Mountain Flying is pure passion, but it is also very demanding. More variables come into play - especially during the landing. The odds of dismantling a good looking airplane are simply higher. The latest lessons learned video from Aviaze is about an instructor and a student who overfly the landing area of the ""Tour"" glacier, a 10.000ft altisurface in the French Alps before attempting to land.
The lessons learned from this video are:
- In any landing it is key to estimate the wind correctly, especially when landing in a glacier.
- Try to detect and be suspicious of any potential tailwind. Performance and descent path will be greatly affected.
- If in doubt, request a wind check from the tower and check with other pilots in the pattern or in the local area.
There are certainly other tips to bear in mind, what would yours be?
Excellent video and yes, Mountain flying requires outstanding risk prevention and recovery strategies.
Flight preparation is essential.
Adapting the plan during flight based on actual conditions and timely taking suitable decisions and actions is also key for enjoying a safe flight.
See also the EGAST Leaflet GA4 Flying Close to High Grounds: https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/EGAST_GA4-Flight-clo…
And for instance this CAA NZ Leaflet Mountain Flying:
http://www.peter2000.co.uk/aviation/crete/Mountain%20Flying.pdf
AOPA Flying in the Montains website:
https://www.aopa.org/training-and-safety/online-learning/safety-spotlig…
European and National Mountain Flying Associations (not an exhaustive list):
https://www.europeanmountainpilots.com/;
www.aviador.net;
https://www.afpm.fr/;
https://fsvm.ch/index.php/gletscherflug;
https://www.aipm.it/;
https://oegpv.at/;
http://dgpv.de/
Safe flights!
Thank you for your kind comment Michel and especially for the links provided on the subject. There are a few we didn't know they existed!!
Very well, thanks for you positive feedback, Marc!
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