Planning a Trip Over The Rockies

vincent p. norris wrote in message . ..
Hello, everyone I am wanting to take a flight from "COE" Coeur D'Alene, ID
to "GTF" Great Falls, MT I was wanting to do this in my Cessna 150......

The advice that I've heard most often is, get some classes in mountain
flying. They should be able to teach you about things ranging from what
gear to carry to the types of planes & equipment to fly, to safely fit
your mission.

I think mountain flying classes are a great thing, but I think there's
a difference between "mountain flying" and "flying from point A to
point B near mountains".

That's good advice, but you can follow I-90 almost all the way, if I
recall correctly. And that's the prudent way to do it. You won't
have to get very high, you'll have the world's longest runway under
you if you have to land, and there will be civilization nearby if you
need help.

It's I-90 through Missoula to Helena I think, then I-15N, but that's
a nit. Yes, basically if one does this, you're "flying from point A
to point B along a valley near mountains" and the things one needs
to know decrease a bit. Get out the POH and do some careful study
of the rate of climb vs. altitude tables and takeoff/landing
distances.

As for the C150, the real question is what can THIS C150 do, and the
way to find out is take it out and see how high it will climb with
proper leaning
and attention to how Vy changes with altitude. Pay attention to the
roc you get at various altitudes and compare with book, compare the
service ceiling, and get a "feel" fo how it handles at higher
altitudes.

Avoid flying with winds aloft above 25-30 kts or so unless you're a
glider pilot or get mountain flying training, and try to fly
early in the am or late in the afternoon. Don't expect to get flight
following, file a VFR flight plan, and if you land to fuel somewhere
surrounded by mountains don't count on being able to open it in the
air.

If you plan to make side trips to this and that point of interest
or smaller airports tucked back in the mountains, then the "get
mountain
flying training" advice comes back to the fore, but we and other flat
land pilots who paid attention to DA and performance have managed to
do the "fly from A to B surrounded by mountains" thing without being
bitten.

Good luck and have fun,
Sydney