Ins and Outs of Safe Mountain Flying Adventures

1
Ins and Outs of Safe Mountain Flying Adventures
Scott Stauter FAA Gold Seal CFII, MEI, AGII
Reference Mountain Flying Bible Sparky Imeson
2
Why are Mountain checkouts necessary?

• Aircraft performance suffers
• More severe/changeable/local weather
• Airports may not be as developed
• Suitable landing spots are less available
• Plan to survive an off-airport landing
• Oxygen requirements
• Careful preflight planning is necessary
• Filing a flight plan is good insurance
• Flight hazards

3
Aircraft Performance Suffers

• High Density Altitude means
• Less engine power (less oxygen molecules)
• Less propeller thrust and less lift
• Lean non-turbo for best power before Takeoff
• Use Aircraft POH or AFM performance tables

• With Density Altitude
• TAS higher than IAS, 2/1,000 ft
• Groundspeed may be 20 faster (10,000 ft)
• Vspeeds change
• Vx goes up 0.5 /1000 ft
• Vy goes down 1 knot/1000 ft
• Vx Vy at absolute ceiling

• With Gross Weight
• For each 100 below MGW
• VA (turbulence) drops 2 knots
• Vs decreases 1 knot

• Takeoff Roll Increases with
• Higher density altitude
• Tailwind component / local terrain effect
• Rough or soft runway surface

4
Weather Challenges in Mountain Flying

• Mountain waves
• Lenticular clouds (rotors)
• Localized weather
• In a valley, near a body of water
• Downdrafts on lee side of mountains
• Try to visualize where to expect
• Turbulence
• Light, moderate, severe, extreme
• NOTAMs give PIREPs (122.0) and use them

• Thunderstorms (3 phases)
• Cumulus storm building, good source of lift
• Mature rain and/or hail, updrafts downdrafts
• Dissipative mostly downdrafts, clouds more
  transparent
• Frost, ice, snow must be cleared from airfoils
• Aircraft performs according to Density altitude
• Air density decreases with altitude
• Hot air less dense 600 ft/ 100F

5
Airports may not be as developed

• May not have any weather reporting
• TRK and BLU have AWOS/ASOS
• You may get nearby Wx by monitoring 122.8
• Over fly runway
• Look for wildlife
• Check for runway slope
• Evaluate surface conditions may be unpaved,
  grass or rough terrain, humps and dips, snow
  removal?
• Approach
• May be one-way in, other way out
• May require non-rectangular approach
• May have optical illusion (high or low)
• Plan your Abort/Go around point (half runway)
  Weight needs to transfer to wings, or Abort
• Departure
• May require a turn immediately after takeoff
• May have drop off at runway end
• May not have runway snow removal

6
Suitable landing spots are less available
Be aware of Emergency Landing Areas

• Highways watch out for powerlines and traffic
• Rivers
• Reservoir or lake shorelines
• Mountain meadows are more rugged
• Swaths cut through trees power lines
• High cruise altitudes give better gliding range
• Logging roads usually narrow and winding
• Small trees are better than big ones (ouch!)
• Accessibility for rescue near road

Develop a where can I set down awareness
7
Plan to survive an off-airport landing
Survivable emergency landing techniques

• Concepts of crash safety
• Maintain integrity of aircraft cabin area
• Avoid body contact with interior structure
• Energy absorption, use aircraft structure and
  vegetation
• Occupant restraint
• Groundspeed and stopping distance
• Control sink rate flare uphill

• Psychological hazards
• Reluctance to accept situation
• Desire to save aircraft
• Undue concern about injury

• Survival equipment
• Water, and signaling capability

8
Oxygen requirements

• Breathable Oxygen Required
• Pilot and Crew gt30 minutes gt12,500 must use O2
• Pilot and Crew gt14,000 any time must use O2
• Available for passengers gt15,000
• Psychological training available at Beale
  Edwards AFB
• Altitude Chamber test
• Experience hypoxia in controlled environment
• Less O2 partial pressure at altitude pulse
  oxymeters are useful

• Hypoxia symptoms
• Significant loss of vision
• Anxiety
• Headache
• Nausea
• Slow thinking and reflexes
• Dizziness
• Numbness fingers, nose mouth

• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Impaired judgment
• Subtle personality changes
• Cyanosis
• Mental Confusion
• Loss of consciousness

• Hyperventilation can have similar symptoms
• Caused by exhaling excessive CO2
• Usually triggered by stressful situations

9
Careful preflight planning is necessary

• Start with standard weather briefing
• Get the latest up-to-date weather for the route
• Check the winds aloft, ask about any NOTAMs
• You may have to call the destination airport, or
  someone nearby sheriffs department may be
  helpful
• Plan for plenty of fuel reserves
• You can have too much fuel (weight)
• Sometimes fuel isnt as available in mountains
• AFD may show fuel services but it may not be
  available to outsiders
• If density altitude is too high, depart before
  the heat of the day or after
• Night falls quickly in the mountains -- Low
  altitude night flying not recommended
• I require at least 300 fpm climb capability
  (light twin?)
• Make your Go/No go decision
• Never be under pressure to go
• If you have any nagging doubts Dont go
• Better to be on the ground, wishing I was in the
  air, than vice versa

10
Filing a flight plan is good insurance

• Flight Plans are not required in the US
• But if you file and open one, you must close it
• Avoid round robin delays search and rescue
• Filing flight plan is Required in Mexico
• But you dont have to close no search rescue
• I think search and rescue is a good thing
• But they have far too many false alarms
• So I developed a gimmick to prevent forgetting
• I rotate my watch when I open a flight plan
• If my watch is backward, my flight plan is open
  

11
Flight Hazards

• Try to fly 2,000 ft above ridge lines
• Never fly in Marginal VFR in the mountains
• Actual horizon near the base of the mountains
• Cross ridges at a 450 angle to the ridge line
• Position aircraft where it can be turned toward
  lower terrain
• If caught in strong downdraft, it may be best to
  point nose down and accelerate away
• Never fly down the center of a canyon
• There is often wind shear in the middle
• You would give away half your turning radius
• Fly near canyon wall if necessary to get updraft
• Course reversal may be necessary e.g. Box Canyon
• I teach a modified wingover

• Pitch up 200
• Full throttle
• Full flaps once IAS in white arc

• Briskly establish steep bank
• You can use elevator to quicken turn
• You can drop the nose at 900 into turn