Flying the Mountains Book

	Preface	xiii
	Acknowledgments	xvii
	Introduction	xxv
	Mountain flying is different	xxv
	Mountain flying can be done safely	xxv
	The statistics of mountain flight	xxvi
	Causes of mountain flight accidents	xxviii
	Flatland pilots are at greatest risk	xxxi
	Hence this book	xxxii
1	Altitude	1
	Effects of altitude	1
	Some aircraft performance charts	7
	Effects of altitude on aircraft engines	13
	Density altitude	14
	Fuel mixture management	17
	Turbocharging	19
	Engine cooling	20
	Effect of altitude on aerodynamics	21
	Effect of altitude on aircraft performance	22
	Speeds to fly change with altitude	26
	More airplane is better	28
	One more time	32
	Effects of altitude on pilots	33
	Hypoxia	33
	Susceptibility to hypoxia	37
	Dangers of hypoxia	37
	Hyperventilation	39
	Avoiding hypoxia	40
	Acclimatize	40
	Supplemental oxygen	43
	Pressurized cabin	43
	Oxygen systems	44
	Constant-flow oxygen	44
	Diluter demand oxygen	44
	Dehydration	45
	Fatigue	46
	Hypothermia	46
	Cumulative effects	47
	Cold-weather operations	47
	Above freezing	48
	From freezing to 20[degree]F	48
	Temperatures below 20[degree]F	53
	Temperatures below 0[degree]F	54
	Temperatures lower than -30[degree]F	54
	Reminder about hypothermia	55
	Cold-weather accident precautions	56
2	Mountain weather	59
	Global weather	61
	Weather predictions and current information sources	62
	The Internet	62
	The Weather Channel	63
	Airport weather computers	63
	Flight service	63
	En route weather information	64
	All the above information was incorrect!	69
	Observe the weather	72
3	Reading mountain weather	73
	Observing weather	73
	Clouds	73
	Cloud Types	74
	Cumulus-form clouds	74
	Where cumulus clouds form	77
	Other concerns with cumulus clouds	79
	Cumulus cloud types	84
	Typical cloud heights	90
	Cumuluslike mountain cloud types	90
	Stratiform clouds	99
	Temperature inversion layers	101
	Lenticular clouds	107
	Cloud caps (or Foehn walls in Europe)	107
	Pileus clouds	110
	Mountain wave	110
	Conditions favoring wave formation	116
	Wave dimensions	116
	Flying in wave conditions	117
	Nacreous clouds	120
	Kelvin-Helmholtz wavelets	121
	Small-scale mountain winds	123
	Katabatic/anabatic winds	124
	Temperature inversions	126
	Thermals	127
	Ridge lift/rotor	127
	Venturi	130
	Anomalous reverse-direction winds	131
	Reverse-direction convective wind	133
	Reverse-direction deflected winds	133
	Reverse-direction pressure drainage winds	135
	Microbursts and gust fronts over ridges and passes	138
	Summary of anomalous reverse-flow winds over passes	139
4	Mountain Flying Strategy	141
	Flying the mountain environment	141
	Time of day	142
	Time of year	143
	Think behind	144
	Takeoffs	145
	Takeoff technique	145
	Density altitude	148
	Uphill/downhill takeoffs	150
	Soft field (grass, dirt, snow)	151
	Go/no go	152
	Take off twice	153
	Departures	154
	Traffic	156
	En route	158
	Route planning	158
	Navigation	160
	Lost?	167
	En route flight techniques	168
	Narrow valleys	170
	Climbing a narrow valley	170
	Climb speed	174
	Clear the pass at the head of the valley?	175
	Canyon turns	176
	Unlikely methods for canyon turns	180
	Chandelles	180
	Half lazy eights	181
	Wingovers	182
	Hammerhead stall turns	182
	All canyon turns	184
	Flying up a canyon in poor visibility	184
	Keep your back door open!	184
	Crossing a pass	184
	Bad visibility at a pass	188
	Crossing a ridge or mountain range	188
	Altitude needed to cross a pass	191
	A day I guessed wrong	192
	Too late to turn back?	193
	Traffic at mountain passes	194
	Instrument flight in the mountains	196
	Don't	197
	Turbulence	197
	Minimum en route altitudes	197
	Published departure climbs	198
	Missed-approach procedures	198
	Approach procedures	198
	Minimum descent altitudes	199
	Mountain icing	199
	Mountain wave icing	207
	Single-engine IFR in the mountains	208
	An IFR strategy to avoid	209
5	Specific mountain weather concerns	213
	Flight above the clouds	213
	VFR on top unlikely in summer	213
	Flight above low stratus clouds	216
	Avoid flight above building cumulus clouds	216
	Flight under the clouds	217
	Cloud suck	219
	Mammata	219
	Why pilots find themselves in trouble beneath the clouds	220
	Scud-running	221
	Conditions for scud-running	222
	Beware of artificial obstructions!	223
	How to scud-run	224
	Saving yourself when scud-running traps you	226
	Fly toward low terrain	226
	Fly in low circles	227
	Climb	227
	Precautionary landings	228
	Walking out	230
	Fly around inclement weather	232
	Night flight over the mountains	233
	Fly on another day	239
6	Almost home	243
	Descents	243
	Engine management	243
	Avoiding shock cooling	244
	Avoiding overcooling	246
	Speed control	247
	Carburetor icing	248
	Descent planning	249
	Approaches	250
	Descent into a valley	256
	Predicting areas of turbulence	257
	Descending through lift	259
	Planning an approach for conditions of reduced visibility	260
	Traffic	260
	Finding the airport	261
	Arrivals	262
	Avoiding turbulence on final approach	264
	Going around	266
	Landings	269
	Landing speed	269
	Speed control on final approach	271
	Uphill/downhill runways	272
	Downhill landings	274
	Short field landings	274
	Rough field/soft field landings	277
	Off-field landings	288
7	Only in the mountains	291
	Unconventional operations	291
	Flight close to terrain	291
	Search and rescue, aerial photography, game spotting	291
	Search and rescue	296
	Sideslips	300
	Descend canyons	300
	Bridges, wires, and arches	301
	Trim for climb	302
	Look ahead	302
	Avoid heroics	302
	Soaring flight	303
	Ridge lift	304
	Thermal lift	304
8	More advanced mountain flying	307
	Practice	307
	Graduated exposure	309
	Advanced mountain flight instructions	310
	Further reading	311
	Summary	315
	Do	315
	Don't	316
	Postscript	319
	My first solo flight	319
	Index	323