MTN Flying

[BobTurner]

Originally Posted by airshawn58

Hi All, ……… I don't know what I don't know, but I want to know what I need to know to safely make the trip.

This is the best reason to get some dual, even if it’s mostly ground training. Make sure you understand proper use of the mixture control.

[rockwoodrv9]

Originally Posted by TigerMan92

I flew this route from Oregon to Michigan in April 2021. Two days and 13 hours flying time total. Heading from Bear Lake, ID to Rock Springs, WY we had a 40kts tail wind at 12,500 ft and hit 217kts.

Great trip with no problems at all. Just carry the proper survival gear.

Good Luck!

That is pretty much the route I took from Boise area over the Rockys. Not as pretty as going over the Tetons, but there was always somewhere I thought we could glide to for at least a chance of a landing!

[jpowell13]

When picking your runway, be sure to consider what the terrain does in the direction of takeoff. Even if it rises slowly. It might "out climb" you in high density altitude conditions.

[odens_14]

My propeller is fixed pitched so it might not be as big of a change to you, but be prepared for a lonnnng takeoff roll. I still remember leaving West Yellowstone at gross. It felt like I used almost half of the very long runway; IIRC density altitude was close to 10,000ft. Eye opening to a flatlander used to taking off in less than 1,000 feet at gross at my home airport.

[BTG1996]

"One thing I invested in which I use when flying over about 7500ft is an oxygen concentrator. I have the inogen g5, and it will help keep your head clear well up into the teens. I got it "used but new" for about $1500. Nice piece of equipment."

I love reading thru VAF...always picking up something- this is great to hear about!

[airshawn58]

Wow. VAF is truly a community! Thank you everyone for the terrific advice. My 7A came with an O2 tank/cannulas. It’s a bulky, heavy tank that I removed concluding it wasn’t necessary for my midwestern flying. I’m going to look into getting it functional. Where do people get that sort of thing done? I’ve flown my 7A at 11k ft. It still behaves pretty nicely even though it seems to require full firewall throttle to keep the speed up.
Conversely, I’m learning about the “South Pass” Oregon trail for possible routing to try and stay under 10k where the plane seems more in its sweet-spot; I’ve, obviously, got more to learn and plan.
Thanks again everyone. sle

[AlpineYoda]

The flight school here at my home field offers (or did, a few years ago), a mountain flying class coupled with a check out in their DA-40s.

The class started with some classroom sessions on survival gear, survival techniques (fires, food, water), mountain weather, etc. Very useful stuff and very different from the normal private pilot syllabus. Lots of focus on some of the basic rules of mountain flying, like fly on the upwind side of a canyon to make an escape turn more possible. Stuff that you might think about on the couch, but need to know on demand in person.

Then we went flying. Generally kept it below the levels to require oxygen, letting us really feel the weather. Flew some passes in the 12-13K foot range, maybe 1000 AGL. We did get into some pretty bad turbulence and downdrafts, and it was great to experience it with an instructor for the first time. Nothing beats real hands on experience with these conditions. And the DA-40 has lousy climb performance at 13,000 feet in a downdraft. Not exactly a plane that can outclimb any conditions.

There is no teacher like experience. I would recommend seeing if you can take a class like this someplace, letting you safely "get into a little bit of trouble."

[abaden]

Originally Posted by AlpineYoda

Lots of focus on some of the basic rules of mountain flying, like fly on the upwind side of a canyon to make an escape turn more possible. Stuff that you might think about on the couch, but need to know on demand in person.

Canyon flying was mentioned in a recent Air Safety Institute accident study. It never occurred to me to fly to one side of the canyon to improve the ability to make a turn, even though it is obvious in hindsight.


Alex

[rv8ch]

Originally Posted by abaden

Canyon flying was mentioned in a recent Air Safety Institute accident study. It never occurred to me to fly to one side of the canyon to improve the ability to make a turn, even though it is obvious in hindsight.


Alex

This is very true of most of what I learned in mountain flying training - a bunch of stuff that seems about as obvious as the wheel, but I didn't know it before. It's worth the investment in time and money, and it's fun.