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By Bruce Williams
Microsoft Simulations Product Planner
July 22, 2000
Hello, from Albuquerque, NM! The Microsoft-King Schools sweepstakes airplane is tucked in at the Double Eagle Airport just west of Albuquerque.
You could win this Millennium Edition Cessna 172 SP
The day started in San Diego with a 7:30 a.m. departure from Montgomery Field. We had to get an IFR-to-VFR-on-top clearance to depart KMYF, which reported overcast 400 feet above the ground and 3 miles visibility due to a marine stratus layer that had pushed onshore overnight. A few minutes after takeoff, however, we were cruising above the clouds en route to the Julian (JLI) VOR. The skies cleared a few miles inland, and as it climbed smoothly to 9,500, the shiny new Skyhawk headed for Phoenix via the Blythe (BLH) and Buckeye (BXK) VORs. The helpful folks at Luke AFB approach control monitored our progress through the Alert Area near the air base (lots of supersonic jet trainers practicing approaches) and into Deer Valley Airport (KDVT) north of Phoenix. We'd planned a stop at Williams Gateway, but having decided on the northerly route to Amarillo, it made more sense to gas up on the north side of Phoenix.
KDVT was already in the 90s at 10:00 a.m., so while the line crew topped the tanks, we ducked into the air-conditioned FBO to check the weather and plan the next leg to KABQ. By 10:45 we were back in the air, headed northeast toward the Winslow (INW) VOR. We made a slight detour to fly over the famous Meteor Crater just southwest of Winslow, and then turned east toward Zuni (ZUN), and ABQ in clear, but bumpy skies. Even at 9,500 feet, the building thermals generated continuous light and occasional moderate turbulence for the next couple of hours.
A smaller version of what probably killed the dinosaurs left this scar near Winslow, AZ (Click picture for a larger image).
By the time the Albuquerque area came into view about 2 hours, 30 minutes after leaving KDVT, we thought it was time to stop for the day. Five hours of flying at density altitudes of around 12,000 feet in dry, hot air is fatiguing, and a line of building cumulus clouds east of ABQ suggested an RON (Rest Overnight) was the smart choice.
We'll get an early start in the morning. The plan remains to fly through the pass from ABQ to Amarillo before turning northeast across the Midwest. With any luck, by tomorrow evening, we'll be within striking distance of Oshkosh.
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