Fifteen years ago my wife sent me a picture of her at Idaho Spud Days with her sister-in-law. We had yet to go on a date, but before the next Spud Day rolled around we would be married, and every year since then we have talked about going to Spud Days together. This year was finally going to be that year. She flew up to Idaho on a Monday and I had Friday off so I could fly up to join her.
It was a great plan, until I had to divert. No, I didn’t take off for Idaho and divert in flight to Arizona, although that would be possible early in the flight. With mom in the hospital in AZ, I found myself filing an IFR flight plan for Friday morning to Mesa Gateway Airport instead of Idaho Falls, and Spud Day would have to wait until at least 2025.
Clearance and Departure
According to the ATIS the clouds were Scattered 1,400′, Ceiling 2,200′ Broken, 5,000′ Overcast so I knew I would be going on the instruments around 1,000′ or so. I taxied down to the run-up area, and after completing the run-up called up Ground for my clearance.
I had amended my flight plan to what was showing in Flight Aware so that hopefully I would get an “As Filed” response in my clearance. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s always worth a try. This would be one of the “doesn’t work” times.
Me: “Fullerton Ground, Mooney 1015E in the southeast run-up with PAPA, ready to copy IFR.”
Ground: “Mooney 1015Echo, you are cleared to the Mesa Gateway airport. One departure turn left heading 120, radar vectors Seal Beach, Victor 64, Thermal, Victor 64 Blythe, Victor 16, SACAT Direct. On departure maintain 2,000, expect one-one thousand one-zero minutes later, departure control frequency 125.35, squawk 7331.”
I already had everything I was expecting written down prior to calling up, with space to cross things out and write in new information if there were changes. I’ve found it helps to cut down on my rapid chicken scratch and improve my odds of a good readback.
Me: “Cleared to the Mesa Gateway airport, on departure left turn heading 120, radar vectors to Seal Beach, Victor 64, Thermal, Victor 64, Blythe, Victor 16, SACAT, then direct. Climb maintain 2,000, expect one-one thousand one-zero minutes after departure, frequency 125.35, squawk 7331, 15Echo.”
Ground: “Mooney 15Echo, readback is correct. Are you ready to taxi?”
Me: “Affirmative.”
Ground: “And are you at the run-up already there?”
Me: “Affirmative, southeast run-up.”
Ground: “Mooney 1015Echo, taxi 24 via Alpha.”
Me: “24 via Alpha, 15Echo.”
I added a little power to begin taxiing.
Ground: “Mooney 15Echo, just a request, on departure as you’re climbing out could you pass the bases on to SoCal, looks like we’re getting lower and lower.”
Me: “Sure, will do, 15Echo.”
I reached the hold short line and called up Tower, then waiting for release. About 20 seconds later I heard, “Mooney 1015Echo, runway two-four, cleared for take-off.”
I contacted Departure and after radar contact was told to climb and maintain 6,000′. A minute and forty seconds into the flight I was climbing through 1,600′ and in the clouds. Departure was busy giving other planes instructions when I went into the clouds and before I had a chance to give a bases report he handed me off to the next sector. When I checked in I gave the new controller the report.
Me: “SoCal Departure, Mooney 1015Echo, two-thousand three hundred climbing six thousand heading one-two-zero and the bases of the broken layer were sixteen hundred.”
Just then I broke out of the layer I had been climbing through into the sun with a few whisps of a layer scattered around above me. It was absolutely beautiful. No matter how many times I break out into the sunshine it never gets old. What followed after that were some vectors for my climb to get me above the TFR for the Airport Fire before putting me on the V64 Airway.
A Little IMC Enroute
Leveling off at 11,000′ I headed east into the rising sun, looking down at the blanket of clouds below that filled the Temecula Valley. Up ahead, there were clouds building over the San Jacinto Mountain Range and San Gorgonio to the north of them.
At first I could see a gap between the bottom of the clouds and the top on the mountains along my route, but as I got closer it was evident that I would be flying through them, not under them. I watched them closely as I approached to determine if there was any vertical movement, ready to ask for a diversion to the right. The left wasn’t an option with obvious vertical movement in the clouds over 10,834′ San Jacinto and 11,503′ San Gorgonio. A little later in the flight I would hear airline after airline asking for diversions around those building cumulous clouds.
While it was still an option I decided that with almost no vertical movement and none of them looking very thick I decided to maintain course and punch through them. As expected there were a few bumps every time I went into a cloud, but a few seconds later I would be out the other side of it and surfing along the tops. Normally up at 11,000′ there is very little sense of speed, even though my plane trues out right about 168-172mph, but when you are cloud surfing you really feel like you are moving.
The forecast had shown that east of the mountains it was supposed to be clear skies, but it missed the mark by about 100 miles. I continued punching through a cloud here and there and surfing the others for the next 30 minutes, almost all the way to Blythe. It was more fun than the typical flight through cloudless skies over the desert.
The original clearance took me all the way over the top of Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix before turning towards Mesa Gateway. I knew there was no way they would have me flying right through their arrival or departure corridor, depending on which direction they were landing, so was ready when the route amendment came.
From previous flights I knew they were going to drop me down at the Buckeye VOR and then have me depart it to the southeast.
“November 1015Echo, cross Buckeye at maintain 7,000” was the next call for me from Albuquerque Center.
I dialed in 7,000′ on the altitude select and 300fpm on the vertical speed. I had plenty of time to get down toe 7,000′ before reaching the VOR and leveled off at 7,000 about six minutes before getting there. Again, as expected ATC took me off the cleared route and had me depart Buckeye on the 100 radial.
I continued on that radial for the next 16 minutes until I was past the Estrella Mountains, turned to the east, and given a descent to 6,000′, skimming under the bottom of a broken layer of clouds. I kept waiting and waiting to get lower, watching as it was quickly going to turn into a slam dunk. It was clear and I was told to expect the visual 12R approach, but there are still limits to how fast I can get down. As the airport got closer and closer I finally asked for lower.
A Busy Slam Dunk Visual Approach
Me: “Approach, Mooney 1015Echo, any chance we can get lower?”
Approach: “November 1015Echo, you’re currently number two in sequence, I’ll have lower for you in about 5 miles, I appreciate the patience.”
So, I continued on at 6,000′ as I watched the required vertical speed needed to get down creep up and up. Finally, about 10 miles from the airport, still 4,600′ above airport elevation I was cleared direct to Mesa Gateway and given a descent to 5,000′. It wasn’t much, but at least it was getting me started down.
I pulled power back in the descent, not wanting to chew up too much distance as the speed would build quickly. Fifteen seconds later I was asked to confirm when I had the airport in sight. I responded immediately that I had it in sight, I actually had it in sight for about the last 5 miles. Approach then cleared me for the Visual 12R approach which freed me up to continue my descent past 5,000′. I almost got handed off to Gateway Tower.
Approach: “November 15Echo, contact Gateway Tower, correction, go ahead and go to final approach speed, you’re following traffic one o’clock and four miles on the downwind is a King Air, remain this frequency.”
Me: “Remain with you and we’re slowing down, 15Echo.”
Approach: “November 15Echo, just enter mid-field right downwind to follow the King Air.”
Me: “Midfield right downwind, 15Echo.”
I had been heading to a 3 mile final for the visual approach so banked to the right to fly towards midfield. I was still a long way from where I would normally drop the gear, but the only way to slow to final approach speed while descending was with the gear hanging down for extra drag. I leveled off for a moment to slow to gear extension speed, dropped the gear, and began my descent again.
Approach: “November 15Echo, contact Gateway Tower, 120.6.”
Me: “120.6, 15Echo.”
Me: “Gateway Tower, Mooney 1015Echo, entering a right downwind 12Right, we’re going to need to extend out to get down.”
Tower: “Mooney 1015Echo, Gateway Tower roger, continue northeast bound, I’ll call your turn to the downwind, descent to 3,100 is approved, expect extension.”
Me: “You’ll call my downwind, continue northeast bound, descend 3,100. 15Echo.”
This was going to be a busy visual approach.
Tower: “Mooney 15Echo left turn to the downwind approved, extend downwind.”
Me: “Left turn to the downwind, extending downwind, 15Echo.”
Tower: “Mooney 15Echo, thank you. You’ll follow an Archer ahead a mile and a half, traffic a mile behind you will follow you, another Archer.”
Me: “Looking for traffic, 15Echo.”
Sounds like the UND flight school planes were out beating up the pattern.
Tower: “Mooney 15Echo, descent 2,600 approved, and the Archer to follow ahead and to your left a mile and a half on the extended right downwind, report traffic in sight.”
Me: “Down to 2,600 and I do have that traffic, 15Echo.”
Tower: “Mooney 15Echo, additional traffic ahead and to your right on final is a BE niner, you’re following the Archer ahead and to your left runway 12Right continue.”
Me: “Following the Archer, 15Echo.”
The Archer I was following was flying a “bomber pattern,” way outside my downwind. I turned a little to the left to stay on a course behind him. As I began my turn onto the base leg I was given my landing clearance.
After landing I was switch to Ground for the short taxi to Gateway Aviation, passing a couple of Harriers parked on the ramp. With the plane tied down I walked over to the rental car counter to get a vehicle and headed to the hospital where I surprised my mom, resulting in a few tears. The best flight diversion I have ever made.
