at the airport and drive you to the restaurant N/C. FBO will arrange it for you when you arrive.
 
All good suggestions. We're headed that way too on Sunday. Our group it going to run down to Key West for lunch on Monday.

There will be weather.
 
keys

when you get near the lower keys about sugarloaf key or Cudjoe key keep a eye out for the blimp Fat Albert. up to 14000 ft on the gulf side.
 
All good suggestions. We're headed that way too on Sunday. Our group it going to run down to Key West for lunch on Monday.

There will be weather.

Yes the weather for the last quarter is not looking great. We may have to stay closer to the High Pressure and head to South Carolina for a few days. Once it clears out we will head south. I really do not want to get stuck on the ground in Alabama area this time of year when the big front line rolls through.

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Made it to Kansas City.

1100 NM day and no complaining. Hope to be able to get through the weather south of Atlanta tomorrow and get into Clearwater.
 
Gonna' be a lot of RVs in the air tomorrow and Sunday working weather into FL!!! We'll be one of them.
 
With the high pushing through I really do think it should not be to much trouble to pick our way through. At least I hope that is the case.
 
--- snip ---
Plan to stop in KRAP and then on to Kansas City area for the night. (Suggested stop would be appreciated)

--- snip ---:D

Suggestions and tips if you have good ideas in the areas we will be, don't we shy to share.


Here is our Spot Track if you want to follow along.
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0K2qUrM1205OcaMGxkSqBFXnY4fQmhF4E

Thanks

Recommend Lee's Summit just East of Kansas City. KLXT

Great bunch of RV guys and FBO. FBO has a car that you can take to the Hampton Inn. Hampton is a little more money but IMHO, worth it. One can walk from the Hampton to the "Outback". Outback use to give you a FREE appetizer when you show your room key. Ask the front desk at the Hampton if that still is the case.

IF you do not want the Outback, there is a good Mexican restaurant very close. Yes the Mexican food is good there as I lived in SoCAL for 30-years so know what good Mexican is like.
 
We got into Clearwater yesterday evening. We had lunch with Brandi and Brian in Atlanta and really did not know if we would get around the line. Tops were at 45000ft. We headed for the gap near Jacksonville and found a way through. Stopped in Gainsville for a pee stop and fuel to get out of there just before a cell went through. Nice sunset ride into KPIE.

2100 NM in two days. These kids are great flyers!

Great day on the beach today. Down to the keys on Thursday.
 
Another great trip. We arrived back home around 16:00 local today. We had to wait for two days to get out of Florida because of the weather. We then had to beat the weather coming into Calgary area tomorrow. We flew across the US diagonally in two days from Crystal River Florida. First day was a stop in Memphis for fuel then Omaha for the night. Second day was to Billings via mount Rushmore then cleared customs in Lethbridge. So three stops to cover about 2000nm. All while bucking a 20 to 30kt head wind. Longest leg was 4.2 hrs. The kids and mom are great flyers. Total hours flown was 31.5 . To Key West and back.

It was a wonderful trip and we all really enjoyed ourselves. From swimming with the manatees, hanging out on the beaches of clearwater, seeing Hope and Winter, biking Keywest, snorkelling, and Jetskiing around the Key west just to name a few.

Trip write up to follow.
 
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Westward trip this Fall

Hey Troy,
I was following your trip, sounds like you had a good one and now back home again safe and sound. I just returned from Sun 'n Fun.

This Fall I am planning a trip to California to visit Yosemite Natl. Park and San Fransisco. After that we will continue up the west coast to visit friends in Eugene OR and then on to Vancouver Island.

The first half of the trip will be in the US but on the way back I will go through Canada and possibly stop in the Calgary area. If time permits perhaps we will have a chance to "do lunch" or dinner.
 
Yes we had a great trip. I am almost ready to post the trip. Sure would be great to have you stop in Ivan. I will get your plane in a hanger too. We have a few other adventures planned in the ten this summer. It is a wonderful airplane.
 
On April 10th we loaded the family in the RV10 and began our adventure vacation. The plan was a trip to the Florida Keys. This would be the farthest we had ever gone from home by about 350 NM. Customs was booked for a 9:00 arrival in Cutbank. We were on our way in smooth air and I was really happy to have a break from work. 130 NM to Cutbank. Flight time 0.9hrs. Customs cleared, the tanks full we were on our way in short order to Rapid City. 475 nm. Flight Time 3.1hrs.

We always use flight following and you need to be above 9500ft to get coverage in these parts. Even then they lose you for a while. We dropped down for a bit to look at Devils tower and then jumped over the black hills into Rapid City. We are yet to have a smooth ride over the black hills.

Devils Tower
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Rapid City SD
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We had packed a lunch and ate it at the FBO. The plane was quickly filled with fuel and so were we. We loaded up for the third and last leg of the day to Kansas City. 481 NM. Flight time 2.9 hrs. This flight leg was a rough one over Nebraska. The plane rolled as much as 45 degrees from the turbulence at one point. Fortunately the last quarter of the flight it smoothed out at 9500ft. As we approached Wheeler Downtown airport we were told it was closed. Airplanes were in holds everywhere waiting to get in. A Cessna got a flat at the intersection and shut the entire airport down. Our timing worked out well as it opened about ten minutes before our arrival and we slipped in amongst all the traffic. It was a neat place to land. The day was done and we found our way to the hotel and had a great supper.

Kansas City
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Next morning we got up to a hazy day and loaded up the plane for a stop in Atlanta to have lunch with Brandi and Brian at Cobb field. 570 NM. Flight time 3.7hrs. We filled up all four tanks in Kansas City so we had lots for the flight. The scenery was getting much prettier as we got farther south. The rolling hills of Tennessee, ridges in Georgia, the leaves staring to show themselves more and more.

Many Boat houses on Lake of the Ozarks
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Mighty Mississippi
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We soon were talking with Atlanta approach and set up for Cobb Field. Once on downwind we soon learned that this is an approach you do not want to mess up. There is a HUGE open pit right next to the runway! We got down safe and taxied into their hanger with about 35 gal left. It was nice to see familiar faces being so far from home. The plane got filled up and we went in for lunch.

Cobb Field
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Lunch was spent trying to come up with a plan as to what we should do if we could not get through the weather. There was a massive storm on the Florida Georgia border that we did not know if we could get around. The forecast was not good at all for the remainder of the week so we really wanted to get through. The decision was made to head direct for Jacksonville and see if we could make the slot. I told everyone that they had to eat fast as every half hour counted based on how fast the storm was building. Brian and I agreed that this made flying so much fun. I figured it would even be more fun if you new for sure you could get around the weather.

We said our good byes and told them it was their turn to visit us. We have Flames tickets for them if they do! Departing Cobb was the only place we had a bit of frustration with the controller. He gave us a left turn on departure and cleared us SE bound which was turning us directly to the Dobbins Air Reserve Base. I figured he would then hand us off to them. Nope, he just said we would have to get clearance. The Airspaces connect so that was not going to work. So I continued the turn and departed NE bound to stay clear of the Delta advising tower of what we were doing. I really do not know why we were not given a right hand turn out. We soon contacted Atlanta departure and we were on our way SE bound.

Every time we are heading for marginal weather I set my minimums. I go through the map to find the highest MEA and set my Efis. I then make a decision as to what number I make the decision to turn around at. That way your decision to turn around is made well ahead of time and you are not scrambling in the ****.

We had a nice 10mile gap showing up on the radar that we were heading for. The tops on the right of the gap was reported at 45 thousand feet, the left was less. Centre had the same info as us and was vectoring us to the gap. We dropped down to about 1000ft above the turnaround altitude and chugged along in light rain with a smooth ride. We soon rounded the corner and had it made. Easy flying and we pointed the nose for Gainesville for our first Florida Landing. 300NM in 2.0 hrs.

Gainsville FL
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A quick washroom break and a fill for our last leg to Clearwater. On departure there was cell that formed from the time we landed to departure. It was on our flight path with heavy rain and lightning. We went around it and headed farther south.

A little Weather
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If the ocean keeps rising....
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We had planned to stop in Clearwater Airpark but learned there was no rental cars on the field so we changed the plans and headed for St Pete. 110 NM in 0.8 hrs. It wasn?t long and we on a long final for 18L and tying down at the FBO. Two days and 2066NM flown. Total flight time was 13.4hrs burning about 10.5 gph at cruise.

Landing ST Pete
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Where is the beach?
 
Awesome

Troy
I just want to say Thank You for your wonderful stories. I really enjoy reading about your adventures. Some day I hope I will be able to do the same. I will have to work on the wife!!!!

Respectfully,
Darren Kerns
RV7 N599DT
 
Great write up. Just watched a couple of the videos on YouTube as well, which are a perfect compliment to the story. Troy, did you do the trip all VFR?
 
Great trip report Troy....your family knows how to have fun looking at all your previous trips and this one!
BTW....we were overnight in Lethbridge few weeks back.... And we cleared customs south bound at Del Bonita crossing...bit of story behind all that but is was a adventure and border agents were awesome! We wanted to look you up but we were only overnight in Canada. Next time.
Glad you had safe trip!
 
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