Mountain passes

[The-sky-captain]

Anybody out there have any experience flying the Southern Rocky passes?  

[67M20F]

Not southern but I guess that would depend on what you call southern, I'm in northern utah and play around the high peaks as much as possable. Is there something (in a pipe dream that I could help someone that has more hrs than me) help with?

[The-sky-captain]

I travel to the Colorado area alot and always stop at the numerous front range airports because most of my business is pretty close to Denver. I've talked to a few people,  my dad included, who have flown the passes in the Rockies and Cascades and say that as long as you make sure the winds are fairly calm it's not that difficult. I guess alot of the passes are very wide and well marked.

I plan on taking a mtn flying course this summer and was just curious as to what to expect. i don't plan on going into any short, unimproved strips. I'll stick to Durango and Pagosa Springs.

[67M20F]

I am a very low time guy and have had no problems, but this is where I got my ticket. Just think of were the wind is coming from and think how it will fall off the peaks, and you will be fine. I fly my F around the High Uintas all the time, very stable plane for it.

[bgpilot1]

I flew a Cherokee 140 160hp from Memphis to Seattle late last August.  Mem - Nebraska - South Dakota - across Montana and Washington.  Got it up to 13,500 and it held there.  Had to do some cloud dodging.  Didn't encounter any drafts.  Even took off at Custer County Airport with over 6000ft density altitude.  A mooney could do it better, I hope.

A friend of mine regularly flys back and forth from Mem to Sea in his homebuilt.  He follows the roads thorugh the mountain passes for safety.  I would be happy to share flight plans with anyone.  Barry

[debiassi]

Mountains can be very rewarding but on the other hand can aso be very dangerous. Do a mountain course with an instuctor. You will pick up some life saver tips. Things that you may not think of that dramatically affect performance. Things like leaning for takeoff when at altitude needs carefull attention. Approaching passes at a 45 degree angl so that if you experience updrafts you are already part way towards turning back as you can guarantee that strong updrafts will qiuckly turn into equally strong downdrafts on the other side. The eitiquette for flying in mountainous terrain also. But make no mistake, for overall scenery, it takes some beating. have a look at the second part of this video

 

[airkraft]

I'm a CFII based in Aspen, CO.  I manage the only local flight school where we operate a very nice 160hp Cessna 172 with a PowerFlow exhaust.  Separate from the school, I co-own an E model with two other local pilots.

I learned to fly here in Aspen beginning in 1994.  It is truly a glorious experience to be able to aviate, by whatever means, in such an awe inspiring, yet often times challenging, environment.  One of my favorite things to do is to introduce mountain flying to other pilots.  Based here, I've had the pleasure to fly with pilots from all over the USA and beyond. 

Anyway, if anyone has any questions on mountain operations-be it Mooney or in general-please feel free to contact me through MooneySpace, MAPAlist or airkraft@comcast.net.    Gary

 

[Terry]

Quote: debiassi

Mountains can be very rewarding but on the other hand can aso be very dangerous. Do a mountain course with an instuctor. You will pick up some life saver tips. Things that you may not think of that dramatically affect performance. Things like leaning for takeoff when at altitude needs carefull attention. Approaching passes at a 45 degree angl so that if you experience updrafts you are already part way towards turning back as you can guarantee that strong updrafts will qiuckly turn into equally strong downdrafts on the other side. The eitiquette for flying in mountainous terrain also. But make no mistake, for overall scenery, it takes some beating. have a look at the second part of this video

 

[Amelia]

Many thumbs up for the mountain-checkout advice! I did that a few decades ago, landed our old C-172 in Colorado Springs to visit relatives, and escaped one gorgeous Sunday morning to fly with an outstanding instructor. Four hours of steep turns out of blind canyons, several one-way airports, Leadville, Aspen, leaning on takeoff, picking out Colorado Rockies landmarks, a 360 around Pike's Peak, weather advice, and other good things to know about that neck of the woods. The tricks and survival hints the guy taught were just as good to know when we transitioned to the Mooney. Really, really excellent thing to have done.