Mountain Flying Rendezvous in Townsend
By The Helena IR - 05/27/07

TOWNSEND — Pilots who want to sharpen their backcountry flying skills will get the opportunity at the first Montana Mountain Flying Rendezvous, June 2 and 3, at Townsend City-County Airport.

It’s designed as both a safety and social event, said Bill Gallea, one of the organizers and a member of the Montana Pilot’s Association, which is sponsoring the event.

The event’s open to and designed for all pilots who want to be better at flying in the mountains, he said. “It will mostly appeal to pilots of single-engine planes.”

The training will be useful to those who fly recreationally into backcountry airstrips and for persons who use airplanes for transportation in a mountain environment, he said.

Activities include ground school in the morning and an opportunity for flight instruction in the afternoon. There will also be camping, free breakfast and lunch and an evening social event.

Pilots can also test their airplanes’ takeoff and landing capability for a backcountry airstrip.

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“The plane’s operating handbook tells you theoretically how long it takes to clear a 50-foot obstacle,” he said. “But we’re going to tell you what your plane can really do.”

“Most planes have been modified a little or a lot,” he said. “And most pilots don’t have a clue if the modifications have helped.”

The state aeronautics division is providing a theodolite, which measures the distance an airplane travels to clear a height of 50 feet, said Gallea.

The Broadwater County Sheriff’s Department is providing a radar gun for measuring the actual speed a plane is traveling when it comes in to land.

The airspeed indicators on planes tend to be unreliable at low speed, Gallea said. With the help of the radar gun readings, pilots will know how to modify their speed when they land.

Pilots will also have an opportunity to practice takeoffs and landings on paved, grass and dirt runways.

The instructors include:

n Mike Vivion, a former instructor for the federal Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. He’s now a master certified flight instructor at the University of Minnesota-Crookston; and

n Jeanne MacPherson, a Helena master certified flight instructor, who specializes in mountain flying.

“The training will help pilots be safer and more precise,” said Gallea.

The training is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for pilots’ continuing education requirements.

The cost to attend is $30, with an additional charge of $50 per hour for personalized flight instruction. A donation is requested for meals. Camping is available at the airport. Motel arrangements in Townsend are also available.

For information or to register, call Gallea at 443-2179 or email him at [email protected].