VFR? No problem with a 172.




Dan Youngquist wrote:

On Tue, 15 May 2007, scronje wrote:

Part of the mission would be fairly regular flights from CTB - LWS and
back. (2-3 souls and luggage). What straight-legged 4 seaters would be
up to the task? (The actual route would be CYBU - CYXH - CTB - LWS )

Crossing those rocks would seem to exclude a C-172 and its friends.


I fly a club Tomahawk and 172N (160HP) based at S73, in the hills a ways
east of LWS. I don't have a whole lot of experience flying over the
really serious mountains, but I fly to Missoula occasionally. Doesn't
look like there's anything a whole lot higher from there to Cut Bank,
than there is from here to Missoula. So, based on my experience, I'd
suggest you not completely write off a 172. Something bigger & more
powerful would be nice, but a 172 is cheaper to buy and cheaper to feed.

Of course, it might depend a lot on how big those 2-3 souls are, and how
much luggage they want to take along. But I wouldn't be too concerned
about loading the 172 to gross weight and flying from here to Cut Bank.

Don't know how much mountain flying you've done, but whatever you get,
make sure you know a little about it before you make the trip, and carry
some basic survival gear. Also, whenever practical, I like to select
routes that won't take 2 days to hike into, should rescuers find it
necessary.

-Dan