Airplanes

[Basher]

Glad the transmission oil issue wasn’t a major event. Stuff like that always makes you take a step back and slow down.

A few months ago I was pre-flighting our R44 to go do some rides at a local fair when I found some hydraulic fluid had dripped and run down the tail rotor pushrod near the M/R gearbox. Additional prodding revealed a good bit more fluid had also run down the wiring harness there and pooled near the firewall, then run down it into the engine bay. Then more fine specks were found thrown all over near the accumulator as it dripped on to the T/R drive shaft. Turns out the pump was leaking, as was the return line to the accumulator. If I’d just done a quick visual inspection and called it good, I might have missed the leak, but I stuck my hands on every fastener, component, and crevice I can, and it paid off. Hydro failure with a load of pax into a tight LZ is not my idea of fun…

If your hands aren’t dirty/greasy after a pre-flight, you didn’t do it well enough, IMO!

[entropy]

If your hands aren’t dirty/greasy after a pre-flight, you didn’t do it well enough, IMO!

Absolute truth.

[JFK]

Really cool. When I was learning to fly, a Mooney 231 was my dream airplane.

Once I get my instrument rating I am going to look at something that can get a little higher. I would like to get over the rockies at some point. The in laws live in Longmont and having to go around is a bit of a bummer.

In Phoenix Mooneys always seem to come up for reasonable prices and on the surface look well taken care of. I guess I have to start learning about turbos...

[GJM]

Once I get my instrument rating I am going to look at something that can get a little higher. I would like to get over the rockies at some point. The in laws live in Longmont and having to go around is a bit of a bummer.

In Phoenix Mooneys always seem to come up for reasonable prices and on the surface look well taken care of. I guess I have to start learning about turbos...

More days than not, I would rather go around than over the Rockies at altitudes below 35,000!

[JFK]

I am sure you have plenty of experience in mountain flying in Alaska. There is some decent instruction out of Longmont for that specialty that needs to be in my future. Some scary stuff.

[GJM]

I am sure you have plenty of experience in mountain flying in Alaska. There is some decent instruction out of Longmont for that specialty that needs to be in my future. Some scary stuff.

We used to have a home in Buena Vista, Colorado and the airport is about five miles downwind from 14,000 peaks in the Continental Divide. Far and away, the scariest place I have flown, in jets and everything else less capable. In the summer you have thunderstorms nearly every afternoon, and in the winter the lee side turbulence downwind of the Divide could be memorable.

You became quite adept at figuring out when and where to fly. Generally early am in the summer, and otherwise when the winds are less than 30 knots at 12,000 feet. You can definitely fly there in a turbocharged piston, and we often flew in a T-206, but you want to pick your conditions and many days you would rather drive.

[David S.]

Once upon a time I flew DHC-8’s all around the southwest, including CO.

I had one experience with mountain wave at 24,000 over the Front Range westbound out of Denver, where the aircraft accelerated to the barber pole (Vne) with idle power, and then decelerated down to near stall speed with max power. I don’t think we had to get a lower altitude, but it was close. It was clear skies and felt completely smooth. The autopilot was ON, and if we hadn’t been looking at the instruments, we wouldn’t have known it was happening. It occurred for a a couple cycles and then done.

I can’t imagine the same situation in a piston aircraft.

[GJM]

Once upon a time I flew DHC-8’s all around the southwest, including CO.

I had one experience with mountain wave at 24,000 over the Front Range westbound out of Denver, where the aircraft accelerated to the barber pole (Vne) with idle power, and then decelerated down to near stall speed with max power. I don’t think we had to get a lower altitude, but it was close. It was clear skies and felt completely smooth. The autopilot was ON, and if we hadn’t been looking at the instruments, we wouldn’t have known it was happening. It occurred for a a couple cycles and then done.

I can’t imagine the same situation in a piston aircraft.

We had an experience in a Citation between Buena Vista and Leadville that I still think about. We hit turbulence so bad climbing out through 12 000 that it rolled us and pitched us up, accelerated us from 220 to 260, and with the power levers back at idle we were still climbing 5,000 fpm. We hit 14,000 and it went completely smooth as if nothing happened. While struggling on the controls, I was making some whimpering noises, and my wife in the right seat said "shut the F up, and fly the plane." Later we developed a method where the pilot flying would control pitch and roll in extreme conditions, and the pilot not flying would handle the power levers and possibly the speed brakes to keep the airspeed in a desirable range.

[entropy]

Once upon a time I flew DHC-8’s all around the southwest, including CO.

I had one experience with mountain wave at 24,000 over the Front Range westbound out of Denver, where the aircraft accelerated to the barber pole (Vne) with idle power, and then decelerated down to near stall speed with max power. I don’t think we had to get a lower altitude, but it was close. It was clear skies and felt completely smooth. The autopilot was ON, and if we hadn’t been looking at the instruments, we wouldn’t have known it was happening. It occurred for a a couple cycles and then done.

I can’t imagine the same situation in a piston aircraft.

Lynx?

Things can get sporty even up in the 40s. I’m probably known as “Captain Nope”. As in “Do you want to climb to get out of this?” Nope. ATC wants to know if we’re light enough to except FL350.” Nope. One of our training guys is a world respected expert on upset training. Lucky us. Lol. Anyhow every year we do the drill in the sim...and then some. Some of it is pretty eye opening.

[GJM]

Another area that can be quite nearly is the Wind River range in Wyoming. There is an airway that goes over there at 16,000 that has fataled a number of single engine turbocharged aircraft departing from Jackson.