All,

I hope you are all well.

I recently have been asked to coordinate and create content related to Backcountry Safety and operations. Many of you know last year was not a banner year safety-wise. None of what I'll be involved in creating will generate any revenue. It's all gratis and primarily focused on the safe operations in the realm which we all cherish.

Each and every incident decreases our chances of continued access to the places we love. Whether like it or not we live in the court of public opinion and could lose access to our favored place simply by the stroke of a pen.

I ask that you reply to this thread with constructive inputs to content we can create to help folks get in and out of the backcountry safely. I'm very aware of the wonderful content already available from the IAA etc. I'm working with AOP/RAF/EAA etc to extend the reach.

This site is the holy grail of experts. I need solid and credible input please. I don't need snarky crap (93).

With the generous input of those of you who have done this for many years maybe we can reach a pilot or two who does not end up on youtube for the wrong reasons.

I really do appreciate any and all appropriate and constructive input. Here's what I have in mind. Please volunteer any tips, hints, suggestions for methodology in accomplishing backcountry GA operations more safely. Some examples might include:

1. Effective pre-planning beyond the usual preflight stuff
2. Calculating reduced performance in high DA scenarios
3. Studying terrain with available modern tools and planning for unconventional approaches and departures
4. Developing personal minimums or code of operations that define when I will not takeoff or land
5. Since backcountry ops can often be very social, how to deal with peer pressure and the phenomenon of delegated decision making.

Of course, it doesn't have to be this heavy, either. Any good tips for flying more safely into backcountry spots are welcome.

JC

3. Studying terrain with available modern tools and planning for unconventional approaches and departures

For me the most challenge I had when I first flew to Idaho the first time, was to get to be in the correct drainage and at the correct altitude, I had the Idaho book, and it was useful, but nowadays Flight Simulator 2020 and 2024 3D terrain, has become so accurate, it can give you a good idea on how the area will look and feel when you go for the first time, you are able to study the area.
Also if a pilot wants to fly to the most confined airstrips, on his own the first time, he better know his plane well, in case a canyon turn is needed or you end up too high on an airstrip with no go around.

My own experience--and admitted prejudice--is that all of the major safety factors, including cultivating personal minimums, can be addressed by getting dual from a qualified instructor in the country you're going to fly in.

There are plenty of places that seem like they can be figured out on one's own, using books, videos, flight simulators, forums etc. etc. The trouble with relying those kinds of resources is that they don't teach you how to handle the airplane (e.g, slow, maneuvering flight in tight spaces), and they cannot cover all of the contingencies and gotchas that local pilots will know about (e.g., don't depart Dixie FS when the sun is setting or you'll be totally blinded when turning west to depart down Crooked Creek). Look at the causes of the crashes in the backcountry, and you'll almost always find a major factor was a lack of airmanship or local experience and knowledge.

If there's one single thing that aviation organizations could do to improve backcountry safety, it would be to make backcountry flying clinics more accessible for the average pilot, and that means making them less expensive, as in subsidies. It's kind of like Driver's Ed.

My $.02

CAVU

P.S. I don't fancy myself an expert or backcountry guru comparable to others on this board. I'm just a guy who has been doing it for fun for a while (35 years, WTH?).

As a newbie to the tail wheel and back country scene I have absolutely nothing of value to add here on the topic but I will be following along closely in order to gain as much knowledge and advice as possible. My biggest concern with this venture is safety and returning home safely from such outings. I need to get a decent flight simulator setup and start practicing at home with these realistic scenarios as chair flying only goes so far.

First and foremost is good training! Second is thinking out of the box of rules. A stall/spin aerobatic training course is something that should be done as the ink on the PPL license is drying. This would go a long way in preventing small issue from developing into a major one. Mountain or STOL training is also available and is worth every penny. The major problem of basic training is the FAA and instructors in general like fixed sets of rules that do not apply or are even dangerous in the Backcountry/off runway/bush flying world. Instruction that Airspeed is life or altitude is life insurance can be dangerous in the mountains or landing on short strips. Maintaining attitude during a canyon turn? why not slow down and reduce the risk of stall by dropping the nose if you have vertical altitude to spare? Winds in the mountains are usually worse at altitude then at ground level, so learn to fly low. Learning to fly slow allows you to properly evaluate and approach areas. Add 5 mph for wheel landings is not needed, tailwheel first, 3 point, and wheel landing can all be done 1 mph over stall speed if properly trained. One of the big lies told by instructors is "You can always go around" Sometimes you can't!! Suck it up, land and take your whoopin' like an adult, you will most likely bend stuff but you will be alive. Going around has caused lots of accidents and deaths. When you evaluate a strip always pick which side is best to crash on in case things go bad (hint: the side away from other aircraft). Taildraggers should always pick a point to ground loop vs flipping the plane over when running out of runway. Drink a big glass of milk daily and grow a spine so you can call out dangerous pilots and not fall pray to one upping your buddy. Don't be the idiot that does not call out location or ask questions. Flight simulators are ok for a view of a flight plan but it does very little to add the skills pilots need for real world flying. Get training, then go burn gas. Start out on short runs and perfect days, build you experience slow and steady.
DENNY

DENNY wrote:First and foremost is good training! Second is thinking out of the box of rules. A stall/spin aerobatic training course is something that should be done as the ink on the PPL license is drying. This would go a long way in preventing small issue from developing into a major one. Mountain or STOL training is also available and is worth every penny. The major problem of basic training is the FAA and instructors in general like fixed sets of rules that do not apply or are even dangerous in the Backcountry/off runway/bush flying world. Instruction that Airspeed is life or altitude is life insurance can be dangerous in the mountains or landing on short strips. Maintaining attitude during a canyon turn? why not slow down and reduce the risk of stall by dropping the nose if you have vertical altitude to spare? Winds in the mountains are usually worse at altitude then at ground level, so learn to fly low. Learning to fly slow allows you to properly evaluate and approach areas. Add 5 mph for wheel landings is not needed, tailwheel first, 3 point, and wheel landing can all be done 1 mph over stall speed if properly trained. One of the big lies told by instructors is "You can always go around" Sometimes you can't!! Suck it up, land and take your whoopin' like an adult, you will most likely bend stuff but you will be alive. Going around has caused lots of accidents and deaths. When you evaluate a strip always pick which side is best to crash on in case things go bad (hint: the side away from other aircraft). Taildraggers should always pick a point to ground loop vs flipping the plane over when running out of runway. Drink a big glass of milk daily and grow a spine so you can call out dangerous pilots and not fall pray to one upping your buddy. Don't be the idiot that does not call out location or ask questions. Flight simulators are ok for a view of a flight plan but it does very little to add the skills pilots need for real world flying. Get training, then go burn gas. Start out on short runs and perfect days, build you experience slow and steady.
DENNY

^ well said

I’d also do falling leaf stalls

Did a FAAST thing, looked at a ton of accidents and not working the rudder and trying to climb over trees vs aim for them (ground effect) was a factor

I tend to have an iterative thought process with these sorts of things so I'll probably post again, but here are my initial thoughts:

Back country training is key, and I'm sure everyone is going to say that.

During training, many pilot are taught to fear the edges of the envelope. I understand why, but this also means there are a lot of pilots out there who simply don't know how to ride the line if the chips are down. For this reason I feel like aerobatic training could be a real benefit to most pilots, not just those who venture into the back country.

Experiencing a real high DA takeoff in their own airplane. I say this because I'm a bit paranoid and I never pushed it in terms of time of day and temps. But, one time several years ago I had an eye opening experience taking off from a 7000 foot runway in Wyoming during the dead of summer fully loaded in a 182. I had been to plenty of safety seminars which explained what would happen, but didn't truly appreciate it until I felt it.

It could be useful to carry a takeoff calculator. I have one of those T.O.P Comp slide rule calculators in my flight bag, and it actually pretty accurate. Running several scenarios in advance so you're mentally prepared for several different situations is important.

To add to my previous point, mental prep is so important. Checking 3D terrain, reviewing the performance charts, researching normal approaches for tight strips, that preparedness reduces stress if things don't go exactly to plan because you have variations programmed into your brain. There is simply too much information out there not to be well prepared.

Use the damn radio and use it correctly. I fly over and in central Idaho all the time and I frankly don't give a shit where you had breakfast or the elk you saw unless you narrowly avoided on the last takeoff. Save that shit for the hangar. There have been several occasions where I could not get calls out for approaches to back country strips because some dudes were shooting the shit on the radio.

Be really careful when flying in a group. A well known pilot in Idaho was almost killed because of some confusion between where this pilot was and another pilot who was flying the same route - they collided thinking they were further apart than they were. I'd recommend formation flying and having a system.

We need to encourage Youtube content creators not to encourage stupidity. A lot of pilots get their backcountry training from Youtube, and a lot of dumb shit is conveyed there.

The book Fly Idaho is not a substitute for backcountry training. I feel like these sorts of books provide a false sense of confidence for some pilots.

Learn the tools you have available to you. Box canyons are a major issue and keeping your EFB up on a tablet with the terrain hazard layer on can be a quick visual as to where you are relative to surrounding terrain in every direction at any time.

Remember that ADSB doesn't work everywhere. ADSB can be a source of complacency and discourages keeping your head on a swivel. When it does work I've found some major differences between what the ADSB in says and where another aircraft actually is.

Ok, yeah, here I go again already.

In terms of peer pressure and get-there-itis, I find the best recipe for that is a consistent focus with your passengers and fellow pilots. I'm pretty conservative, and I always talk about managing risk. When I tell my wife or any of my friends that I'm concerned and we may not go, they're never suprised for push back because they know it could be coming. Hedging by discussing risks openly helps to plant the seed for cancelling a flight without getting a bunch of pushback. I find most passengers appreciate the discussion, you might think it would scare them, but I find many appreciate the reassurance that their pilot is obviously focusing on safety.

I feel like these situations can be rooted in not wanted to feel inadequate, even ashamed, for having to cancel or back out of a flight. Especially with men, the feeling of shame is something we're wired to mishandle early on in life. I recommend all pilots explore this within themselves.

A significant resource: https://amzn.to/4alym9A

Buy that book! Then, READ it, and view it as a textbook for backcountry flying.....which is precisely what the authors intended.

Second: I can teach a pilot the vast majority of skills they'll need in the back country at their local airport. No terrain necessary, no super short strips, etc. We are NOT teaching pilots basic aeronautical skills, and this lack of basic skills is killing people, both in the back country and the front country.

So, another resource: https://www.richstowell.com/learn-to-turn/ Rich Stowell hits the nail on the head in this comprehensive treatise on how to turn your airplane safely. And, consider that the number one cause of General Aviation fatal accidents is loss of control in flight. And, a high percentage of those were the result of botched turns in the traffic pattern. Good grief!!! If we can't even fly a safe traffic pattern at a big, wide open airport.......

Why do you think those folks who fly a LOOOONNGGG straight in final to Johnson Creek do so? It's because they either don't know how to turn their airplane, or they don't believe their airplane CAN turn tight, close to the ground. And, Johnson Creek is EASY!!!

On the topic of "Backcountry Flight Clinics": Go ahead and put one of those together yourself, but first, check out liability insurance...... I was involved in putting together one of those, and we actually had a very well known "backcountry flying expert" and author of books on the subject join us as an instructor pilot. He wound up going up canyon in the back seat of a friend's plane, apparently taking notes, while the pilot waited for him to say the magic words: "turn now". A very high density altitude day......They crashed, both were badly injured, a very nice airplane was destroyed, and our "backcountry clinic" turned into a "SAR Clinic". Fortunately, nobody died, and nobody got sued, though there could have been some very successful lawsuits from that one. Bottom line: You'll NEVER convince me or most experienced instructors to participate in one of those things unless you have serious liability insurance, hold harmless agreements, etc, etc.

But, again, a COMPETENT CFI can teach you to turn, to land ON A SPOT, and to land on that SPOT at minimum acceptable speed for that airplane and conditions. Then it's simply a matter of taking that basis of skills into the confined areas, whatever they may be. It's all about basic skills and discipline. And, those skills are best learned and perfected in wide open country, NOT at Dewey Moore.

Density Altitude: The single biggest issue with DA is it's sneaky.....we generally don't THINK about it, till we start wondering why the plane isn't performing like it "should". There are MAGIC resources that can help there: A Garmin G-5 or a uAvionix AV-30 is capable of displaying Density Altitude DIRECTLY.....looking you in the eye. I was flying with Richard McSpadden from AOPA to a ranch strip near here, which is at 7000 msl, and it was after noon. As I taxiid for takeofff, I looked at my AV-30, which said DA was 11000......wake up call....do this one right.

Finally, we have a LOT of "Experten" out there on this topic. Take everything I say, as well as everything THEY say with a grain of salt. As I've told students for decades, take what I offer, THINK about it, see how it MAY fit into YOUR flying, and either use it or discard it....your choice. But, MAKE that choice thoughtfully.

Buy that book! Read that book! Then, go through Rich's Learn to Turn program. They will both make you a better pilot.

MTV

It's great if your Pilot Operating Handbook is thorough and has rate of climb charts you can use, but not all POHs have that level of detail (the Maule POH is very short and completely silent on rate of climb, or distance required to clear a 50' obstacle in any conditions). Even if you have that data, it may not be completely accurate for a 25 year old plane. If your compressions are down, if more weight has been added over the years, if, if, if. Lots of things can make your real world performance fall short of the predicted performance in your POH, so get to know your plane as it currently performs. Some folks are perceptive enough that lots of flying in various conditions will give them a gut feel for performance that is pretty accurate. I'm not that good, and I lose part of what I learn each year over a mostly inactive winter season. For folks like me, it can pay to be very conservative on the length of strips you decide to land on and the rate of climb you'll need to get out of there. I leave lots of margin for hiccups and that cuts some strips off the access list for me. No problem, the backcountry is still full of places to visit that will keep me amazed for the years of flying I have left. Most of us do this for fun, so don't ruin your day by cutting your margins too close.

Two thoughts come to mind for me.
Seems to me the primary reason most accidents happen is lack of proficiency. Whether that is due to lack of knowledge or lack of practice really doesn't matter. As of today I've been pretty much fogged in for 6 weeks, and I can tell you my next flight will not be in to a challenging strip.
Virtually all of my flights are over rough terrain as I'm surrounded by it but even so before I go into the "real" backcountry I make sure I'm tuned up in the plane. It's a combination of pilot, machine, and environment that go in to flying. We have the most control over pilot and aircraft so if you're venturing further afield and into more challenging environments it's on you to make sure you and the plane are ready. The only control we have over environment is choosing when/where to fly - also a very important factor.

Herd mentality is a major deal too. Two other hobbies I've been involved with have even higher stakes on this - SCUBA and backcountry skiing. This is a long read, but a really good one on groupthink factors in avalanche risk tolerance. Unlike SCUBA we're not usually one breath away from death and unlike backcountry skiing we don't necessarily need the group agreement before we launch but nonetheless we still have to mentally separate ourselves from any group we are with and honestly evaluate capabilities in any situation.

An anecdotal story that's stuck with me - when I first started backcountry flying I took my dog for an overnight camp down at Dug Bar in Hell's canyon. Relatively easy strip and my dog almost never judges me - great. I get overhead the strip expecting no one to be there and it happened to be an RAF work day - like 15 planes. Someone in an RV was departing so we coordinated on the radio - no sweat. Due to that and my first time in I was way too hot/high on final. I floated over the strip and realized there was no way I could get it down clean. Not a problem as go around is doable there, but at the time it bruised my pride a bit to blast over all those folks. Came around and made a decent landing, phew. One of the other pilots there came to greet me and complimented my choice to go around. I don't remember exactly how, but he said it in a way that disarmed me a bit and turned my ego around so I was proud of the go around. I internalized that and try my best to pass it along - get ego out of the way and make safe decisions.

I'm not sure there is anything to say about learning to fly the backcountry that hasn't already been said, numerous times.

I have seen it posted on this forum, and others, that pilots want to take a backcountry class, but are wondering if its worth it, or if there are cheaper alternatives. I would wager that there are plenty of times where the pilot decides the cost is not worth it, that they can figure it out. Some can, and some clearly cannot.

Videos, books, and seminars can only do so much. Practice at an "easy" strip might be a good solution for many to practice their skills. A place that does not have a known width and length of asphalt or golf course fairway, none of the normal references like 1000' markers, no 500' of flat treeless ground at each end of the runway. I think a lot of goofing up in the backcountry is in people's heads, somewhere in the little pilot brain the consequences are higher, and they deviate from what they KNOW they should do.

Last fall I was hunting at Thomas Creek, I watched numerous 206's, 208's, islanders, a beaver and others come in. Some of the worst approaches and landing were the commercial pilots in 206's and even the caravans. These are pilots that HAVE BEEN trained, and theoretically passed a checkride, and by September should have dozens if not hundreds of landings at a place like Thomas. The single biggest mistake I saw, every day, was coming in too low, with what sounded like near full power, then floating 1/3 of the runway.

I guess the only thing I have seen in the backcountry that I have not head anyone talk about is if in a group, EVERYONE needs to be on 22.9 not just the lead plane.

DreadPirateWill wrote:An anecdotal story that's stuck with me...

Anecdotes and community tales were an extremely valuable learning tool for me here in the early days. Thanks to the guys who were willing to share their "live to tell" stories, I packed some inherited experience that I'm sure saved me at some point.

I’m relatively new to this (PPL 2015) and being an outdoor guy when I started I had visions of instant access to the black diamond stuff dancing in front of my eyes, and I bought a plane to match. I had other personal reasons to be in a hurry so fair enough, and I’m super conservative in general so I’ve stayed out of trouble. But being in a rush is not a good incentive set.

Looking back, If I was advising myself I’d say the following:

Be realistic about your progression. I’d have loved to be ski flying and camping at Wilson bar 50 hours after my private, but I’d also be dead. I’m 700 hours in with a lot of instruction and there’s still a lot I won’t do.

Get as much instruction as you can afford, and be disciplined about documenting your learning and alternating with structured practice of what you have documented.

Alway fly into something “new” with an instructor before you solo it. “New” can mean different weather, terrain, strip characteristics, anything that will throw you a curve and overload you.

Nail stick and rudder. This means being coordinated, on airspeed and pitch in every phase of flight at confined area speeds (in actual confined areas), so instinctively that your eyes are outside for all of it. I thought I was there until I got into Idaho canyons with an instructor, and I realized I couldn’t manage both aircraft control and near-terrain navigation smoothly.

Decide on every flight whether you are the PIC or a photographer. I’m both in life and I had visions of beautiful stills and video, mostly for my own memories. I’m not a YouTuber so there was no social pressure there, and yet… Early on I brought a big camera and did aerial photography, nice photos but it was obvious I wasn’t flying the airplane. So I switched to GoPros. Nice photos, but I was messing with camera control on my phone and not flying the airplane. Ok, fine, I’ll just press play on runup and let them roll until the battery dies so there’s no distraction. So now I’m flying the airplane… but my photographer brain is still telling the pilot where to position the airplane for good composition. And of course being down amongst it makes for the best photos, especially with wide-angle action camera optics. Good way to end up with a turkey vulture in your lap at 500’ AGL over the cool terrain feature. Eyes/brain outside, everything left over goes to the panel. If you want photos bring a friend.

Put in the work the night before. The technology tools are incredible, use them. Don’t be afraid to spend hours in the Google earth 3D view from every angle. Same with weather resources. The sensor density and forecast resources don’t leave much room for excuses on bad weather judgement or terrain surprises.

Zzz wrote:

DreadPirateWill wrote:An anecdotal story that's stuck with me...

Anecdotes and community tales were an extremely valuable learning tool for me here in the early days. Thanks to the guys who were willing to share their "live to tell" stories, I packed some inherited experience that I'm sure saved me at some point.

Same goes for me. I love to learn from other people. Good experiences and bad. And I'm quick to share my bad experiences so others can learn from my mistakes. We all screw up at some point, don't hide it and be ashamed. Share it so others might learn from it as well.

The one thing I'll share that varies from others here comes from my ag background. Yes, looking online and at charts and everything gives you a good idea of what you can expect and help you make a plan. But I would encourage everyone to keep an open mind. Not make set plans all the time. There are times when plan A and B and C don't pan out as expected. And if that's all you've prepared for and aren't expecting none of them to work, it can really add to your workload to try to figure out a new plan in the moment. I personally try to use the resources to understand the risks surrounding the area I plan to be flying, but I don't like to make a set plan until I'm overhead and know the exact conditions. I've seen it too many times where guys make a plan, then get to site and hit a wire that has just been put up. or wasn't shown on the map. Having an open mind and flexibility to change plans on the fly to me is an important part of backcountry and ag flying.

I'm a huge believer in getting dual or at least flying along with a local into these strips for the first time. The effects of density altitude really have to be experienced to be understood, and things like leaning for takeoff power, or visualizing sink over a cold river isn't really on the radar of a lot of sea level pilots.

Flying into and out of even the more "easy" strips is so different from most pilot's everyday flying, it's comparable to skiing groomers your whole life and then going straight to backcountry skiing in avalanche terrain. You really want a guide the first time.

One thing that I have observed after decades of backcountry and bush operations is that an insidious complacency creeps in when one or more of the risk factors is relatively low.

For examples -

Johnson Creek has a long and smooth runway.

Long runway? Easy!

Wrong!

Practically every other risk factor is quite high at and surrounding that airport. They all have challenges that can't be seen in the book or on youtube.

A favorite past time at JC is watching the circus of warm afternoon arrivals. There are several accidents at this airport every year, often with fatalities.

Stehekin -

pretty long strip at a lowish field elevation.

But it's surrounded by tall timber and steep terrain.

There is often a strong downstream wind that one logically concludes will help them in departure performance.

It turns out that climbing into an airmass that is going downhill at 300 fpm can chew up a significant portion of your climb rate.

This was almost all of my climb rate in a loaded up Cessna 170, 12 years ago. The book numbers looked quite favorable, but we missed the trees by about 20 feet on departure and flew the tree tops for a few thousand feet with the stall horn blaring, just barely not sinking into needles and limbs. Not my idea of a good time!

In the backcountry, any one factor can easily be accounted for, but when these factors dance with one another, things can get interesting.

My best pieces of advice are:

Target looking at the approach/departure environment holistically, understanding that many factors are constantly changing, and avoid allowing any one factor to dominate your assessment. The field is not the same today as it was yesterday, and your skill set should be developed to learn to deal with variability.

Learn to build margin everywhere that you can through superior flight planning. After the wheels have left the ground is not a good time to begin developing a plan B because plan A had some holes. Understanding the manageable risk factors is the key to staying alive in these dynamic environments.

Stay humble! Take it from a guy who survived more than a decade of exhibiting expressions of every hazardous attitude at some point, that you are not god's gift to bush flying. Relying on luck to get you past overconfidence and poor decision making in the backcountry is not a plan at all.

Build your skills in the front country and ease into actual BC ops.

Backcountry flying is not a casual pursuit. The skills and knowledge are perishable. The main thing that has kept me alive through my less experienced days is that I gobbled up every book and bit of information that I could find, and talked about BC flying with those who had more experience that me as a big part of my lifestyle.

Get good instruction all along the way and practice as often as you can.

I like everything I have read so far. I figured I would just make a list of bullet points that quickly come to mind. Experience and training is at the top of the list.

1. Fly early on cool mornings and fly at lower weights. Respect DA
2. Read Mountain/Canyon Flying - Amy Hoover, Mountain Flying Bible - Sparky Imeson, and Mountain and Canyon Flying Training Manual - Lori MacNichol.
3. Practice flying at Minimum Controllable airspeed/Stalls - old school style - Horn, Buffet, and Break. Different flap and power configurations
4. Practice Spot Landing and short/soft field takeoffs/landings at your sea level home airport.
5. Understand the performance of the airplane at varying DAs and weights. Know the performance. Don't trust the manual.
6. Carry survival gear: Food, Water, Warmth, and a GPS locator. Tell friends and family where you will be flying. Each day if possible
7. Practice Canyon Turns and understand the power settings and effects of ground speed on turning radius.
8. Know the terrain and drainages you are flying. Understand upstream and downstream and never follow a drainage unless you are certain where it is headed. If in doubt circle for higher altitude until the answer to this question is known.
9. If you flying a trike - know the prop clearance down to the inch.
10. Flying a tailwheel - know when to 3 point over wheeling it.
11. Always know the abort point for a 1 way strip and commit to landing once the abort point is passed.
12. Communicate effective on the radio and keep NAVs light/position lights on it possible.
13. Preflight the airplane carefully. Carry extra tools, plugs, tubes, etc.. Being stranded sucks.
14. Respect weather in the mountains. If in doubt about the conditions. Don't fly or divert.
15. Check your ego on the ground. Fly to your abilities/skill not others
16. Carry Hanselsman's Fly Idaho in the airplane.
17. Don't fly in the mountains if the winds aloft are greater than 20-25 knots. Winds in the Canyons will be much stronger and unpredictable.
18. Read BCP threads religiously ! This is a great resource.


Josh

I think that people get themselves into trouble in airplanes of all types because they don't thoroughly examine the airports or strips from where they choose to operate. I certainly have spooked myself in this regard. I wrote an article for Air Facts a few years ago that described a methodical way to do that. You can read the article at https://airfactsjournal.com/2022/01/objective-area-analysis-for-ga-pilots/ but I'll summarize it below.

The system is called OUTCAST, and is a way to evaluate the objective area (aka airfield/strip etc). It goes like this:

O: Objective Area -- Look at the airfield by studying any charts, maps, pictures, videos, etc. that you can find.
U: User -- Who are you meeting, what are their requirements, and what are yours?
T: Terrain -- What is the terrain, and does it require any special procedures or modification to your pattern? Also, towers.
C: Comm -- What radio freqs do you need, and who do you need to talk to? Any special reporting procedures?
A: Airspace -- Are there any special airspace restrictions or procedures that you should care about?
S: Sun/moon illumination -- What will the illumination be, and how do you turn on any lights? Are you landing into the sun?
T: Threats -- What are the biggest hazards to your operation? Is it density altitude, terrain, other traffic, or something else?

The best way to debrief any arrival to a new airfield is to ask yourself "were there any surprises." If the answer is yes, then perhaps that's something that you missed in your pre-arrival analysis!

DENNY wrote:First and foremost is good training! Second is thinking out of the box of rules. A stall/spin aerobatic training course is something that should be done as the ink on the PPL license is drying. This would go a long way in preventing small issue from developing into a major one. Mountain or STOL training is also available and is worth every penny. The major problem of basic training is the FAA and instructors in general like fixed sets of rules that do not apply or are even dangerous in the Backcountry/off runway/bush flying world. Instruction that Airspeed is life or altitude is life insurance can be dangerous in the mountains or landing on short strips. Maintaining attitude during a canyon turn? why not slow down and reduce the risk of stall by dropping the nose if you have vertical altitude to spare? Winds in the mountains are usually worse at altitude then at ground level, so learn to fly low. Learning to fly slow allows you to properly evaluate and approach areas. Add 5 mph for wheel landings is not needed, tailwheel first, 3 point, and wheel landing can all be done 1 mph over stall speed if properly trained. One of the big lies told by instructors is "You can always go around" Sometimes you can't!! Suck it up, land and take your whoopin' like an adult, you will most likely bend stuff but you will be alive. Going around has caused lots of accidents and deaths. When you evaluate a strip always pick which side is best to crash on in case things go bad (hint: the side away from other aircraft). Taildraggers should always pick a point to ground loop vs flipping the plane over when running out of runway. Drink a big glass of milk daily and grow a spine so you can call out dangerous pilots and not fall pray to one upping your buddy. Don't be the idiot that does not call out location or ask questions. Flight simulators are ok for a view of a flight plan but it does very little to add the skills pilots need for real world flying. Get training, then go burn gas. Start out on short runs and perfect days, build you experience slow and steady.
DENNY

YEP, we need a LIKE button