Flight Training - August 2020 - 13

ASI NEWS

BY ALICIA HERRON

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD
HEEDING THE LESSONS OF FLYING IN THE MOUNTAINS

GOOD FLIGHT PLANNING IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT-BUT IN THE

mountains it's critical. During mountain flying, the airplane is
closer to its performance limits, the pilot is closer to the limits
of his or her skill, more things can go wrong, and there are fewer
options in an emergency. Factors that increase risk even in flatland flying, such as density altitude, night, weather, and wind,
can turn a normal mountain flight into a hazardous trip.
To help mitigate the increased risk, every mountain flight
demands extensive flight planning, including careful route
selection. Students are often taught to seek the most direct
route, and your instructor will likely sign you off to fly relatively
straightforward trips for solo cross-countries. But sometimes
direct is not best, and it's important in developing your overall
skill as an aviator to learn about the exceptions.
In many cases, direct flights aren't feasible in mountainous
areas: Terrain can easily "out-climb" many light general aviation
aircraft, and flying direct also limits your options in the event of
an emergency.
Consider a flight near Lake Tahoe near the California/
Nevada state line-which route would you choose? Depending
on your aircraft, you could potentially climb over the mountains
and fly direct. But is that the best choice? Now look at the long,
circuitous route that hugs the shore of the lake before turning
east through Spooner Summit Pass and then south to your
destination. While longer (and requiring more navigation work),
it offers lower terrain, nearby roads for emergency landings,
and a large body of water for ditching. In the event of an engine
failure, would you rather put the airplane down in a lake or take
your chances with jagged, snow-capped peaks?
The technology we have today is incredible-our smartphones can operate as powerful navigation tools even from a
mile high, and for many, paper charts and plastic plotters are
a thing of the past. Why spend time planning a flight on the
ground when we'll have all the tech we need to go directly to our
destination, in the palm of our hands, aloft? That convenience
of knowing precisely your point in space is useful and greatly
enhances our situational awareness. But when we take into
consideration our options in an emergency, flying direct rarely
gives us the most options, even when not contending with peaks
of the Sierra Nevada.

Weather wherever you go

Whenever you plan a flight, choose a route that builds in
outs in case of emergency or other unforeseen circumstances.
Deviate a couple of miles from the direct route and use airports as waypoints-diversions or fuel stops are now part
of the plan. Take terrain into consideration, too. Change
your route to fly closer to a highway, or other possible emergency landing spots, instead of directly over a swamp, forest,
marsh, or densely populated area. If you fly over open water,
modify your route to minimize time away from land. These
changes may make the trip longer, but you're giving yourself
options. The extra time on the Hobbs will be worth it
to increase the likelihood of a positive outcome after an
inflight emergency.
airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyspotlights/mountainflying
alicia.herron@aopa.org

PARTNER-CREATED CONTENT

Pilots flying in mountainous regions need to consider how they'll obtain updated
weather information during flight and on the ground. While ADS-B weather is free
and can be accessed in almost every corner of the United States, its technology
limits coverage in mountainous terrain where line-of-sight between your aircraft
and ground-based towers cannot be assured. Satellite weather simply requires
open sky to ensure uninterrupted weather data. While access to satellite weather
does require a subscription and a receiving device, it may be money well spent in
the backcountry.
aopa.org/siriusxm

THERE I WAS: MARK MURPHY
Over the past 33 years of flying-
which includes aerobatics in the P-51
Mustang, T-6 Texan, Japanese Zero, and
F4U Corsair-pilot Mark Murphy has
accumulated his share of stories. In this
episode, he joins us to talk about the
time he experienced an unexpected flat
spin in a Christen Eagle and how he got
out of it.

airsafetyinstitute.org/thereiwas

AOPA.ORG/FT 13

http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/safetyspotlights/mountainflying http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/thereiwas http://www.aopa.org/siriusxm http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - August 2020

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