Where does "mountain flying" begin?

"Grumman-581" wrote

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

Not that tough, except for stopping mid air, while they fill and empty the locks
for you.

bad grin
--
Jim in NC

On 2006-11-16 17:24:33 -0700, "Morgans" said:


"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?

Mountain CFI I have talked to seem to stick to the definition of
encountering any terrain 7500 ft or higher. Or course, with 14,000
peaks a couple miles from here that is easy to agree with.

"Grumman-581" wrote in message
...
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...



I have indeed encountered both updrafts and downdrafts at rates greater than
2000 fpm and at altitudes over 10,000 feet msl. Most GA piston aircraft do
not have a great deal of reserve at those altitudes. As a result you can
not "brute force" your way through the mountains, particularly in Colorado.
I remember many years ago now, a Convair with a football team aboard flew
into a canyon west of Denver. As soon as my buddy saw them fly into the
canyon he called out the rescue squad and we started up the canyon to pick
them up. At the altitude they entered the canyon there was no way they
could continue to outclimb the canyon floor and it was not wide enough for
that airplane to execute a 180 degree turn. Sure enough, the canyon climbed
up and caught them.

Flying in the mountains requires a lot of knowledge about terrain, weather,
winds, and your airplane. It is a skill similiar to flying cross country in
a sailplane. I had an engine quit on me one time west of Denver in a
Taylorcraft L2. I caught a wave and flew for almost an hour with the prop
stopped! With no electrical system and a wooden prop on a fresh overhaul I
dove at Vne and couldn't get it to windmill! No restart likely. Landed
finally at Columbine Airport in Englewood.

Highflyer
Highflight Aviation Services
Pinckneyville Airport ( PJY )

On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 20:45:26 -0600, "Highflyer" wrote:


"Grumman-581" wrote in message
. ..
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...



I have indeed encountered both updrafts and downdrafts at rates greater than
2000 fpm and at altitudes over 10,000 feet msl. Most GA piston aircraft do
not have a great deal of reserve at those altitudes. As a result you can

What do you mean at those altitudes? *MOST* piston engined singles
and twins dont have that kind of reserve at seal level!
snip
Colorado: The only state where I flew more vertical distance crossing
the state than horizontal. Kanasas: The only state I've flown across
where my ground speed was about 50% greater than Vne while the
airspeed was below Va.

Highflyer
Highflight Aviation Services
Pinckneyville Airport ( PJY )

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Mxsmanic wrote: brevity snip
At what point does uneven terrain become "mountain flying"?

Somewhere... near he http://i15.tinypic.com/47lbrya.jpg
-----

- gpsman

On 21 Nov 2006 22:30:10 -0800, "gpsman"
wrote:

Mxsmanic wrote: brevity snip
At what point does uneven terrain become "mountain flying"?

Somewhere... near he http://i15.tinypic.com/47lbrya.jpg
-----


Those are just big hills. When the passes are at 17,500 you are in
the mountains.

OTOH if you are from Michigan anything over 500 feet is a mountain.

- gpsman
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Roger (K8RI) writes:

OTOH if you are from Michigan anything over 500 feet is a mountain.

Which State holds the record for flatness? Iowa seems to be a
contender but I don't know if it's the flattest.

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

In rec.aviation.student gpsman wrote:
At what point does uneven terrain become "mountain flying"?

Somewhere... near he http://i15.tinypic.com/47lbrya.jpg

And the airplane looks like a Cessna 172. Yes, we fly those
in the mountains safely!

Best regards,

Jer/ "Flight instruction and mountain flying are my vocations!"
--
Jer/ (Slash) Eberhard, Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD, Ft Collins, CO
CELL 970 231-6325 EMAIL jeratfrii.com http://users.frii.com/jer/
C-206 N9513G, CFII Airplane&Glider FAA-DEN Aviation Safety Counselor
CAP-CO Mission&Aircraft CheckPilot BM218 HAM N0FZD 247 Young Eagles!