Mountain fliers have their own bible

December 30, 11:55 AMDenver Aviation ExaminerChris Rodriguez

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Rollins/Corona Pass - Source: www.pbase.com

As a pilot I’ve flown over some of the higher terrain in the United States, whether it’s the Sierra Nevada or the Rocky Mountains. As an air traffic controller, I’ve worked aircraft above and around these ranges, both can be equally challenging at times.

But fear of the unknown (on both sides of the frequency) keeps pilots and controllers wary of this terrain, which is a shame as it’s some of the best flying you’ll ever encounter.

An excellent book I recommend is the Mountain Flying Bible Revised by Sparky Imeson. He has a Web site where you can buy this and other books direct from the author. You won’t be disappointed, even if you’re a flatlander with no intention of going within 150 miles of the Continental Divide. I still have a borrowed copy from a friend that I really do intend on returning some day.

Most of my personal flying from Longmont has been to the west, straight toward and over the Rockies. In future entries, I’ll go over some of the prominent mountain passes you’ll learn to love (or dread), and some of the traps waiting for you out there – like I-70 in some areas.

From at ATC perspective, high terrain of the likes we have here in Colorado should definitely be respected and planned carefully, but not totally avoided. Too often we’ve had aircraft pick a straight line from Point A to Point B (from one mountain airport to one on the plains usually) without any regard for the special considerations this area requires. Often these flights end badly, as with the one reported in Longmont Examiner at this link. Other times something along the way towards an incident is altered (known in the ATC world as “breaking the chain”) either by the pilot or controller and these sad situations are avoided.

Planning and preparation are the keys, as well as knowledge and experience. Have apprehension about heading towards that higher terrain? Go to one of the many flight schools along the Front Range for a mountain flying course, you’ll be glad you did.