Flying to Las Vegas....

Helendale "Skunkworks" radar stealth test facility

the huge Barstow BNSF railroad yard

approaching WHIGG, last peak before the Nevada border

approaching KHND

KHND

Jean airport, heading home southwest bound

stubborn marine layer over LA

My route was KVNY VPNEW L70 DAG WHIGG KHND at 9,500'. Joshua Approach will handle you on 124.55 through the high desert/Edwards area. LA Center handles you on 132.5 in the Barstow area, followed by LA Center on 134.65 in the Baker area.
LA Center warned me that the Silver MOA was hot below 9,000'. You can pick up some wx on the HIWAS recording on the Dagget VOR 113.2. Over Baker, I was also able to get a KHND wx update from the FSS on 122.2. Approaching WHIGG you'll see the 7,923' Clark Mt., and the 15 freeway pass with it's final crest before descending into state-line. You'll be handed off to Las Vegas approach on 125.02, followed shortly by 119.4. They will ask you to stay East of the freeway. I got the ATIS & requested Class B clearance, and they told me to enter the Class B at or below 7,000'. Look for the 15 story black rectangular "M" hotel ahead (at the 15 & 146 freeways), and KHND will be to the right of that. I was handed off to Henderson tower just as I crossed into the 5K class B ring. KHND had me enter left base for runway 35L.

At transient parking, an FBO crew member with a van will greet you at the airplane and help you with your bags to the terminal. You can get a free shuttle to the strip hotels at 10am, 1pm & 4pm daily. However,you will have to find your own way back to KHND, so you might as well get a rental car.

Departing KHND: I was able to get a Class B clearance & squawk code from ground control, and Vegas Approach will handle you on 118.4, and restricted us to 5,500' until about the first 12 miles out, then we were free to climb more. There were jumpers in the air over Jean airport, so we stayed on the West side of the freeway.  At Jean, Vegas approach terminated flight following as they said we were too low for LA Center. We were able to pick up FF again 5 miles north of WHIGG on 134.65, and had a smooth cruise back at 8,500'. LA Center lost us on radar for a short time a few miles East of Baker, so at 8,500', radar coverage is not perfect.

Keep your landing lights on through the El Mirage area! I should have. We had a Predator UAV pass us with it's Cessna chase plane very close in trail, maneuvering and at the same altitude. Joshua gave us a traffic alert, but still a very startling sight!

KVNY still had a marine layer overhead, so we had lunch at (a very windy) Fox Airport (KWJF) while we waited for it to burn off.

Unfortunately the LA basin never cleared. I made an attempt at flying down after waiting a couple hours, (the ceiling was roughly 3,500' and close to the mountain peaks in the Acton area) Flying through the Soledad pass and down the 14 freeway, I wasn't able to remain safely and legally clear of clouds and terrain, and we were getting beat up pretty good by turbulence, no fun for the family, so it was time to turn around. Turn's out the marine layer was more stubborn than the TAF's had predicted, and we had to overnight the plane in Lancaster, and take a rental car home. (Hertz had a car at the airport already) I drove back to KWJF the next day, and the layer was just high enough, and broken, to fly back home safely under the layer and through the pass. That's GA flying, small airplanes are for fun, not for transportation, never be in a hurry to get somewhere.