Free shipping in the U.S. — Click here for details .
Sign in Join now
Lightspeed AviationLightspeed AviationLightspeed AviationLightspeed Aviation
    0
  •   was successfully added to your cart.
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Headsets
    • ANR for Helmets
    • Flight Bags
    • Accessories
    • Survival
    • Lightspeed App
    • FlightLink App
    • Authorized Dealers
    • Trade Up Program
  • About
    • About Lightspeed
    • Programs
    • Delta Zulu Saves Lives
    • Awards and Accolades
    • Patents
    • Lightspeed Foundation
    • Careers
    • Associations
  • Community
    • All Posts
    • Blog Posts
    • Events
    • News
    • Sponsorships
  • Support
    • Customer Support
    • Repair Request
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Shipping and Return Policies
    • PFX Firmware Update – PC
    • PFX Firmware Update – Mac
  • Contact
    • Contact Lightspeed
    • Authorized Dealers
    • Donation Requests
    • Media Kit
Sign in / Create Account

Mountain Flying Part 1 – High Country Basics

    Home Blog Posts Mountain Flying Part 1 – High Country Basics
    NextPrevious

    Mountain Flying Part 1 – High Country Basics

    By Colin Aro | Blog Posts, Mountain Flying Series | 1 comment | 20 December, 2018 | 1

    Done safely, flying a light aircraft through the mountains can be the adventure of a lifetime. The mountains of the North American west, where I fly most often, offer some of the most spectacular scenery available to a private pilot.

    As beautiful as those majestic rocks can be, they can also be lethal. According to the Joseph T. Nall Report, mountain airports have an accident rate nearly three times that of flatland airports. The performance-robbing effects of high density altitude combined with the robust vertical convection so common in the mountains can be very dangerous when the terrain is in such threatening proximity.

    This is the first in a series of posts where I’ll share my insights on mountain flying. Let’s start with some general rules for safe flying in the high country.

    Take your time and stay near landable terrain

    Population centers are relatively sparse, so alternate airports are fewer and farther between. It is best to plan your route as a series of “doglegs” through the mountainous areas. In the GPS era, it is tempting to fly direct. Doing so, however, may take you over the highest, most inhospitable terrain. Not only is this practice much less safe in the event of a mechanical failure and subsequent forced landing, but the time and fuel savings earned by flying the shorter, direct routes may be squandered in the effort to climb above terrain in the thin mountain air. This is especially true if the winds are strong. The best practice is generally to plan routes that keep you near population centers and lower-lying areas. Remember, a 40-mile diversion in a typical light GA aircraft only takes approximately 20 minutes. The safest choice is to spend a little more time enjoying the scenery and stay over landable terrain.

    Always have plenty of fuel in reserve

    It is also advisable to be conservative with your fuel allowances. With fewer alternatives to complete the flight if the winds aloft change significantly, the only safe choice is to plan fewer miles with each leg and keep plenty of fuel in reserve.

    File a flight plan and report position

    Finally, file a flight plan and make regular position reports. It is surprising how many pilots are reluctant to take advantage of this free, easy-to-use insurance. I have a colleague who crashed on a snowy slope while talking to ATC. It took emergency personnel over 8 hours to reach him. If that’s the best-case scenario, then you definitely don’t want to face the worst.

    Sparky’s rules

    Flight planning issues aside, the novice mountain pilot may find the simple proximity of terrain to be alarming: looking out the window at big rocks on either side of the aircraft while cruising at 9,000 feet or more can be disconcerting if you aren’t used to it. The late Sparky Imeson has a couple of useful rules (Sparky’s Rules) in his Mountain Flying Bible and Flight Operations Handbook for operating in close proximity to high terrain. He defines the “point of no return” as that point where the pilot could retard the throttle to idle and still have sufficient altitude for a turnaround. If the pilot continues climbing into terrain past this point, an engine failure could have serious consequences. Having defined the point of no return, Imeson’s two rules are:

    1. Always be in a position to turn toward lowering terrain (i.e. beware narrow canyons and ridge crossings)
    2. Never fly past the point of no return

    Adhering to these simple rules should keep the novice out of trouble in high terrain. Bear in mind that the typical light GA aircraft has an approximate 9-to-1 glide ratio, which produces a descent angle of only 6 degrees or so. If you lose the engine, a turn toward lowering terrain could buy you a lot of time, assuming the terrain falls away at a 6-degree slope or more.

    Check back soon for part two: Density altitude in mountain flying.

    Get the whole Mountain Flying eBook here!

    No tags.

    Colin Aro

    Colin Aro holds a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from U.C. Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Engineering - Applied Science from U.C. Davis. He is a commercial pilot and flight instructor rated for single engine airplanes, multi engine airplanes, and gliders. He is a FAASTeam representative working out of the Reno FSDO specializing in mountain flying safety. He currently serves as the operations officer for the High Sierra Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force, overseeing the operations of the squadron's N3N-3 and L-19 aircraft. He flies and performs with the Northern California Beech Boys formation demonstration team. Colin lives in Reno, Nevada with his wife and son.

    More posts by Colin Aro

    Related Posts

    • Mountain Flying Part 5 – Summary

      By Colin Aro | 0 comment

      Mountain flying legend Sparky Imeson had some solid rules for operating around tough terrain. First and foremost, check the density altitude and know your aircraft’s expected performance. In planning your flight, stay near low-lying areasRead more

    • Mountain Flying part 4

      Mountain Flying Part 4 – Speed to Fly

      By Colin Aro | 0 comment

      In parts 2 and 3 of this series, we examined aircraft performance and mountain weather: what we have to work with vs. what we are up against. Part 4 of this series starts by developingRead more

    • Mountain Flying series part 3

      Mountain Flying Part 3 – Negotiating the Clouds

      By Colin Aro | 1 comment

      Weather, Gliders, and Clouds When thinking about density altitude and performance vs. mountain weather, the issue is really “What do we have to work with?” vs. “What are we up against?” Being glider-rated, it seemsRead more

    • Mountain flying2 image

      Mountain Flying Part 2 – Density altitude and its effect on performance

      By Colin Aro | 0 comment

      Mountain airports are at relatively high elevations, where the air is thin—i.e., where its density is low. During the warmer months, the temperatures can be much higher than standard, and if there’s any humidity present,Read more

    • Pilots N Paws Volunteer Takes Animal Rescue to New Heights

      By Lightspeed Aviation | 0 comment

      Pilots N Paws® is a non-profit organization that connects volunteers involved in rescuing, sheltering, and adopting animals, with volunteer pilots and plane owners willing to assist with animal transportation. According to the American Society forRead more

    1 comment

    • JC Cohen Reply October 17, 2019 at 1:42 pm

      Thank you. Well written. Good advice.

    Leave a Comment

    Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    NextPrevious

    Recent Posts

    • Pilots N Paws Volunteer Takes Animal Rescue to New Heights
    • Angel Flight West Pilot Treasures the Human Connection
    • Delta Zulu gets a Warm Reception this Winter in Europe
    • CO and Aviation: A Deadly Mix
    • Flying with Hearing Aids – a Game Changer

    Join Our Newsletter




      Top Rated Products

      • Zulu 3 - Pilot Headset - LightspeedAviation.com Zulu 3 ANR Headset
        Rated 5.00 out of 5
        $899.00
      • Markham Flight Bag - LightspeedAviation.com Markham Flight Bag
        Rated 5.00 out of 5
        $249.00
      • Sierra® ANR Headset - Pilot Headsets - LightspeedAviation.com Sierra® ANR Headset
        Rated 4.80 out of 5
        $699.00

      Lightspeed Aviation, the leader in wearable ANR technology for pilots, operates with a simple strategy: know your customer well and remain committed to relentless product evolution. At Lightspeed, everything we do is in service to our customer and our products push performance to the edge of technological possibilities.

      Stay Updated – Sign Up Here




        Information

        • Contact
        • Support
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • Privacy Policy
        • Home
        • Shop
        • About
        • Community
        • Support
        • Contact
        © Copyright 2022 | All Rights Reserved
        • Shop
          • All Products
          • Headsets
          • ANR for Helmets
          • Flight Bags
          • Accessories
          • Survival
          • Lightspeed App
          • FlightLink App
          • Authorized Dealers
          • Trade Up Program
        • About
          • About Lightspeed
          • Programs
          • Delta Zulu Saves Lives
          • Awards and Accolades
          • Patents
          • Lightspeed Foundation
          • Careers
          • Associations
        • Community
          • All Posts
          • Blog Posts
          • Events
          • News
          • Sponsorships
        • Support
          • Customer Support
          • Repair Request
          • Frequently Asked Questions
          • Shipping and Return Policies
          • PFX Firmware Update – PC
          • PFX Firmware Update – Mac
        • Contact
          • Contact Lightspeed
          • Authorized Dealers
          • Donation Requests
          • Media Kit
        Lightspeed Aviation
          0 items
        We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
        Do not sell my personal information.
        Cookie SettingsAccept
        Manage consent

        Privacy Overview

        This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
        Necessary
        Always Enabled
        Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
        CookieDurationDescription
        __cfruidsessionCloudflare sets this cookie to identify trusted web traffic.
        __hssrcsessionThis cookie is set by Hubspot whenever it changes the session cookie. The __hssrc cookie set to 1 indicates that the user has restarted the browser, and if the cookie does not exist, it is assumed to be a new session.
        _GRECAPTCHA5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by the Google recaptcha service to identify bots to protect the website against malicious spam attacks.
        ci_session2 hoursThis cookie is set as default session Cookie name in config.php in config folder in CodeIgniter.
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
        cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
        JSESSIONIDsessionThe JSESSIONID cookie is used by New Relic to store a session identifier so that New Relic can monitor session counts for an application.
        PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
        viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
        Functional
        Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
        CookieDurationDescription
        __cf_bm30 minutesThis cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
        __hssc30 minutesHubSpot sets this cookie to keep track of sessions and to determine if HubSpot should increment the session number and timestamps in the __hstc cookie.
        Performance
        Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
        Analytics
        Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
        CookieDurationDescription
        __hstc1 year 24 daysThis is the main cookie set by Hubspot, for tracking visitors. It contains the domain, initial timestamp (first visit), last timestamp (last visit), current timestamp (this visit), and session number (increments for each subsequent session).
        _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
        _gat_gtag_UA_28458117_11 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
        _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
        CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
        hubspotutk1 year 24 daysHubSpot sets this cookie to keep track of the visitors to the website. This cookie is passed to HubSpot on form submission and used when deduplicating contacts.
        Advertisement
        Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
        CookieDurationDescription
        _fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.
        fr3 monthsFacebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
        VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
        YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
        yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
        yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
        yt.innertube::nextIdneverThis cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
        yt.innertube::requestsneverThis cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
        Others
        Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
        CookieDurationDescription
        ppwp_wp_session30 minutesNo description
        Save & Accept