2MT1 to KGEG
So the tour begins on the 29th of August 2020. Hurricane Laura was ravishing the south, so the great American adventure needed to start somewhere that wouldn’t be too affected by the storm over the coming days and weeks.
Montana. First made aware to me of it’s pristine wilderness via Garmin’s own marketing of their flagship handheld GPS, it’s been one of the destinations of the US I’ve been dying to explore in person one day. With clear open skies, balmy air temperatures and only a gentle breeze, it seemed the perfect origin of adventure.
Flight Plan
2MT1 FCA MT03 DMESR S09 S34 KTHM MLP 6ID1 CIPUT PHORT EXETE KGEG
Distance: 190NM
ETE: 2 hours 2 minutes
Fuel: 30.9 gallons
Deviating off the initial flight plan, after departing Ryan Field, a departure north for a few miles allowed for a quick sunrise view over Lake McDonald, before venturing back southward toward our first VOR and Flathead lake, one of the only instrument legs of the trip.
With the journey now officially commenced, an expedited ascent needed to begin. The mountain range dividing our point of origin, and our switch from VOR to VFR had multiple peaks exceeding 7,500 ft MSL, so a cruising altitude of 8,500 ft had to be rapidly achieved. Note, to avoid this climb and stay VFR only, it is possible to follow Flathead River directly west until you reach Flathead lake.
The inclusion of a short detour and aggressive climb over the mountains sent my original fuel calculations to the wind, and it was obvious a short touchdown would be required to refuel the Cessna and continue on to the journey. Fortunately, the plan uses several airfields as VFR references, and Thompson Falls (KTHM) was set to become our short stopover to make our final destination of Spokane.
The final legs of the journey were flown entirely VFR after making it to the Mullan Pass VOR, and then following the I90 highway through Wallace, Kellogg and eventually on to Coeur d’Alene and it’s lake. From here, the mountains opened up into the Spokane valley, and the remaining 25NM took us to the conclusion of this journey, KGEG - Spokane International Airport.
Stay tuned for the next leg, as the journey continues from Spokane Intl to Seattle Tacoma international. The proving ground of the previous generation of Flight Simulator.
LEGS FLOWN: 1
DISTANCE TO DATE: 190 NM
TIME AIRBORNE: 1 hour, 58 minutes
FUEL CONSUMED: 30.9 gallons