Follow me on my trip in a Cessna 152 above the wonders of the American West.

The Mojave Desert
From Sedona to Big Bear

I crossed an empty landscape of hills, bushes and sand, and reached the airport of Avi Suquilla on the Colorado River. After lunch I talked to a woman flying instructor of the Madam Thatcher type, who gave me very valuable advice on how to land at Big Bear and then go on at Santa Catalina.
To reach Big Bear, I had first to cross the Mojave Desert, something which was new to me so I took off and climbed high to 10,000' so if there was an emergency I could reach a radio station. Though the gallons of water I had on board didn't help me much when climbing, I never regretted having them.

A picture from above of the Mojave desolation - light sand as a background and a big, crawling black hill
The Mojave desert

Navigation is easy through the desert; you just follow the roads or, if you're lazy, the VOR. Remember that the VOR has an optical range, and in the flat desert this is at maximum.

A picture of the strange abstract pattern traced in the desert by a road, a river and railway tracks.
Pure straight lines in the desert

Again amazing street patterns traced in the middle of nowhere by developers long gone.
Can you see the street pattern in the upper right corner?

Go to the clickable map to see the other legs and pictures of the trip, or use the arrows on your left if your connection is slow. Or proceed directly to the

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