Chuck G. and other "Pieters"I think that the '05 Tour that you guys are thinking about is great!However, since I have some considerable experience in this mountain flying business,and built "Mountain Piet" expressly for this purpose, may I offer a fewcomments?Most Piets using 65-A Continentals and Corvairs become single passenger (the pilotonly) airplanes. If you try and carry a full fuel load and then all thecamping stuff too, it may be too marginal to get your plane off the ground. It can be really embarrasing to take off of an airport at 4,000 feet, fly up toan airport at 7,000 feet and try to take off the next day when the temperaturehas gone up, believe me, I've done it! However, most people don't mind youstaying an extra day!It is not unusual the have the density altitude easily on a summer day exceed over11,000 feet at our airport which is at about 7,500 feet. This is due to thetemperature rise as the day progresses. If you don't have enough power anda long enough runway with a clear departure, then you are flirting with disaster.I have seen overloaded Bonanza's and 210's struggle to get into the air,enough where we run out of the terminal to see if the idiot made it! You haveto keep it light! Also, always lean your engine before take off so that youare getting maximum power.Two reasons not to fly during midday. As I said above, the density altitude canbe higher than the service ceiling of the plane. Additionally, the turbulencecan really have you " biting the buttons out of the seat" at midday. A poorlyconstucted and overloaded plane may well suffer structural damage due to extremeturbulence at midday.. Best to get out at first daylight and then planto quit before 11:00 AM. Things sometimes calm down toward evening.I always follow a road when flying in the mountains or at least have one in glidingrange. If you have to put it down, then do it close to or on the road, therescuers won't have to climb mountains to find and recover your remains!Landings at our altitude in a Piet will be hotter than a firecracker compared towhat you are used to at sea level. The airspeed indicator will show the sameair speed, but the ground speed will be higher than you are used to. Sincea Piet has a lot of drag, make sure that you carry extra energy on final, eitherwith power or a steep glide angle. You will get used to it, go back to sealevel and think you are landing in molasses!When going through a pass, always gain enough altitude so you can see to the otherside before starting through. There is no way that your plane is going toclimb as steeply as the terrain rises! We pick several planes a year along withthe bodies off our mountains who have made this mistake. Also, many passeslook the same to a flatlander who hasn't been here before, make sure that thepass is the one that you filed in your flight plan, the rescuers want to knowwhere to start looking!Now I know that all of this seems to make mountain flying dangerous, it is not!It is just different. Follow the rules and use common sense and you will findit one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have in an airplane.Get a book, read it, and then enjoy the view. If you don't think that you haveenough power, plan to go across either Wyoming or down across New Mexico.Have warm clothes, the temperature drops about 3 degrees for every thousand feetabove ground level. This temperature drop plus the wind chill factor at 70mph will make you want to give up open cockpits forever.That's enough of the "Gospel according to St. John"
)If you do decide to come through our area, please give me a call, we have a coupleof unused bedrooms downstairs. Boy, do I miss "Mountain Piet".John Dilatush,Salida, Colorado________________________________________________________________________________