Question: I am a 200-hour private pilot with an aspiration to fly from the California coast to Utah to visit family. Every route I am considering takes me over the mountains. What is the best way to prepare for such a flight?
Answer: You should begin by making sure you have an appropriate airplane. Information published by the FAA recommends using an aircraft of no less than 160 horsepower for flight over the mountains and taking a recognized Mountain Flying course to prepare.
These courses can be found online and are often offered by businesses located in mountainous states. The courses usually span a few days and are a combination of theory classes and actual flying. You will learn to “read” the terrain and how to avoid down drafts, and there will be an emphasis on weather as mountains generate their own weather, mechanical turbulence, and of course density altitude.
Aircraft performance will be stressed.
Navigation will also be important, as all those mountain passes tend to look alike, and you don’t want to fly into a “blind canyon” that lacks sufficient room for you to safely turn around, even if you have been taught the “canyon turn.” Don’t count on GPS to guide you either, as the magenta line in “direct to” mode will put you right through a mountain if you are not paying attention to altitude. The way to address this is to incorporate topographic maps into your planning and set waypoints into the GPS to avoid hazardous areas or obstacles.
Please note that the FAA does not require a special endorsement for mountain flying, but there are some flight schools that will require completion of their program before they allow you to rent one of their airplanes over the mountains.
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