23Oct10/Red Bluff, CA/FAA Mountain Flying Seminar

[Vick]

I got an e-mail notice about this, I'm not at home at the moment or I'd try to attend. Could make a good destination for anyone from the norcal/so or locale looking for an excuse or mission for Saturday flying. A trip report with summary of any salient points would be awesome.

Details here... http://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_de ... ?eid=34733

[flynengr]

I'll chime in, as I attended the same seminar when it was held at the Beale Aero Club at MYV earlier this summer..........

If you need an excuse to fly somewhere (RBL has one of the best airport breakfasts, IMHO) or participate in the Wings program and need some hours, it is probably worthwhile to attend.

If you are going thinking you are gonna learn somethin', and you've been hanging around here a while or have a strong interest in backcountry flying, you'll probably be disappointed.

The two hour session was primarily filled with two partial videos, one from Sparky Imeson and another from the Utah or Idaho BCP, I can't remember which. I hadn't seen either before, but was a little pissed when he decided they had run long enough and just turned the videos off without finishing them. There was some general discussion of mountain flying issues bookending the videos - density altitude, mountain winds, ridge crossing, et al.

I'd think if you have the patience to read Sparky's book, Potts' book or any other information on the subject, you'd learn considerably more than what is presented in the session. To be fair, Les, the presenter, is an extremely knowledgeable guy regarding many of the issues surrounding mountain flying, but the presentation wasn't exactly compelling.

Flynengr

[Vick]

Great feedback flynengr, thanks. That's what I was afraid of but I was prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt. I saw the notice for the one at beale but I wasn't at home then either.

[AvidFlyer]

They are calling for up to an inch of rain in the valley tomorrow. I was going to fly over to Lodi for Breakfast with a group...got tagged to knock out my quarterly Simulator training this weekend anyways. Oh well if I have to sit in a metal box and pretend to fly and put out engine fires for 6 hours might as well do it when it's raining out. From my experiences with these type of Seminars they really dumb it down. The last one I attended was like Flyengr described...Don't fly in the mountains during the heat of the day, mountain wave, density altitude..blah blah blah..good info for flatlanders but pretty DUH for anyone with any real mountain flying experience. If you want some real mountain flying advice head to McCall or Alaska and buy the bible and study it like you were going to be tested on it.

[wannabe]

Out of desire - I originally learned most of my Mtn. Flying the hard way - surviving mistakes in judgment and skills. I had scared myself often enough to know I needed to learn from the mistake of others. That was when I saw an add that the 99s were putting on a Mtn. Flying seminar in McCall Idaho. I rented an old Citabria and off I went, hoping to learn enough to keep from scaring the shit out of myself.

In the last twenty or thirty years I have attended all sorts of "Mtn. Flying 'seminars.' "

I started with the first one in 1983 in McCall. The first one put on with Lynn Clark and Sparky.
I have since paid my way through a dozen or so formal multi day classes. These are worth it.

I have also attended every alleged Mtn. Flying "program" I could find in the half dozen bay area clubs I have belonged to and also the Wings program versions. These one to two hour jokes were never worth the time. All they really amounted to were density altitude reviews for what has more appropriately become known as high altitude check outs - mostly aimed at getting to and from Tahoe or Truckee.

The last one of these I attended at Reid Hillview turned out to be a slide show of one instructors visit to Idaho. It was so bad - he often did not know where is photos were taken - actually talked about running low on fuel and hoping he could make it to McCall. Well other than bad planning I had to show him on his slide that he was about a mile from Cascade runway.

You can also take an online course with AOPA or the FAA - I am too old to remember
That on line course was better that all of the local alleged Mtn. Flying Wings programs.

All of these introductory "classes" only give you a motivational background to start from - They are nothing without one on one instruction down in the "Snag Zone."

Nuff for now
May actually fly this am

Be Safe
Remember: Take offs are optional.