Night flying in the mountians in a cessna 150,

Trent Moorehead wrote:
"Dude" wrote in message
...

That being said, putting a plane like a 150 into the trees isn't
impossible
at all. Simply mushing it into the foliage as slow as possible has
been
accomplished many times, even if it is a crap shoot. Given the
hieght of
some of those trees would make it interesting to get down
afterwards
though.

I've been doing some reading lately that advises pilots to aim for
the base
of the trees, not the foliage. Mushing it into the tops of the trees
ensures
that you will stall as soon as the plane touches the first treetop.
The nose
will drop and you will be going straight down from there. Unless the
tree
branches break the fall on the way down, there is a good chance you
will not
survive. The taller the trees, the farther you fall, the harder the
impact.

If you aim for the base of the trees, you'll be under control as
close to
the ground as possible when the stall occurs. You do have to be
careful not
to hit a tree trunk head-on, but if you aim right, the wings can be
used to
absorb energy, making the deceleration as gradual as possible. It's
the
quick deceleration that kills you or renders you unconscious and if
there is
a fire you are not getting out.

I also used to think that mushing the plane into the treetops was the
way to
go, but obviously I've been rethinking that. And just reading the
title of
this thread gives me willies. To be honest, I thought it was a joke
or a
hypothetical question, not a recounting of an actual experience.
Speaking
for myself only, outright emergencies notwithstanding, you won't find
me
"Night flying in the mountains in a cessna 150".

-Trent
PP-ASEL

It also matters what type of trees you try that mushing in. In the
East, limbs tend to point up. But in the West, they tend to point down
(Fir). If you expect those tree limbs to break your fall you can forget
it (those limbs are designed to shed snowfall). They will only spring
back up after you have crumpled yourself into the ground, hiding your
wreckage for (sometimes) years before a hapless hiker stumbles into it.

Tom

It also matters what type of trees you try that mushing in.

Please read "How to Crash an Airplane and Survive" by Mick Wilson,
formerly FAA DEN FSDO Safety Program Manager.

He tells us we want to fly just above stall speed, in landing
configuration. Please do not attempt to "mush it in".

Sparky Imeson, of "The Mountain Flying Bible" tells us to "fly the
aircraft as far into the crash as possible", that is, "keep flying the
aircraft".

We cite both of these excellent writers and aviators in the Colorado
Pilots Association's Mountain Flying Course. See:
www.coloradopilots.org

Yes, I fly (any two of):
Mountains
Night
IFR

Best regards,

Jer/ "Flight instruction and mountain flying are my vocation!" Eberhard

--
Jer/ (Slash) Eberhard, Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD, Ft Collins, CO
CELL 970 231-6325 EMAIL jer'at'frii.com WEB http://users.frii.com/jer/
C-206 N9513G, CFII Airplane&Glider, FAA-DEN Aviation Safety Counselor
CAP-CO Mission&Aircraft CheckPilot, BM218 HAM N0FZD, 222 Young Eagles!

wrote in message
...
It also matters what type of trees you try that mushing in.

Please read "How to Crash an Airplane and Survive" by Mick Wilson,
formerly FAA DEN FSDO Safety Program Manager.

He tells us we want to fly just above stall speed, in landing
configuration. Please do not attempt to "mush it in".

Sparky Imeson, of "The Mountain Flying Bible" tells us to "fly the
aircraft as far into the crash as possible", that is, "keep flying the
aircraft".

We cite both of these excellent writers and aviators in the Colorado
Pilots Association's Mountain Flying Course. See:
www.coloradopilots.org

Yes, I fly (any two of):
Mountains
Night
IFR

Best regards,

Jer/ "Flight instruction and mountain flying are my vocation!" Eberhard

--
Jer/ (Slash) Eberhard, Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD, Ft Collins, CO
CELL 970 231-6325 EMAIL jer'at'frii.com WEB http://users.frii.com/jer/
C-206 N9513G, CFII Airplane&Glider, FAA-DEN Aviation Safety Counselor
CAP-CO Mission&Aircraft CheckPilot, BM218 HAM N0FZD, 222 Young Eagles!

All good stuff guys. The mushing in I heard of was mostly Florida stuff.
Most places where I fly, the bases of the trees are not an option - its too
thick, and you cannot see them. You certainly cannot see them at night.
Also, mushing isn't the best term as it means different things to different
folks.

The east vs. west thing is great. The type of trees matters a lot if you
think about it. But are you really going to be able to tell?

Also, the plane type would matter. Let's face it, not all planes are of
similar crashworthiness.

One real problem is going to be aiming between the trees. If you have no
experience with skiing or biking or something similar, that may be more than
most folks can accomplish.

I am naturally not a go with the odds guy. I have to train to overcome my
desire to calculate and decide based on all the apparent evidence vs. what
is most likely to work in all cases. I often get the impression that some
flight advice is like betting on the favorite horse even if he is limping.