Let the Flight Planning Begin!

For those of you just tuning in, it has been confirmed that I will be flying commercially from Yakima, WA to Nashville, TN tomorrow (Thursday) morning. I’d like to take this moment to brag about the cheap price I got the plane ticket for: $429 including taxes and other fees. I may be wrong, but I believe “other fees” helps to pay for the rubber gloves that TSA molesters use when they molest the passengers as they pass through the government-mandated security screening. Whenever I fly, nothing makes me feel safer than being in the presence of a crew of blue-shirted, blue-gloved strangers, most of whom don’t even know their co-workers’ names. That being said…

… it’s time to start planning my cross-country flight! :D

So the plan is to leave Yakima at 11am Thursday morning and eventually arrive in Nashville at 11:30pm Thursday night local time. (I’m not looking forward to that part.) The seller has graciously made arrangements for me to stay at the Nashville FBO for the night and then he’ll fly down from Russellville, KY at 7am in his plane to pick me up. When all is said and done, I’m hoping I can be in the air — IN MY OWN TAILWIND — by 12 noon local time en route for the left coast.

I used this aviation website called SkyVector.com to plan my flight. If you’ve never seen SkyVector, go check it out. It’s free and a quick way to see flight routes or just to fly vicariously to new places when you’re stuck at home.

I figured ground speed at 110 kts.

DEPART: RUSSELLVILLE-LOGAN COUNTY 4M7 @ 12:00 noon with a heading of 294° (297°T)

–DIST/TIME: 219.8nm – 1h 59.9m

CHECKPOINT: ST CLAIR RGNL K39 @ 2:00pm and change course to a heading of 312° (314°T)

–DIST/TIME: 94.3nm – 51.4min

LAND: OMAR N BRADLEY KMBY @ 3:00pm for fuel and change course to a heading of 294° (299°T)
DEPART: 3:30pm

–DIST/TIME: 254.6nm – 2h 18.9m

LAND: COLUMBUS MUNI KOLU @ 6:00pm for fuel and sleep and change course to a heading of 296° (304°T)
DEPART: 6:30am (sunrise)

–DIST/TIME: 296.7nm – 2h 41.8m

LAND: RAPID CITY RGNL KRAP @ 9:00am for fuel and change course to a heading of 278° (286°T)
DEPART: 10:00am

–DIST/TIME: 174.2nm – 1h 35.0m

CHECKPOINT: SHERIDAN COUNTY KSHR @ 11:30am and change course to a heading of 294° (307°T)

–DIST/TIME: 94nm – 51.3min

LAND: LAUREL MUNI 6S8 @ 12:30pm for fuel and change course to a heading of 259° (273°T)

–DIST/TIME: 100.6nm – 54.9min

CHECKPOINT: GALLATIN FIELD KBZN @ 1:30pm and change course to a heading of 268° (281°T)

–DIST/TIME: 57.4nm – 31.3min

CHECKPOINT: BERT MOONEY KBTM @ 2:00pm and change course to a heading of 299° (315°T)

–DIST/TIME: 14.6nm – 7.9min

CHECKPOINT: GPS COORDS 46°7’31″N 112°44’42″W @ 2:10pm and change course to a heading of 340° (354°T)

–DIST/TIME: 23.7nm – 12.9min

CHECKPOINT: GPS COORDS 46°31’6″N 112°48’30″W @ 2:20pm and change course to a heading of 281° (295°T)

–DIST/TIME: 58.1nm – 31.7min

LAND: MISSOULA INTL KMSO @ 3:00pm for fuel and change course to a heading of 271° (288°T)
DEPART: 3:30pm

–DIST/TIME: 116.5nm – 1h 3.6m

CHECKPOINT: GPS COORDS 47°29’46″N 116°48’32″W @ 4:30pm and change course to a heading of 236° (251°T)

–DIST/TIME: 163.1nm – 1h 29.0m

LAND: YAKIMA AIR TERMINAL/MCALLISTER FIELD KYKM @ 6:00pm

TOTAL DIST/TIME: 1667.6nm – 15h 9.6m