Ferrying an RV-12 From Oregon to Florida
Havens Aero was honored to get the call from Brian, a former ferry client, to deliver this new to him RV-12 to Florida. While his 182 turned into a flip rather than training tool, Brian had just completed his sport pilot rating and was excited to get his hands on an airplane for himself. This RV-12 was built by Dan (near Portland) with care and precision then painted with an incredible custom out-of-this-world livery. Come along for the three day journey massaged and pushed by weather in this blue sky flyer.
Day 0 – Weather Hold
A +2000nm VFR cross country flight at about 120kts takes a good amount of weather trend forecasting, understanding of common weather patterns, accounting for local issues like morning fog or afternoon rain and most importantly, extra time. Hazards are mitigated by trip planning and routing decisions made on a macro (weather system/terrain consideration) level and managed on a micro (per flight) scale. Knowing personal limits and having contingent plans is ultimately the key to a safe flight!
This section is titled “Day 0” because our trip with the RV-12 was scheduled to begin on Monday but was ultimately pushed to Tuesday before positioning due to forecasted rain, high winds, and low freezing levels. Waiting to start the trip on Tuesday was a great decision to avoid the extra expenses associated with a day wasted, and this 3.5 day trip was booked over 5 days to provide the needed buffer.
Day 1 – Rain Rain Go Away
Tuesday morning brought an end to the freezing weather and low clouds with acceptable VFR conditions and scattered pockets of light rain. After airlining to Portland, Dan agreed to pick me up so we could talk over the airplane, it’s build, limitations and nuances during the drive down to Mulino State (4S9). While prefligting, one more pocket of rain moved through the area and graced our departure with a rainbow during the taxi out to leave!
After navigating the initial marginal VFR weather and pockets of rain in the Willamette Valley. The sky opened up to reveal Laurel Mountain and a path to Newport, OR – the Pacific Ocean!
Typically, weather over the Pacific is cool, moist air that creates clouds and rain as it interacts with the coastline being pushed from the west to the east; ultimately, this creates the overcast/rainy conditions further inland. The beauty of this? The coastline ends up with clear weather and a dramatic change of conditions that leave ideal flying conditions when further inshore we would be socked in.
This phenomenon provided a stunning flight and perfect conditions for continuing down to Jack McNamara Field (KCEC) for our first fuel stop.
On the way to CEC, the RV and I ventured down US-101 taking in sights of North Bend, OR, Brandon Dunes Golf Course and the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area before crossing the boarder into northern California and stopping for fuel.
With a full tank of AvGas and a short taxi out, it was time for one more trip down the Pacific Coast utalizing the last bit of sunlight to make our way out of the King Range National Conservation Area and Jackson Demonstration State Forest.
Continuing south, day turned to night over Santa Rosa before making our last stop of the day in Napa, CA. (I know what you’re thinking… yes, I purchased enough fuel for a gifted bottle of wine but THEY WERE OUT!)
Day 2 – The Big Push!
Wednesday had a lot riding on it but we were blessed with a strong start. My fear was that morning fog would slide into Napa valley; it wasn’t forecasted but is typical and thankfully held off. Six flights were on the agenda for the day – five if tailwinds helped and we could cover enough ground – and a looming weather system over Texas inspired a big push to keep clear skies ahead.
Taking off right at sunrise from Napa, the RV and I were on the road before the tower opened. We quickly grabbed flight following from the Travers Air Force Base approach and continued into and down the San Joaquin Valley towards Bakersfield.
With a lucky push and appetite for unstable bumpy air, a near 20 knot tailwind provided the extra kick needed to make the stretch goal of Fox Field (KWJF) near Lancaster.
The stop in Lancaster afforded the ability to rethink the next target airport and make a push for Phoenix. Rather than make a shorter flight and fuel stop in Blythe, California, the new plan was Phoenix Goodyear. And if the wind could help once again? Chandler Municipal!
After a bumpy start navigating the north side of the Gabriel Mountains and San Gorgonio Wilderness Area, mother nature finally settled the spinning air into a quartering tailwind with just enough push to target Chandler (KCHD) . While passing Goodyear, we reassessed the fuel situations. Considering the VFR conditions and airport availability in the area decided to proceed. Landing in Chandler was uneventful but exciting! ATC was able to squeeze us in very direct but asked to keep the speed up. With a final landing speed of 55-60kts, coming over the fence at 100kts was to fast to land. Slipping the airplane about 15ft above ground to bleed speed was a blast and I set the plane down catching the “Mike” intersection straight into parking with 45 minutes of fuel to spare.
With fuel for the airplane and myself (plus some of my lunch wrapped up as a dinner snack), we left Chandler for El Paso! Atlantic El Paso (KELP) did a great job supporting a quick turn and end to our relatively “short” period of flying in the sunlight. Next up, a push into the evening while feeling far more comfortable to navigate one more mountain and be over flat land again.
The sunset and evening flight to San Angelo (KSJT) for a quick fuel stop was met with a sprinkle of rain upon arrival. Weather moving in and one last flight for the night ahead; time to gas and go!
To stay below the new bands of rain starting to build across Texas, the final flight to Conroe (KCXO) was flown slightly south towards Austin. Modern help from a Sentry paired to Foreflight on my iPad compared to the native Foreflight Radar function from cell service turned out to be a great guide.
Ultimately ATC guidance plus following the stars to avoid cloudy (and therefore rainy) areas ahead worked out perfectly. The plane only received a misting of rain once throughout the flight!
Tucked in for the night at Galaxy Conroe, this long day of flying was finally put to bed.
Day 3 – Keeping Promises
Staying ahead of the weather was a massive win. Looking back at San Angelo, the area was unpassable with heavy rain and would have been impossible to navigate for the entire day. Feeling well rested and inspired to get a strong start, another sunrise preflight was only prolonged by the burn off of morning haze.
Although some student pilots at Conroe were cutting their pattern work short with various pockets of fog rolling around the area, favorable forecasts, a clear route, and progress towards the Gulf Coast with unrestricted visibility was perfect to press on.
Flying over a fog layer like this creates the illusion of hanging out in the low flight levels. The deceptive part of this is that inside this haze there can be marginal VFR conditions with visibility of at least a couple miles. When above it and looking across the layer has you nearly convinced that it is solid and overcast, until you look straight down through it and see the ground.
Pushing forward, the first stop for the day was Stennis in Mississippi (KHSA). Million Air Stennis was a wonderful stop offering $1 lunch at the Jet Away Cafe with any fuel purchase. While on the road like this, it’s hard to turn down a hot meal so I took a couple minutes to order their Shrimp Po’Boy to go. It did NOT disappoint!
Next up was a quick gas and go in Tallahassee (KTLH). This was another exciting approach where the tower cleared me pretty far out and told me to get to the numbers. Keeping the approach fast, tight and close was a blast and helpful for keeping the momentum going.
Finally, we’re down to the final XC leg of the trip. After a long hangar search, Brian was able to track down a home on an unlit grass airport near Leesburg, FL. While the runway was fantastic, there is no fuel on the field. Not a big issue for an airplane that sips 4.5gph but it could prove challenging after a cross-country flight. With time to spare before sunset, the final stop was at Umatilla Municipal (X23) to top off on fuel before making the short hop to the RV’s new home!
Brian was ecstatic to see his new airplane for the first time and I was thrilled to nail my final landing of the trip in full view of Brian and family that came to join him.
With the plane safely delivered, we spent some time talking over the flight and airplane before I made my way down to Orlando and make my way home. This trip was a big push to complete in only 3 days during which I gained a lot of respect for the RV-12 and it’s performance. Mother Nature blessed us with reliable tailwinds and honest forecasts helping to complete the trip safely and efficiently.
Havens Aero 
Excellent write up and photos – just like your service! Thank you again for everything!
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