Lake Havasu - Phoenix / Piper Dakota (N9708W) / VFR

I decided to bring the Dakota back to Phoenix. This time it was just a fairly direct route. I flew east until I caught up with a major highway, then followed that down to Wickenburg and thence on to Phoenix. I parked under those nice ramadas at the northwest corner of the field, after landing on 26.

Phoenix - Eagle Roost - Western Sky - Avi Suquilla - Lake Havasu City / Piper Dakota (N9708W) / VFR

For this flight with multiple legs, I decided to just fly along Highway 60 from Phoenix to tiny Eagle Roost Airpark, then wander west, following the highway until I got tired of flying randomly. I went up to Wickenburg at 6500 (leaving 4000 after clearing the PHX Class B and the ATC restriction that went with it), and continued to Eagle Roost, which is along Highway 60. After a very brief stop there, I took off again and went to Western Sky, also along Highway 60. After an equally brief stop there, I took off and turned north to follow Highway 72 to Avi Suquilla. Then, after a stop there and some refueling, I flew along the Colorado River up to Lake Havasu City.

All in all, it was good pilotage practice, and the weather cooperated wonderfully (apart from the heat).

Phoenix - Prescott - Phoenix / Piper Dakota (N9708W) / VFR

Another flight in the Dakota. The ST-30 autopilot is primitive but nice, since it takes up no extra space and provides the essential autopilot functions in two axes. No GS tracking or intercept functions and no automated climbs or descents to capture an altitude, but what it does do still saves a lot of work.

I joined the 359 radial out of PXR on the way out, and flew that up to MAIER, and then towards KPRC. The weather was good and the flight went uneventfully.

The only excitement on the return flight, which followed the same route, was some developing thunderstorm activity northeast of Phoenix. It was in my way on the way back down from MAIER, so I had to swing wide around it. It didn't cause me any problems. There were quite a few lightning strikes in the skies surrounding me but I was in clear VMC all the way to landing in Phoenix. I was assigned 8, then 7R for traffic; the latter put me right next to Cutter, so that's where I parked.

Santa Monica - Palm Springs / Piper Dakota (N9715W) / VFR

This was a routine flight from Santa Monica to Palm Springs, just for practice. Everything went well and normally, so there's not much to day. The Dakota is fun to fly, being a cross between something quite primitive like a 172 or 152 and something more sophisticated like a Bonanza or Baron.

Phoenix - Carefree - Phoenix / Cessna 152 (N706YL) / VFR

I try to find very short flights for my Cessna 152s, because they are extremely slow airplanes, only about 50% faster than a car. I made a round trip to Sky Ranch in Carefree to, uh—to drop off a virtual friend, yeah, that's it.

ATC offered an intersection departure, but given the heat I elected full length from runway 8 (massive overkill—even in the hottest weather I wouldn't need the full length of 8 in a Cessna 152). A simple left crosswind departure helped me towards Scottsdale, which I crossed at 3500, and then on to Sky Ranch, which took a surprisingly long time to reach (the slowness of the 152 always amazes me). Landing went just fine.

Not long thereafter, I made my way back to Phoenix. ATC guided me towards a right base to runway 26, and I requested a long landing to avoid the very long taxi to the northwest ramp (in the 152, I'm down and stopped barely past the numbers, so it's a looong taxi to the ramp). Usually it doesn't occur to me to request a long landing, but this time I remembered. I touched down just short of the taxiway that led to the ramp, still with plenty of runway remaining. That was a change of pace—I haven't landed long like that anywhere in months.

Phoenix - Coolidge - Phoenix / Cessna 152 (N706YL) / VFR

Coolidge, like so many towns in Arizona, has nothing to recommend it. I only decided to make a round trip out to its airport because it was within reasonable flying range of my Cessna 152.

I was directed to make a right downwind departure from 26. Since I was heading southeast, I turned south and crossed the airport at midfield at around 3000 feet to avoid getting in the way of traffic. From there, I eased my way east onto the 125 radial from PXR.

Since I have no DME in this tiny plane, and only one VOR, I tuned the Chandler NDB on the ADF so that I could more easily find the airport. The bearing to the ADF makes a very shallow angle with the PXR radial, so it's not very precise, but it's better than nothing. I seemed to fly for a long time without seeing anything, but finally, sure enough, I saw the field, and I made an uneventful landing.

The return trip took place at night and at 4500 instead of 3500, but other than that it was pretty much the same thing. Up the PXR125 and then a right base into runway 26 (there was no conflicting traffic so I was able to cross the centerlines of the other two runways). I parked in almost the same spot I had left earlier in the day.

Wickenburg - Phoenix / Cessna 152 (N706YL) / VFR

Good weather and the smooth execution of procedures born of habit graced this flight. I simply took off from Wickenburg, turned towards Highway 60 / Grand Avenue, and proceeded into Phoenix at 3500 feet, VFR. Phoenix Approach cleared me into the Bravo just as I was about to cross into it, then I was given a right downwind entry for runway 26. All went smoothly. I parked on the northwest ramp again, under one of those nice awnings.