What is a Mountain Course??

[CaptainSFGreenBeret]

MY ONLY RECOMMENDATION IS STAY CLEAR OF VERTICARE/AIR TRAILS AT THE SALINAS AIRPORT CALIFORNIA. UNLESS YOU HAVE YOUR OWN 'BODY BAG'!!!

[ADRidge]

A "mountain course" may seem silly to you folks in the Rockies and that's fine. But I will say, as a flat-lander/sea level pilot, going up into the mountains for a few days of flying really opened my eyes. I was already aware of the performance limitations at higher DA's, but to get into the mountains and see what that flying was like first hand really made me think a bit more about where I was going, how I was going to execute the approach, and my flying habits in general.

 

Yeah I blew more money than I would have in the pattern, but I'd wager I learned quite a bit more in that 25 hours above 5000' MSL than I would have spending that same 25 hours in the pattern at sea level.

Edited April 7, 2009 by ADRidge

[flewthecoupe]

Even for those that trained up here in Colorado, it's nice to have some "advanced" training. A CFI(I) can tell you all day this is what happens with the winds and this is how you cross a 12000' mountain pass with 20kt winds and this is what to watch for and this is how you get out of this situation and here is your theoretical point of no return and on and on. But until you actually go up and do it, it's basically food for thought and nothing else. Sure you can take what they taught you and when stuff hits the fan you can dig back into the memory bank of thoughts and be like "oh, this is what they meant and this is what they do to correct" and by then you're a lawn dart. Maybe it's not as important for someone who has 1000 plus hours and they are all high altitude/mountain hours. But take a lower time pilot and it's definitely beneficial. When an experienced pilot comes along and flies with you and shows you specifically what to look for, how high to cross a pass depending on the winds, etc. it helps bring it all together to make a pilot more aware of how a helicopter will react. I've flown an R44 to 13000'msl at close to MGW and felt completely safe doing so because I was taught how to do it properly. Not something you can teach from the beaches of Florida. There are so many things taught during basic flight instruction that aren't related to real world flying until you've actually put yourself in the situation by being ignorant or someone more experienced puts you there to learn. Doesn't matter how inside the safety curve you are, a light helicopter can be smashed into the ground by a 2000fpm downdraft only slightly slower than a heavy bird. Call me dumb or whatever, I am very analytical but in my own situation it didn't connect in my mind where the turbulence is flying through a narrow passage in a canyon until it was pointed out. I know all about Bernoulli and Venturi and what happens with airflow. It was taught in grade school and high school and in ground school and was related to what happens to an airfoil but never really taught when it comes to terrain. Maybe my initial instructors at a now defunct school spaced it or maybe they didn't know and couldn't teach it because some of them were sea level trained. You'd be suprised at the looks we get when sea level pilots watch us use hover power as takeoff power and to pull no more. And that's just a small piece of the pie.

Edited April 7, 2009 by flewthecoupe

[helifool]

Here is a link to a video I made of the Mountain Course I took a Bristow, well worth it.

 

[ADRidge]

You'd be suprised at the looks we get when sea level pilots watch us use hover power as takeoff power and to pull no more. And that's just a small piece of the pie.

You're absolutely right about everything you posted, but I especially like this last bit. My primary CFI down at Vortex drilled those types of takeoffs into my head, and I really didn't understand why at first. "You're power-limited" he'd say. I'd think "yeah right, I can pull three more inches for five minutes." Now I know what he was getting at.

 

I think that, as you say, when you've got someone sitting next to you who has flown the mountains before, and who is familiar with the way wind interacts with mountains, valleys, etc, it's a heck of an eye-opener. I'm sure not every "mountain course" is set up like that, but many are. Mine was, and it was a hell of an experience. That's not even talking about the cross-country planning that went into the trip!

[Whistlerpilot]

Enjoyed your video Helifool, nice work.

 

Here are a couple of short ones from my mountain course 14 months ago southwest BC (pacific NW depending on where you're from).

 

 

 

Hey Kodoz Thanks for the word up on your full down training with Jerry Trimble. After talking with Jerry I decided he's the one I want to finish up my CFI with.

 

DH, I'm jealous of you because you have a full time instructor job even if it's not in the mountains. Look out here comes another 300 hour CFI on the job market!

 

Today was officially the last day of my heliski season. The weather has been perfect. I will post some video footage of the last few days flying, tomorrow after some editing.

[clay]

Mine was, and it was a hell of an experience. That's not even talking about the cross-country planning that went into the trip!

 

 

where was yours? and who with?