Pietenpol-List: NW mountain flying
Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:35 am
Original Posted By: FTLovley(at)aol.com
Greg C. asks,Does anybody know the lowest service ceiling an aircraft needs to safely get throughthe mountains?This will bring some flame.Greg a looong time ago an old timer made the statement that you can fly coastto coast with out flying higher than 3,500 feet. Although this is technicallycorrect, it isnt physically possible or at least advisable. He sat me down andshowed me that Stampede Pass here in the Cascades is just at 3,500 feet, andthen went on to Mullen Pass in the Rockies I think and I forget the pass inthe East, but technically it is possible.Both Dick N. and Steve E. have the key points. Although I prefer the northernI-90 route, anytime in the mountains watch flying near ridges (wind) and projectyour path as to always have a way out imagine doing a 180 in the space aheadand avoid a New York canyon incident. You wont need oxygen, but you will wantto fly early mornings before temps and winds come up.Plan ahead, be flexible, and above all please be safe. Its like anything, theresrisk involved, but from that theres reward.Ben somewhere I have the picture of the stacked Continental Pietenpol you mentioned.If memory serves, the props were at about 45-degrees to each other insteadof 90 and they were mounted on a common hub of some sort. Also, I have copiesof the IPA newsletter back when it was the National Pietenpol Association(1977) put out by Janet Green in Brodhead. I still have a flight jacket withthe old rectangular IPA patch but my IPA newsletters stop in 1981. Ill contactyou off list to see if I could fill in the gap. Since youre at Blakesburgsay hi to Chad and your grandpa for me.Pietenpolingly,Bill Sayre________________________________________________________________________________
Greg C. asks,Does anybody know the lowest service ceiling an aircraft needs to safely get throughthe mountains?This will bring some flame.Greg a looong time ago an old timer made the statement that you can fly coastto coast with out flying higher than 3,500 feet. Although this is technicallycorrect, it isnt physically possible or at least advisable. He sat me down andshowed me that Stampede Pass here in the Cascades is just at 3,500 feet, andthen went on to Mullen Pass in the Rockies I think and I forget the pass inthe East, but technically it is possible.Both Dick N. and Steve E. have the key points. Although I prefer the northernI-90 route, anytime in the mountains watch flying near ridges (wind) and projectyour path as to always have a way out imagine doing a 180 in the space aheadand avoid a New York canyon incident. You wont need oxygen, but you will wantto fly early mornings before temps and winds come up.Plan ahead, be flexible, and above all please be safe. Its like anything, theresrisk involved, but from that theres reward.Ben somewhere I have the picture of the stacked Continental Pietenpol you mentioned.If memory serves, the props were at about 45-degrees to each other insteadof 90 and they were mounted on a common hub of some sort. Also, I have copiesof the IPA newsletter back when it was the National Pietenpol Association(1977) put out by Janet Green in Brodhead. I still have a flight jacket withthe old rectangular IPA patch but my IPA newsletters stop in 1981. Ill contactyou off list to see if I could fill in the gap. Since youre at Blakesburgsay hi to Chad and your grandpa for me.Pietenpolingly,Bill Sayre________________________________________________________________________________