Just some fun flying today. Flew from my home base KVIS to Bishop, CA KBIH at or above 13,500 in our TA. Flew home through the Mammoth Pass watching people snow ski as we flew over the snow covered mountains. Beautiful country...I love this plane, except for the DG spinning in circles after it was just rebuilt in 10/07 during annual. Garmin 430 took over though....
I can't tell you how many times I've flown that pass. I can get up higher, but I usually cross around 10,500 or so. It's fun to look up and watch skiiers come down the mountain in the Winter.
There's like.... only one bar in Bishop. It's a long story, but I got thrown out of it once.
"It's fun to look up and watch skiiers come down the mountain in the Winter."
Sac, I can appreciate your comment but I prefer to "Look Down" and watch skiers going down the mountain. Altitude is my friend up there. We lost some locals in that pass a few years back in a Baron...CFIT. Mammoth is a beautiful fly over though.
Oh don't get me wrong - mountain flying can be terribly unforgiving if you're not careful. One of the "never again" experiences years ago was to make a direct cross over the Sierras. Even though I was up high enough (14,500 feet) and absolutely nothing went wrong, I realized by looking down at all of those vertical rocks that I had absolutely no good option if something went South. That was a bad idea.
I always choose an altitude, and a route, that will allow me gliding distance of some survivable terrain, to the extent possible. Once you cross the pass to the East, you're within gliding distance of flat desert. To the West, you probably have to go for a creek bed or the side of a mountain, but you're only in marginally better shape if you're crossing three thousand feet higher.
It's really no different than making a long water crossing. If you fly to Catalina, you're over 20 miles of open water, and your odds of surviving a water ditching in the open sea are, well, not good. About five years ago, a couple acquaintances of mine were killed in a crossing over Lake Tahoe. They lost the engine in their 172, and successfully avoided terrain by ditching the airplane in the lake about 100 yards offshore. They died of hypothermia before rescuers could get to them.
I agree...Sometimes it takes the fun out of flying in those areas and being able to observe the beautiful country because you're always looking for a suitable ditching spot instead of enjoying the scenery. Speaking of Catalina, have you flown in there? How is the airport?? That would only be about an hour 15 for me to get down there
Those who have never flown through the Rockies can't imagine the scenery from the air. In summer you see waterfalls and little blue-green lakes hanging on the sides of the mountains, glaciers etc. Yes, there are times you sure wouldn't want to have an engine pack it in but I figure that the odds of it happening at those relatively brief periods is very small and we are exposed to lots of other risks in life much greater so just relax and enjoy the experience.
I have flown past ski resorts but find it better to be one of those coming down as it really is not a spectator sport.
Sac, you might as well fill us in on the incident that got you thrown out of the bar, the truth can't be as bad as what we imagine happened. Somehow I bet it involved a girl.
The airport at Catalina is the only place I've ever been where You had to dodge craters on the taxiway to keep from falling in and never be seen or heard from ever again! I guess the Island relies on supplies flown in by a DC-3 several times a day and the asphalt isn't up to it. The runway was OK but it's been a couple years since I was there so things may have changed. It's a shame the airport is so far from Avalon. If You have a bike You can ride if You have the time but it's WAY too far to walk so the option is the tram/shuttle, I think they charge around $35 for that. There is food at the airport if that's all You are after.
Sac, you might as well fill us in on the incident that got you thrown out of the bar, the truth can't be as bad as what we imagine happened. Somehow I bet it involved a girl.
Regarding Catalina, Dave pretty much sums it up. Once was enough. Fortunately I still had landing gear attached when I left.
Regarding the bar in Bishop, it actually had nothing to do with females ("nice tooth" is the compliment a woman in Bishop gets) but somehow I managed to piss off a group of Harley riders in a discussion of motorcycle technology, and I ended up getting thrown out the front door by a bunch of ZZ Top looking dudes. The following night we ended up buying each other beers so it was all good.
Couple of thoughts about Catalina. The runway is plently long so don't try to hit the end. The wind comming over the end of the cliff will create a down draft so aim a bit down the runway. Also, the runway is humped in the middle. Once you touch down, the second half of the runway dissapears. Don't let this freak you out. You still have a lot of runway left that you can't see. And watch out for the potholes.
The bus ride into Avalon is pricy but it is a fun trip.
I think it was last year they repaved the runway at Catalina. It's not smooth as a baby's butt, but close enough for me! It's still fun to catch the DC-3's over there, too.
