This article is featured in the print version of this month's AOPA Pilot.

http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2010/february/feature_mystery.html

Interesting summary of the conditions/scenarios of the last flights of a few well known modern aviators.

We all know who Steve Fossett and Sparky Imeson were. Fletcher Anderson was the author of Flying the Mountains, a book which resides on my shelf, and have enjoyed since I began flying.

I couldn't sleep last night so I got up at 1:30 and opened the Mountain Flying Bible. As I was reading, I thought about Sparky's last flight and wondered what happened. I wish I could go back in time and call Sparky and tell him to be extra alert on "tomorrow's flight" or "tomorrow isn't a good day to fly". Darned time machine is broken or I'd call a lot of people who aren't with us now. I think I'll have to order another flux capacitor.

Fisherman wrote:I couldn't sleep last night so I got up at 1:30 and opened the Mountain Flying Bible. As I was reading, I thought about Sparky's last flight and wondered what happened. I wish I could go back in time and call Sparky and tell him to be extra alert on "tomorrow's flight" or "tomorrow isn't a good day to fly". Darned time machine is broken or I'd call a lot of people who aren't with us now. I think I'll have to order another flux capacitor.

I have an extra "Mr. Fusion" off an old DeLorean if that would help!

Skystrider wrote:I have an extra "Mr. Fusion" off an old DeLorean if that would help!

Swell! We can hook it up to a C-150 and fly on banana peels.

What's that movie? "Back to the Subject" or something like that. I'm sure that we'll all miss these fellows.

Thanks for posting this. I read the article when it came in the mail with great interest.

The author, I think rightfully so, concludes that there may be a common thread that strings these aviators together. In each of these accidents we at home in our Lazy Boys say to ourselves, "what were they thinking?". Ditto with my son's death, Shaun Lunt, who died while circling a whale vertebrae at 75' to 100' AGL and stalled. What was he thinking!? ((and what is with "contour flying" and "beach combing"?)) (((my son: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2466&hilit=shaun+lunt )))

What makes pilots *regardless of experience* ignore common sense safe altitudes, density altitude, winds, terrain avoidance, etc., and begin to fly like idiots? This is just what the author is trying to figure out, though she says it in a far more respectful way than I just did. The laws of physics are immutable and do not discriminate.

The proponents of the growing bush flying movement need to be bit careful of setting some questionable "OMG-look-at-that!" examples for the aspiring weekender-bush-pilots out there who are watching, reading, and imitating.

I'm so sorry for all the families of lost pilots!

Norm,
Great advice. As someone just a few years younger than your son, I found myself getting bolder and dumber in some of my flights lately. Thanks for the reminder. Btw, I remember your son being a huge inspiration for me in many things other than flying. I'm glad to see you are still flying.

Before the big wind hit California this week, I got to see mountain wave in action with no lenticular clouds or warning. Monday morning, I climbed to over 15,000 feet near Bishop westbound in the C182. No turbo in this old lady. Winds were calm on both sides of the Sierras at all reporting points. My intended destination was Sacramento. I knew the fog would not lift in the valley until lunch time, so I delayed until about 11 am. Just over the first really big terrain north of Mt. Whitney all was calm. Without any warning, the VSI settled into a sink rate of about 1000 fpm. I pitched up to climb speed and just watched the altimeter unwind. Not a hint of turbulence. My bailout plan had been a right turn down a steep canyon back into Bishop. I waited until the altimeter read 13,000 and counting before admitting that mother nature was going to win this one. Back on the ground getting fuel at Bishop, it was still perfectly calm. I chatted with another BCP member who was fueling his Maule and testing out some camera mounts. He said I could try the pass up north of Yosemite airport and go through to the west. He departed to have some fun.... I ate crackers and comtemplated how bad I wanted to be in Sacramento. The chicken in me picked up a heading of South. I passed a flight of three HH60's over Lone Pine at low elevation. The lead pilot was reporting on 122.8 as she should. Nice job Navy.
I skirted the Restricted and kept eyes open in the MOA. On the ground in Van Nuys, I thought about just how small my little Cessna looked in comparison to the huge wall of rock I had paralleled all the way south. Incredibly scenic and also foreboding. I remember Steve Fossett had called me the night before launching on his around the world record. He needed a way to make the navigator stop rounding the turns over waypoints. Easy to learn task, but needed in order to qualify for the record books. His Decathalon, on the day he died, must have felt mighty small when he got pushed into the ridge where I flew this Monday morning. I just can't figure out why he didn't implement his bailout plan. I know he must have had one.
The mysteries of our amazing hobby.

Zane wrote:This article is featured in the print version of this month's AOPA Pilot.

http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2010/february/feature_mystery.html

Interesting summary of the conditions/scenarios of the last flights of a few well known modern aviators.

We all know who Steve Fossett and Sparky Imeson were. Fletcher Anderson was the author of Flying the Mountains, a book which resides on my shelf, and have enjoyed since I began flying.

I've often considered.....

....that at least two of these men were making a conscious choice.

Bob

flightlogic wrote:Before the big wind hit California this week, I got to see mountain wave in action with no lenticular clouds or warning. Monday morning, I climbed to over 15,000 feet near Bishop westbound in the C182. No turbo in this old lady. Winds were calm on both sides of the Sierras at all reporting points. My intended destination was Sacramento. I knew the fog would not lift in the valley until lunch time, so I delayed until about 11 am. Just over the first really big terrain north of Mt. Whitney all was calm. Without any warning, the VSI settled into a sink rate of about 1000 fpm. I pitched up to climb speed and just watched the altimeter unwind. Not a hint of turbulence. My bailout plan had been a right turn down a steep canyon back into Bishop. I waited until the altimeter read 13,000 and counting before admitting that mother nature was going to win this one. Back on the ground getting fuel at Bishop, it was still perfectly calm. I chatted with another BCP member who was fueling his Maule and testing out some camera mounts. He said I could try the pass up north of Yosemite airport and go through to the west. He departed to have some fun.... I ate crackers and comtemplated how bad I wanted to be in Sacramento. The chicken in me picked up a heading of South. I passed a flight of three HH60's over Lone Pine at low elevation. The lead pilot was reporting on 122.8 as she should. Nice job Navy.
I skirted the Restricted and kept eyes open in the MOA. On the ground in Van Nuys, I thought about just how small my little Cessna looked in comparison to the huge wall of rock I had paralleled all the way south. Incredibly scenic and also foreboding. I remember Steve Fossett had called me the night before launching on his around the world record. He needed a way to make the navigator stop rounding the turns over waypoints. Easy to learn task, but needed in order to qualify for the record books. His Decathalon, on the day he died, must have felt mighty small when he got pushed into the ridge where I flew this Monday morning. I just can't figure out why he didn't implement his bailout plan. I know he must have had one.
The mysteries of our amazing hobby.

Sometime during these high winds Mammoth mountain recorded winds at 150mph. They estimate that they were actually more around 180mph as their gauges max out at 150mph.

Was that steep canyon just west of bishop near rock creek? I did a little mountain flying with an instructor in September and we flew up rock creek, through a mountain passed and followed a deep canyon all the way back to bishop. viewtopic.php?f=34&t=8378&p=108663&hilit=titus577#p108663 pictures 4 and 5.

z3skybolt wrote:

Zane wrote:This article is featured in the print version of this month's AOPA Pilot.

http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2010/february/feature_mystery.html

Interesting summary of the conditions/scenarios of the last flights of a few well known modern aviators.

We all know who Steve Fossett and Sparky Imeson were. Fletcher Anderson was the author of Flying the Mountains, a book which resides on my shelf, and have enjoyed since I began flying.

I've often considered.....

....that at least two of these men were making a conscious choice.

Bob

Ditto. Heavy on the "considered" part.

norm wrote:Thanks for posting this. I read the article when it came in the mail with great interest.

The author, I think rightfully so, concludes that there may be a common thread that strings these aviators together. In each of these accidents we at home in our Lazy Boys say to ourselves, "what were they thinking?". Ditto with my son's death, Shaun Lunt, who died while circling a whale vertebrae at 75' to 100' AGL and stalled. What the H*** was he thinking!?! (Sorry, but I've come by this anger very ligit) ((and what is with "contour flying" and "beach combing"?)) (((my son: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2466&hilit=shaun+lunt )))

What makes pilots ** regardless of experience ** ignore common sense safe altitudes, density altitude, winds, terrain avoidance, etc., and begin to fly like idiots? This is just what the author is trying to figure out, though she says it in a far more respectful way than I just did. The laws of physics are immutable and do not discriminat.

The proponents of the growing bush flying movement need to be bit careful of setting some questionable "OMG-look-at-that!" examples for the aspiring weekender-bush-pilots out there who are watching, reading, and imitating.

I'm so sorry for all the families of lost pilots! No man is an island.

I enjoy flying the backcountry. But I always need to heed the advice of my first instructor, "keep plenty of altitude on the bank and gas in the tank".

Just wanted to say that Shaun was a huge inspiration for me. I came by his website a long time ago and he was a major influence through that. Wish I could have met him.

flightlogic wrote: I chatted with another BCP member who was fueling his Maule and testing out some camera mounts. He said I could try the pass up north of Yosemite airport and go through to the west. He departed to have some fun.... I ate crackers and comtemplated how bad I wanted to be in Sacramento. .

Man... My five minutes of fame and all I get to be is "another BCP member" Yesterday I went over to get fuel and I thought I might need to get the fuel truck as I needed to taxi crosswind and I was at the limit of my ability to crosswind taxi.

As we gain experience, we are compelled to drop our guard against complacency.

I took an air taxi flight to town two weekends ago. Multi-thousand hour pilot who I have known for 15 years. Don't think he's ever had any sort of accident. For the short .5 flight, he looked out the window biefly during departure and then again on short final. The rest of the time was head-down doing the all important FAA required paperwork and fiddling with the Capstone.

Hope the annual gets done soon.

GB

Good morning Desert Rat. Sorry about the short half life of your fame. When I talked with you on the ramp, I didn't know you were a member. It was later in the evening, I saw photos you posted from the flight. I should have picked up on the subtle clues. MAULE.... DUCT TAPE CAMERA MOUNT... MUD on the WHEELS... all the signs were there. I guess I was still focused on the power of mother nature at the moment.
PS- Yes, I think it was above Rock Creek. Pretty spectacular slope and terrain !

flightlogic wrote:Good morning Desert Rat. Sorry about the short half life of your fame. When I talked with you on the ramp, I didn't know you were a member. It was later in the evening, I saw photos you posted from the flight. I should have picked up on the subtle clues. MAULE.... DUCT TAPE CAMERA MOUNT... MUD on the WHEELS... all the signs were there. I guess I was still focused on the power of mother nature at the moment.
PS- Yes, I think it was above Rock Creek. Pretty spectacular slope and terrain !

Can't miss me. I wear my BCP hat everyday/everywhere I go.

Desert Rat wasn't wearing a hat. He had about as much hair as I do nowdays, so he probably should get one.

It goes without saying that some/most of the HIGH RISK things we do with our airplanes are 'high fun/high thrill'. Yes, the 'Rewards Vs. Risk' do NOT pencil out when you take the long view, but thrills/chills/adrenaline rushes are typically all about focusing on the short view. We pilots have to decide for ourselves where we draw the line. Unfortunately we are imposing the consequence of that choice on loved ones who are emotionally devastated when fate deals US a busted 'hand'. It is very selfish from that perspective, but God/nature made a lot of us males (and some females) where that 'adrenaline rush' is a direct validation of living life at its best/fullest-albeit momentarily. And we all know fate does not deal everyone at the 'table of life' a winning hand.

Another individual who would fit on that list would be B.J. Schramm the developer and test pilot of several home built helicopters. The man took NUMEROUS calculated risks through the decades and managed to draw playable cards/hands so many times one would think he was immune to disaster. Then he died on a pleasure flight zooming his Helicycle through tight spaces down on a river 'deck' when he contacted trees/terrain with his rotor. That was the Initial finding I believe. (That was what I was told afterword and I have never heard otherwise. Please correct me if you have better info.)
If anyone knew the risks-backwards,forwards, up, and down-it was these men.

Something else to consider. When we take high risk chances as a youth, it is a mighty big 'ante'-the best years of our/your life are yet to come. When you get to be the age of these men and men my age, the 'ante' we are risking is our Senior years. It is an 'ante', but no comparison at all.

Maybe I should be in 'Backcountry philosophy' with this post...
lc