Where does "mountain flying" begin?

Mxsmanic wrote:

If you don't have mountain flying skills, and your departure and
destination are on opposite sides of a mountain range that is too long
to practically go around, what's the plan?

Go under!

(Appropriate answer for the cementhead)

"Matt Barrow" wrote:
Mxsmanic wrote:

If you don't have mountain flying skills, and your departure and
destination are on opposite sides of a mountain range that is too long
to practically go around, what's the plan?

Go under!

Hey - that worked for Buckaroo Bonzai! ;-)

Mxsmanic wrote:

If you don't have mountain flying skills, and your departure and
destination are on opposite sides of a mountain range that is too long
to practically go around, what's the plan?


Flying over a mountain range is not mountain flying. Mountain flying is
flying in the mountains, below the peaks, relatively close to the ground
in the valleys and passes.

"Newps" wrote

Flying over a mountain range is not mountain flying. Mountain flying is
flying in the mountains, below the peaks, relatively close to the ground in
the valleys and passes.

Are you sure you want to subscribe to that strict definition?

It seems to me that dealing with mountain waves, rotors, updrafts and
downdrafts, precipitation formed from air rising over the mountains, and some
other thing (no doubt) would still fall under the classification of mountain
flying.

No?
--
Jim in NC

Newps writes:

Flying over a mountain range is not mountain flying. Mountain flying is
flying in the mountains, below the peaks, relatively close to the ground
in the valleys and passes.

So is it relatively safe to fly over mountains if you clear them by
some reasonable altitude (1000 feet? 5000 feet?)?

Granted, that might be difficult in the Rockies with a small aircraft.

What about flying through relatively large valleys between mountains,
in order to avoid the mountains themselves? I mean, you have to get
from California to Colorado somehow.

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

Mxsmanic schrieb:

I mean, you have to get
from California to Colorado somehow.

You can always take the train.

Stefan

There really is no way to avoid mountains flying from Colorado to
California. There is a route that has the lowest altitude possible, but
still, you are going to have mountains.

Mxsmanic wrote:

Newps writes:


Flying over a mountain range is not mountain flying. Mountain flying is
flying in the mountains, below the peaks, relatively close to the ground
in the valleys and passes.


So is it relatively safe to fly over mountains if you clear them by
some reasonable altitude (1000 feet? 5000 feet?)?

As long as you clear them it doesn't matter how high. Safety depends on
the weather. I have skimmed over and thru the mountains at 50-100 agl
on nice calm days.



Granted, that might be difficult in the Rockies with a small aircraft.

Not difficult at all, that's where I fly.




What about flying through relatively large valleys between mountains,
in order to avoid the mountains themselves? I mean, you have to get
from California to Colorado somehow.


You have lots of options. Fly right over the tops direct if you have
the performance, fly over the lower passes if you don't or the
wind/weather precludes it or if you simply prefer it.

On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:38:00 -0800, Doug wrote:
There really is no way to avoid mountains flying from Colorado to
California. There is a route that has the lowest altitude possible, but
still, you are going to have mountains.

Fly south to the Panama canal and follow it? Not sure about the terrain
that they had to blast through to make it, but it's probably not *that*
bad... grin

The further south you go, the better the route gets... When I flew from
Houston to SoCal a few years ago, I noticed that the southern route
through El Paso that I took on the way back was quite a bit better than
the route past the Grand Canyon that I had taken on the way over there...

On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:13:14 -0700, Newps wrote:
As long as you clear them it doesn't matter how high. Safety depends on
the weather. I have skimmed over and thru the mountains at 50-100 agl
on nice calm days.

I prefer a bit more air underneath me than that considering the anemic
climb rate of my aircraft at altitude... When I flew to the Grand Canyon a
few years back, I encountered 2000 fpm updrafts... That was *great*... I
talked with some of the charter pilots around there about it and soon
learned that you can also encounter 2000 fpm downdrafts... That would
*not* be great...

--
"Is it possible for the voices in my head to use email from now on?"