Mountain Flying
Rocky Mountains west of Denver, Colorado Each time I plan a flight to the Rocky Mountains and beyond, I think ,"Now, what are the important things to consider when flying into mountainous areas?" and then, "Wouldn’t it be nice if I had a summary of those things for review!" So, here is an attempt at such a summary. It is based on many sources: flight instructors, fellow pilots, various publications such as Sport Aviation and AOPA Pilot, and, last but not least, Nature, which has had an impressive way of teaching lessons. The discussion below introduces some formulas that I have found useful. If you hate mathematics and formulas, just ignore that st uff . For me, doing these computations while flying is a way to stay alert and to have something to talk about with my copilot. 1. Takeo ff 1.1 Density Altitude We must know the density altitude to estimate the minimum runway length required for takeo ff . An approximate formula for density altitude is D = A ...