Los Angeles - Van Nuys / Cessna 182RG II (N7167V) / VFR

Another quick flight to move one of my SoCal Cessnas to Van Nuys.

This was also a very short flight, but the weather wasn't nearly as clear—just barely above VFR minimums in a few patches. I flew the TEC route, which is simply LAX316R.SILEX. I had to figure out where SILEX was with the charts (18 DME, if you need to know).

Unfortunately, I got a private message while flying, asking about the runways in use at LAX (this was after midnight, with LAX in “suicide ops.” While I tried to answer this, I neglected my navigation (I was almost over SILEX) and messed things up badly. It took a while for me to get back on track, and by then I was only 5 miles from KVNY. I descended recklessly (fortunately I know the terrain a bit), and squeaked into the pattern. For a short period I was in mist at 4500, but it cleared as I descended. I finally turned to 340 then to 070, anticipating the field, which I soon spotted. I tuned the ILS just to be double-sure, but the weather was pretty clear above the field and I was able to land with no problems. And I did stay on the needles quite well, and the landing was very smooth.

I dislike chatting while flying. It takes your mind off important tasks, and that's dangerous.