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#1
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Permit me a moment, please, to say...
WOW!
Flying is just SO cool! I took another Mount St. Helens flight Saturday at noontime. It's a favorite around here with the folks who want to ride in a plane; first choice. So the route of flight was relatively pedestrian, since I've done it a few times already, weather was pretty good, a nice broken layer at 12,000, with scattered stuff at 10,000 and, I learned, an AIRMET for moderate turbulence in the region "below 15,000 feet". We didn't notice any turbulence, so on the north side of the mountain I called in a PIREP to say so. What we *did* get, right abeam the dome and crater of the mountain, was my very first strong mountain updraft. We gained 1000 feet in *very* short order, and it was astounding how good it felt to ride it. Of course, upon rounding the mountain we also caught a *down*draft, which made me glad I didn't try to control altitude during the unintended climb, that 1000 feet was gone just as fast as it came. I wonder, from anyone who knows the region: is that a characteristic of the area? I recall we had a southwesterly flow that day, with winds aloft from the south at 20 knots or so. Any way to predict that region? If anyone is curious I'm happy to post the pictures we took of the area. Rob -- [You] don't make your kids P.C.-proof by keeping them ignorant, you do it by helping them learn how to educate themselves. -- Orson Scott Card |
#2
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"Robert Perkins" wrote in message ... | | What we *did* get, right abeam the dome and crater of the mountain, | was my very first strong mountain updraft. We gained 1000 feet in | *very* short order, and it was astounding how good it felt to ride it. | | Of course, upon rounding the mountain we also caught a *down*draft, | which made me glad I didn't try to control altitude during the | unintended climb, that 1000 feet was gone just as fast as it came. | | I wonder, from anyone who knows the region: is that a characteristic | of the area? I recall we had a southwesterly flow that day, with winds | aloft from the south at 20 knots or so. Any way to predict that | region? | If there is an updraft on one side of a mountain, there will usually be a downdraft on the other side. Approaching the lee side of a mountain range should be at an angle in order to allow you to turn away quickly to safety if the downdraft is too strong. St. Helens sits pretty much by itself amid a lot of lower mountains, so if you want to maintain altitude you should stay further away from the mountain when you are on the lee side. I fly in kind of a teardrop, with the point of the tear on the downwind side of the mountain. That way I can turn away from the mountain to safety any time that I encounter a strong downdraft. See any herds of elk? |
#3
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You did, of course, check out the Special Notices in the AIM about circling
the mountain, like no closer than three miles and 3000 ft agl? Not saying that you couldn't experience up- and downdrafts at greater distances and/or altitudes, but I think the suggested procedure is intended to minimize the wind effects. But it is awesome. Didn't have a camera, but I will never forget flying over the mountain a year or so before it blew, watching a string of climbers trudging up to the summit. Just like Mt. Fuji, only closer to home. Bob Gardner "Robert Perkins" wrote in message ... WOW! Flying is just SO cool! I took another Mount St. Helens flight Saturday at noontime. It's a favorite around here with the folks who want to ride in a plane; first choice. So the route of flight was relatively pedestrian, since I've done it a few times already, weather was pretty good, a nice broken layer at 12,000, with scattered stuff at 10,000 and, I learned, an AIRMET for moderate turbulence in the region "below 15,000 feet". We didn't notice any turbulence, so on the north side of the mountain I called in a PIREP to say so. What we *did* get, right abeam the dome and crater of the mountain, was my very first strong mountain updraft. We gained 1000 feet in *very* short order, and it was astounding how good it felt to ride it. Of course, upon rounding the mountain we also caught a *down*draft, which made me glad I didn't try to control altitude during the unintended climb, that 1000 feet was gone just as fast as it came. I wonder, from anyone who knows the region: is that a characteristic of the area? I recall we had a southwesterly flow that day, with winds aloft from the south at 20 knots or so. Any way to predict that region? If anyone is curious I'm happy to post the pictures we took of the area. Rob -- [You] don't make your kids P.C.-proof by keeping them ignorant, you do it by helping them learn how to educate themselves. -- Orson Scott Card |
#4
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If anyone is curious I'm happy to post the pictures we took of the
area. Yeah! Post 'em! :-) Randy |
#5
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Robert Perkins wrote:
WOW! Flying is just SO cool! I took another Mount St. Helens flight Saturday at noontime. It's a favorite around here with the folks who want to ride in a plane; first choice. snip If anyone is curious I'm happy to post the pictures we took of the area. Hi Rob, Yes indeed, flying - especially here in the Northwest where the scenery is soooo spectacular - is about the coolest thing I can think of. I regularly come back from a flight completely charged up about how lucky we are. I haven't done it this year, but every time I fly over Mt. St. Helens I'm always completely awed and inspired. I've never had any problems with winds/downdrafts, but I give the mountain a pretty wide berth. If you want to post some photos or even if you don't, I invite you to come check out the Pacific Northwest Flying website, a place for Northwest pilots to chat and commiserate on local flying (there's also a popular "Name That Northwest Airport" game - see how good you are at identifying the mystery airport of the week). All free, with a friendly bunch of fellow Northwest pilots. There's a place to upload your photos, too (and since this newsgroup is not for binaries, i.e. images, it's probably not appropriate to post them here). http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/pnwflying Hope you'll come check it out sometime. David H Boeing Field (BFI), Seattle, WA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit the Pacific Northwest Flying forum: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/pnwflying |
#6
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On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 18:19:29 GMT, "Bob Gardner"
wrote: You did, of course, check out the Special Notices in the AIM about circling the mountain, like no closer than three miles and 3000 ft agl? (Checking my sectional) I was briefed by Seattle FSS the first time I flew it to keep those distances and make left traffic around the summit. If it's in the AIM, I don't know it. Looking at the course I plotted I surmise I was at least three miles away, with an MSL altitude of 8,500 feet. Until that updraft. Along the course line that altitude is at least 4000 AGL. No problem. Rob -- [You] don't make your kids P.C.-proof by keeping them ignorant, you do it by helping them learn how to educate themselves. -- Orson Scott Card |
#7
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"Robert Perkins" wrote in message ... | On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 18:19:29 GMT, "Bob Gardner" | wrote: | | You did, of course, check out the Special Notices in the AIM about circling | the mountain, like no closer than three miles and 3000 ft agl? | | (Checking my sectional) | | I was briefed by Seattle FSS the first time I flew it to keep those | distances and make left traffic around the summit. If it's in the AIM, | I don't know it. | It is not in the AIM. Bob must have meant the A/FM. |
#8
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"Randy Wentzel" wrote in message ... If anyone is curious I'm happy to post the pictures we took of the area. Yeah! Post 'em! :-) Seconded! -- Jim Fisher |
#9
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If anyone is curious I'm happy to post the pictures we took of the
area. Yeah! Post 'em! :-) Seconded! Here ya go. It takes so long for the Comcast stuff to upload and format pictures that I ran out of time after six. Enjoy! http://home.comcast.net/~brperkins2 Rob -- [You] don't make your kids P.C.-proof by keeping them ignorant, you do it by helping them learn how to educate themselves. -- Orson Scott Card |
#10
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Yes it is SO cool. Took some friends to northern NM to check out a
hunting area a few years ago. It was on the side of a circular mountain several miles in diameter. We had a strong wind that gave us an updraft on the side we were inspecting. I discovered I could throttle back to idle and zig-zag up the side without power. (making my turns away from the mountain, of course) Once at the top I added power, went over top and pulled away from the mountain to come around and do it again. Spent quite some time 'gliding' up that mountain that day. -- Gene Seibel Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html Because I fly, I envy no one. WOW! Flying is just SO cool! I took another Mount St. Helens flight Saturday at noontime. It's a favorite around here with the folks who want to ride in a plane; first choice. So the route of flight was relatively pedestrian, since I've done it a few times already, weather was pretty good, a nice broken layer at 12,000, with scattered stuff at 10,000 and, I learned, an AIRMET for moderate turbulence in the region "below 15,000 feet". We didn't notice any turbulence, so on the north side of the mountain I called in a PIREP to say so. What we *did* get, right abeam the dome and crater of the mountain, was my very first strong mountain updraft. We gained 1000 feet in *very* short order, and it was astounding how good it felt to ride it. Of course, upon rounding the mountain we also caught a *down*draft, which made me glad I didn't try to control altitude during the unintended climb, that 1000 feet was gone just as fast as it came. I wonder, from anyone who knows the region: is that a characteristic of the area? I recall we had a southwesterly flow that day, with winds aloft from the south at 20 knots or so. Any way to predict that region? If anyone is curious I'm happy to post the pictures we took of the area. Rob |
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