Mountain Flying

[170']

En-route, try to find the overlying wind, then imagine the wind as water flowing over the mountain from that direction, try to imagine what’s actually happening

Fly recon and check wires, pylons, road or tracks…etc… if it’s wide open, I go straight into a low pass in the direction I think will be downwind…Pass level with the LZ at eye level, 50KIAS (stabilized) …

Check torque and altimeter at level of LZ (remember both), general feel, (a/c feels buoyant, stable, or feels skittish, if you guessed right on the downwind, you should be skittish, heading, airspeed etc)…glance sideways and get the sense of groundspeed

If you keep in tight with the hill, and maintain a light pressure on the pedals.
Any down-flow will cause the machine to want to weathercock into the hill.
Up-flow will cause you to weathercock away from the hill. …

Once passed the LZ, having checked the 5 S’ and no further info available.

Go for 60 KIAS and climb 50’ …once level at 50’ above LZ.. Give yourself whatever you want as a final approach distance, then turning away from the hill, make a 180 and set up on final with an option for a go-around….

As you turn away from the hill, don’t get higher than 50’ above LZ elevation. Continue inbound to the LZ maintaining a drop-off down slope in case you get any problems.

At no point in this type of approach will you climb more than 50’ above LZ elevation. When inbound, stay in tight following side hill, not flying into the hill...


Once you get inbound, reduce speed to the same speed you passed the LZ on your initial pass (on LZ elevation) at this same speed (stabilized) check torque…if you have less torque for same stabilized airspeed you’re in up-flow/upwind and right where you want to be. Think up-flow, down-flow. As well as upwind/downwind

As you get on short final, check visual groundspeed again out the side window, check torque…you should have less torque, feel buoyant, GS will be less. You have a loaded disk as you didn’t need much of a descent…fly it onto the LZ. …Make sure you don’t stop short, but fly it to the LZ…most of the power is already in and not much more to do…

Keeping in mind I don’t want a TR strike, I try to keep the machine kicked out a little, pointing along or down slope, in case it all gets funky in the last little bit…Any problem and I peel off down slope going for airspeed…

Not my procedure, learned it a long time ago in a Mtn flying course…

I don’t claim it’s the best or quickest, but if you’re on the limits with weight and power, it’s a really good way to put the odds on your side…

I don’t think much about it anymore, second nature now, but it’s worked in some real high elevation regions, and I’ve never once had to use my superior flying skill

170

ps, this is the procedure I use in real mountains, low hills is a different deal