AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 58
continued from page 54
you thought. I very, very rarely fly at night in the mountains. The bad weather stuff is all here, too—it just has granite inside of it.” Yellowstone clouds The schedule calls for heading to West Yellowstone to meet with a fellow pilot who happens to be a Yellowstone National Park ranger. Nick Herring of Gardiner, Montana—another gateway to the park for pilots—takes Fizer and me for separate flights above the northeast corner of the park. During the takeoff, I see how his Cessna 172 reacts to high altitudes. The takeoff roll is long and once in the air, the aircraft hangs in ground effect for hundreds of feet before climbing. Once Herring turns toward the park, terrain rises as rapidly as the aircraft climbs. “Pilots will fly into an airport like West Yellowstone. They’ll top off with fuel. They’ve got [a] full [load of] passengers, and it’s an 85- to 90-degree day. That’s a recipe for disaster.” Herring has removed the back seats from his 172. “It is not a four-place airplane at these kinds of altitudes.” We climb to the recommended 2,000 feet above the park (nearly 9,000 feet msl) and stay a half-mile away from tourist gatherings such as those at Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring. “Yellowstone is a tremendously diverse place to fly,” Herring says. “Absolutely gorgeous country, not to mention all the thermal basins that are located all over the park. Some of them are quite spectacular from the air. Probably the most well known is the Grand Prismatic Spring in the Old Faithful area. It looks just as gorgeous as it does on the cover of National Geographic.” Up the mountain Jackson Hole Paragliding operates from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, a 15-minute drive west of Jackson. Paragliders there think of themselves as pilots. After all, they navigate, carry passengers (one), and have fun. This particular morning they are taking the newly renovated tram up the Rendezvous Mountain behind the resort where they will launch. You can eat waffles at a small snack bar at 10,450 feet, and buy a T-shirt that says you did it. Scott Harris, owner of Jackson Hole Paragliding, admits fixed-wing pilots can do a few things better. “You can fly the fixed-wing [aircraft] in more conditions. We have to have sun and light wind. But when you’re flying, there’s nothing like flying a paraglider; the silence, the wind in your face, the lines [to the chute] have a light whistle to them. We’re modern-day barnstormers. We have to attract people to fly, we have to talk them into trusting us to fly, and then after we’ve won ’em over and landed them softly in the landing zone here, they say, ‘Come visit us in Florida.’ We’ve won them over. That’s what the barnstormers did in the ’30s and ’40s.” One thing left undone All attempts to capture The Grand, or any portion of Grand Teton National Park, are thwarted by weather. Not so for the balloon ride. Breffeilh lets me ride with him and his niece, Margaret, as she works toward her commercial balloon certificate. He is her instructor. She seems torn between remaining at her job as a dance teacher or dumping the stage for the skies. Now it’s time to go home. We go back to the Gun Barrel Steak and Game House near the Wyoming Inn for one final meal. We’ve neither photographed The Grand nor heard the band, “Steam Powered Airplane”—another lost goal. Perhaps when you go, you can put them on your bucket list for us. E-mail the author at alton.marsh@aopa.org.
AOPA PILOT •
Jackson Hole Paragliding operates from an office at the base of the tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, just across the mountain range from Jackson, Wyoming. You can reach them at 307-690-8726. TanTan dem flights cost $225 and have a weight limit of 30 pounds to 230 pounds. You’ll need to fly tandem until you get the hang of it. The company offers a beginner package for $950 that includes two tandem flights, and two or more solo flights under instructor supervision; gear is provided. There is a written test. To earn the novice rating, courses cost $1,900 ($1,250 if you take a course early in the season) and include 25 flights using provided gear. There’s another written test required.
Plus—Listen to the band “Steam Powered Airplane.”
58 • APRIL 2011
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011
Contents
Contents
President’s Position
President’s Position
Hangar Talk
Hangar Talk
AOPA Media
AOPA Media
AOPA Action
AOPA Action
Letters
Letters
Waypoints
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Proficient Pilot
Safety Pilot
Safety Pilot
License to Learn
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Pilot Counsel
Fly Well
Fly Well
Pilot Briefing
Pilot Briefing
Rally GA: Giving Women Wings
Rally GA: Giving Women Wings
Epic Flights: Flying Yellowstone and ‘The Grand’
Epic Flights: Flying Yellowstone and ‘The Grand’
Fulfilling its Promise
Fulfilling its Promise
A Half-Century Training Legacy
A Half-Century Training Legacy
Challenges: Fling-Winging It
Challenges: Fling-Winging It
Crossover Classic Sweepstakes: Flying Behind Glass, at Last
Crossover Classic Sweepstakes: Flying Behind Glass, at Last
First Look: You Too Can Be on YouTube
First Look: You Too Can Be on YouTube
High Anxiety
High Anxiety
Technique: Unconventional Wisdom
Technique: Unconventional Wisdom
Pilot Products: Odds and Ends
Pilot Products: Odds and Ends
Never Again
Never Again
Fly Outs
Fly Outs
Fly By Wire
Fly By Wire
Pilots
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Hangar Talk
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - AOPA Media
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 14
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 16
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 18
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 20
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 24
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 29
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Safety Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 31
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 33
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Fly Well
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Pilot Briefing
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 40
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 45
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Rally GA: Giving Women Wings
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 48
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 49
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Epic Flights: Flying Yellowstone and ‘The Grand’
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 58
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Fulfilling its Promise
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 66
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - A Half-Century Training Legacy
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 72
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Challenges: Fling-Winging It
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 79
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 82
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Crossover Classic Sweepstakes: Flying Behind Glass, at Last
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 85
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - First Look: You Too Can Be on YouTube
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 88
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - High Anxiety
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 92
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Technique: Unconventional Wisdom
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 96
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - IAOPA1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - IAOPA2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 98
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Pilot Products: Odds and Ends
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 100
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 104
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Fly Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Fly By Wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 108
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2011 - Cover4
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