Mountain flying
Having just come come back from a trip in the Highlands, it got me thinking about the specific techniques required for flying in mountainous terrain. One of the areas I had to visit was well into one of the glens and required me to operate at an altitude well below the summits (about 1000' below) of the terrain either side. The valley was typically narrow and steep-sided, but plenty wide enough in still conditions at our operating altitude to perform 30 degree turns, with room to spare.
However, the conditions were far from still, with perhaps a 20 - 25 kt wind being funnelled into and around the glen, making the flying much trickier, with turbulence and changing airspeeds, and this was a little concerning as my first experience of this terrain up close and personal. My co-pilot and photographer has much more experience in these conditions and gave me sound advice on handling, and happy to report we had no problems.
So, my question is this; what techniques do you employ in mountain flying? I'm aware of the dangers of rotor streaming on the lee side of hills and lower cloud bases, changeable weather, potential variations in wind direction of 180 degrees, but not much more. In the absence of a mountain rating/checkout, what else should I know as essential knowledge?
Cheers, WD