Mountain Flying

[Flying Trucker]

Good morning all...

Just waiting for the old girl to go off to church to get saved again, then we are hoping to get over to the bugsmasher field for a little flying, gossip, tell a few lies and tall tales with the other Old Retired Rocking Chair Flying Geezers...

Have noticed lately how many of you like to do Mountain Flying so here is a little information that you might like to read, research and try out on your flight simulator.

http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/trainin ... _1598.html

Here are a couple of lines I pulled from the above Link...read the whole article and check out a few other Mountain Flying Articles on the Internet...

"In upflow, the power required to maintain altitude is noticeably less than baseline torque. The air is relatively smooth, unless affected by mechanical turbulence. The aircraft, although perfectly in trim, will crab away from the hill.

In downflow, the power required to maintain altitude is more than baseline torque. There is more turbulence. The airspeed is harder to maintain and the aircraft will crab into the hill."

Military Mountain Flying Courses and Civilian Mountain Flying Courses are well worth taking advantage of and especially if you own your aircraft.

I remember my first course on mountain flying, it was taught by a retired military aviator at a flying school and he had multi- engine time to no end both on four and twin props and jets.
What a great hands on instructor, very thorough in the class room as well.

I flew nearly ten years after that course and never saw a mountain...

Later with the same company I spent several months flying through and over the mountains with Consolidated Canso/PBY5A/Catalina flying boats, single engine DeHavilland DHC-3 Otters and Douglas DC3s.
Later DC4s and 6s.

I asked to be placed on another Mountain Flying Course then becoming quite popular with both the military and commercial civilian flying world.

They refused...company just went union which hurt a lot of us old timers and was quite unpopular with many of us.

No more taking a company float plane to the cottage for a weekend....however that is another story.... :-?

[BlackAce]

I live I. Idaho, and we own a C185 bush plane.  Durring the spring and summer and late fall we go up and fly into the mountains.  I do replicate a lot of what we do on FSX, and it's semi realistic, because you can't do the winds, or have the feeling of a rough landing.  Idaho has the second hardist flying terrain, second to Alaska.  But its my backyard 8-)

[Flying Trucker]

Thanks for the reply BlackAce...

Second to Alaska...

Does not matter what State you are in...run into a hill or mountain is going to hurt when they pull the pine needles from your bottom...

[beaky]

So true... even when you know the ropes, it's not to be taken lightly... the margin for error is tighter than usual. It's worth noting that Sparky Imerson, a pilot considered one of the world's leading experts, and author of the "mountain flying Bible" Mountain Flying was killed while making a routine flight in familiar (but rugged) territory.

[Flying Trucker]

Thanks for the reply Sean...

Found a Web Page on Sparky Imerson and there is some interesting information there.

Take a look at the Airstrips...some very interesting spots...

http://www.mountainflying.com/index.html

The United States Army Air Corps later the United States Air Force, The Royal Canadian Air Force all had courses and manuals on different theaters or areas of operation including many different survival courses/techniques/manuals etc. etc. including mountain, desert, bush and water survival.

I don't think many civilian courses were around until after the Vietnam War (1955-1975) when aviators were a dime a dozen.

I heard First Officers were paying Captains to keep them current on type...things were tough getting a flying position.

Flying has it's ups and downs no matter what and where one aviates and experience and education are key factors in determining on whether you are swimming with the sharks or pulling pine needles from your butt...