Lots of comments here about a 172 at these altitudes. Our field is at 7,500’ and has the continental divide with peaks over 14,000’ on one end of the runway.
A 172 can fly up here, but you have to be smart and very picky about the days you fly. We don’t fly with full fuel and take the back seats out in the summer.
If there’s enough wind over the passes, or density altitude is high, we stay in the valley. Mountain flying is an entirely different beast.
Oh yikes. Every 152 I’ve flown makes 172s look like Superman. They are anaemic even at sea level in the summer!
In that class of plane, 182s are my personal minimum up here in the summer. I have heard of very experienced pilots having close calls with unexpected downdrafts on otherwise calm days.
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Seat? I would have blown out a whole new access panel in the belly of that flivver with the sheer force of my terror.
The few times I've been in bush flights over terrain, it's always felt like the man upstairs is punching my dance card. When I'm feeling brave I'll sometimes ask pilots about it, and sometimes they're like, yep, feels that way flying too - that's why I love it!
According to the comments, the pilot turned around and flew over a different pass nearby. Didn't think I'd have the nerves to do that after nearly dying.
Have you ever had a serious close call while driving and then continued your trip once the acute danger had passed? I don’t think that it’s that rare for pilots or drivers to continue after a close shave.
The point is not that he merely continued flying, but that he made the same reckless decision to fly over the mountains a second time. Most people who have a close call on the road drive with more care afterward.
well, the first attempt was reckless because they didn't have enough altitude. the second attempt was with more altitude, ie. "driving with more caution"
He was flying to a different airport from the one he took off from. It's possible he was way past the point of no return and had to make it over the pass or emergency land in the mountains.
A 172 can fly up here, but you have to be smart and very picky about the days you fly. We don’t fly with full fuel and take the back seats out in the summer.
If there’s enough wind over the passes, or density altitude is high, we stay in the valley. Mountain flying is an entirely different beast.