Seattle to east coast - IFR below 12.5K feet?

[Localizer]

Hello everyone,
Are there any IFR routes to cross the mountains (Seattle to south-east) without oxygen? I have looked a bit, but I cannot find a way to get across with published MEAs. I did not check all the way down to southern California as it seems too far.
If there are none, what are good and scenic VFR routes? Good stops?

Thanks!

[Chris B]

Are there any IFR routes to cross the mountains (Seattle to south-east) without oxygen?

Hi Yuri -

Here is one:
SEA YKM PDT BKE BOI V4 BYI MLD FBR OCS CKW MBW CYS, etc.
Highest MEA is 12200.

This basically follows Highway 84 through the northwest, and then Highway 80 through the Rockies. In a light single I like having a giant runway under the high spots.

One great thing about flying IFR is that you (almost) always will have radio coverage. So you can get help quickly if there are problems. But hopefully the weather will be VFR!

If you are going to be spending significant time above 10k, you really should consider O2. Speaking for myself, the difference between "toughing it out" and snorting O2 basically comes down to : a) having a bad headache, or b) feeling energized at the end of the day. One of these is a lot more pleasant! I also suspect that my judgment is better when I'm on oxygen.

FWIW when I flew out to OSH in 2012, we roughly followed Highway 80 at only a few thousand feet AGL. Seeing the sights in this way was a lot of fun, and a completely different experience than standard air carrier travel, or even flying the airways at 9-12k. But it is slower, and burns more gas.

You probably already know this, but for any of these high routes the best flying - by far - is in the very early morning hours. The pounding in the afternoon gets old really fast, high DA becomes an issue with warm temps, and thunderstorms become a major concern.

Chris

[Paul]

Everything Chris says. Particulalry flying in the morning. The I 80 route is basically V6. If you stop in Ogden on the way (along this route), i can lend you a two place portable 02 bottle.

[Colin]

+1 on the O2. If it is a long trip and I am above 5,000 feet I am on oxygen. I used to ignore it and be wiped out at the end of the day. Now if I take the trouble to hook it up I can fly a 9hr day and still be upright for a nice dinner where ever we have landed.

[Localizer]

Thank you, guys!
Chris, thanks for the route.
Paul, thank you for the offer. Is this right to assume that empty O2 bottles can be shipped via UPS?
I live in SC and have never flown with oxygen here There's just no need. I appreciate advice and will think of O2 and how to get it.
Yuri

[Chris B]

Is this right to assume that empty O2 bottles can be shipped via UPS?

Hi Yuri -

Yes, definitely. I bought all my stuff from Mountain High (link), and everything arrived UPS.

For a one-shot use, rental (or borrowing!) makes more sense if you can swing it. But like Colin, I use O2 above about 7k for any long hauls. Arriving energized is a lot more fun! I've empirically found that the optimal cruise altitude for my DA40 is about 9-11k. So you might consider O2 even in "flat" areas, especially at night.

If you decide to buy into oxygen, I recommend getting the AL-647 cylinder. I originally bought the AL-415 and found it too small. The bigger tank has about 50% more run time, but only costs slightly more to refill. In my experience, the numbers in this duration chart (link) are reasonably accurate. The pulsed EDS units are expensive, but they dramatically reduce O2 consumption and work great.

Chris

[Chris]

I've flown that route a few times in our DA40 and there really is only one ridge between MLD and FBR where you start to feel you want more altitude than 12.5k. I wouldn't do it without O2, though, since that stretch can be pretty bumpy in the summer and higher will generally be smoother. Crossing Wyoming tends to be pretty choppy as well unless you're up high.

[Rich]

FYI, "up high" across Wyoming is an interesting term. 11,000 ft. is, at best, about 4,000 AGL until you start nearing Cheyenne. There it's like 5,000. The last time, at lean-of-peak and 11K MSL I reached BYI nonstop in 4 hours with 10 gallons left of my 40. Then went VFR non-stop to Loveland. I typically fly VFR over the higher Rockies. I did do an IFR flight from Rock Springs to Loveland once, though, as the East side of the Rockies was clouded over with relatively benign IMC conditions.

I've done this route a couple of times into Loveland.

Another time from KVUO - KBOI and then via Casper onward to Ontario. Mostly VFR.

I avoid flying over Central Idaho. Nasty, lonely, country should one need to go down in there.

[CFIDave]

If you get an O2 system, I also strongly recommend the 2-person Mountain High O2D2 pulse-demand system. Not only does it reduce your O2 consumption dramatically so you don't have to fill the bottle as often, it also automatically compensates for altitude to deliver the appropriate O2 level as you climb or descend, reducing the workload for you and your passenger.

After selling our DA40 I figured out how to adapt the Mountain High pulse-demand unit to the built-in 50 cu foot tank in the nose of our DA42; it still works great.

[Rick]

+1 on the Mountain High O2D2. I've had one for a couple of years and it is great! The tank seems to last forever...