CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 3 - 19

CFI TIPS
ALTHOUGH I'VE NEVER CONSIDERED MYSELF A FLATLANDER,
WHEN IT COMES TO FLYING I MAY NEED TO RECONSIDER. I have
only recently begun flying in truly mountainous terrain. And while
flying in the northeast isn't exactly like flying near the Rocky
Mountains, it is the home of Mount Washington, which is notorious
for its weather-especially the high winds and turbulence. Flying in
that region has forced me to consider terrain as a part of my regular
flight planning, in a way that I never had to before.
As CFIs, we don't expect our students to always fly in the
same region in which they receive primary training, advanced
instruction, or flight reviews. That's why it's a good idea to look for
opportunities to incorporate safety considerations as they relate
to terrain into your instructing, regardless of where you're doing
the instructing.
There are several sources of information regarding terrain, and
local pilots should not be underestimated as one of those sources.
In addition, a sectional chart is a good starting point; if it indicates
that the departure airport has terrain in the vicinity, your student
should consult the Chart Supplement to learn more about the
airport. Is there a crosswind runway? Are the patterns left or
right? Is there a departure procedure? If the terrain is off the end
of one of the runways, local knowledge is helpful in determining
whether it's common practice for takeoffs and landings to take
place on the same runway in calm wind conditions. Especially
if the airport is nontowered, this is must-have information. You
could be departing directly into landing traffic. And if that's the
preferred operation at that airport, what if the wind isn't calm?
How much tailwind, and other performance penalties, are you
willing to accept in order to depart away from the mountains?
My home airport has rising terrain to the south, so the common
practice in calm wind conditions is to take off to the north and
land to the south. However, on a recent beautiful flying day the
winds were down the runway at seven knots from the south. Not
wanting to take off with that tailwind, I opted for a southbound
departure. Once a positive rate of climb was achieved, I should
have begun a shallow turn to the west, into the opening valley,
to ensure more than enough clearance. But the terrain below me
and to the east created enough turbulence to make the situation
uncomfortable, to say the least. Not unsafe, but uncomfortable,
nonetheless. While I wouldn't choose to depart to the south in
calm winds, I do feel safer and better prepared because of that
practice flight. Your students should also challenge themselves,
within safety limits, in order to learn and grow. Of course, a solid
understanding of the airplane's limitations, as well as those of
the pilot, is essential. If departing will create a scenario that
puts the airplane or your student in a situation that exceeds their
limitations, the best decision is to stay on the ground.
An additional source of terrain avoidance information is
instrument procedures. Review them with your students,
especially those who are non-instrument-rated and may not
be familiar with this resource. The approach to the south at
my home airport, for example, has a climbing right turn for the
missed approach. This is to avoid the terrain to the east and is an
important safety note for southbound departures like the one I
did. The departure procedures and takeoff minimums will provide
information about obstacles and climb gradients. All of these
pieces of the puzzle are essential.
PARALLELING THE MAGENTA
LINE INDICATING THE DIRECT
ROUTE FROM ONE MOUNTAIN
AIRPORT TO ANOTHER - I
AVOIDED FLYING OVER THE
HIGHEST TERRAIN IN THE
AREA, ACHIEVED LATERAL
CLEARANCE TO AVOID
UNNECESSARY BUMPS, AND
DID NOT ADD MUCH TIME TO
THE FLIGHT.
CFI-to-CFI Newsletter - Volume 12 Issue 3

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