A Quick Hop From Chandler to Casa Grande
Flying a Busy Towered Departure in the Ranger R7
After a full morning of flying Young Eagles and introducing new pilots to the magic of aviation, I wrapped up the day with a quick hop from Chandler Municipal Airport (KCHD) back home to Casa Grande (KCGZ) in my Vashon Ranger R7. It had been quite a while since I’d flown into or out of a towered airport, so this short flight ended up being a fun refresher in radios, sequencing, and working with an active airspace.
Waiting to depart KCHD (Chandler, AZ)
Starting the Day With Young Eagles
There’s nothing quite like sharing aviation with first time flyers. Earlier that morning, I had the opportunity to fly several Young Eagles and watch their faces light up as the wheels left the ground. It’s one of those reminders of why I love flying. Aviation is meant to be shared, and days like this make it all worth it.
By the time the flights wrapped up, I was ready for a peaceful return home. The weather was pretty smooth, the Ranger R7 was running beautifully, and KCHD was little lively with only one runway in operation.
Departing a Busy Chandler Tower
Chandler Municipal is always buzzing, and today was no exception. From the moment I keyed the mic, the frequency was full of:
Sequencing calls
Rapid-fire instructions
The familiar rhythm of a tower working at full throttle
If you enjoy hearing real-world radio work, or if you're new to towered operations, this short flight was a great example of what it’s like departing a busy Class D airport in a Light Sport Aircraft. There’s plenty of back-and-forth with tower, hold short instructions, requests to make 360’s for spacing, traffic calls, and some solid moments of situational awareness as I work my way into the departure sequence. Check out the full video below.
Departing KCHD , near Gilbert Rd and 202 freeway
Southbound to Casa Grande
Once clear of the airspace, the flight settled into a smooth and scenic cruise toward Casa Grande. It’s a short hop, but one that always feels like home. The desert views open up, the radio quiets down, and the Ranger R7 settles into that comfortable hum that every pilot knows and loves.
Landing runway 5 at KCGZ (Casa Grande, AZ)
Final Thoughts
For pilots who haven’t flown a towered airport in a while, or anyone curious what real life communications sound like from the cockpit , this flight is a great refresher. It shows that you don’t need a long cross-country to sharpen your skills. Sometimes a simple hop from to a towered field is all it takes.
If you’re following along on my Runways and Roam journey, I hope you enjoy riding along for this video below. And if you're just learning the ropes of towered operations, this video might give you a little confidence for your next trip into busy airspace.
Enjoy the full flight below or click the watch on YouTube to comment , like and subscribe to help us soar higher in the algorithm!
