AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2019 - 75

The Idaho Transportation
Department Division of Aeronautics' free app, Idaho Airports,
has a density altitude calculator, crosswind component chart,
Koch chart for altitude and temperature effects, a searchable list
of airports, and more.

compare notes, discuss their strengths
and weaknesses, and plot a course for
the next phase of their flying.
The pilots have come from all around
the United States and Canada at the
invitation of Christina Tindle, a longtime backcountry pilot. Tindle's day job
is counselor and life coach, and in 2011
she put together a weekend getaway that
lets women experience adventure flying
while pampering themselves with a few
indulgences, such as yoga and massage.
The weekend has become an annual
event. With the West Mountains, west
of Cascade, Idaho, as a backdrop, Woman
Wise Awesome Adventures-part seminar, part hands-on flying, part summer
camp-helps participants develop a
more creative way of thinking about
their flying.
"During this week you get to reclaim
charisma, courage, and dedication for
personal adventure," Tindle tells the
group. She says women learn differently
from men and don't respond as readily
to a militaristic approach, which is why
her adventure weekends balance a lot of
flying with activities such as learning to
juggle and plein-air painting.
Day one is an ice-breaker, where
participants talk about what they hope
to accomplish. Rose B. Ganim wants
to get proficient flying in the backseat of her Super Cub, Mr. Handsome.
She has brought along Tara Strassburg,
who hopes to gain confidence flying by
herself.
Shelly Robison flies an Ercoupe. She
is here to try a new kind of flying; she
and her husband are looking to buy a
bigger airplane.
Rhonda Sprague wants to get more
comfortable flying her newly purchased
Cessna 150. Sprague is here for another

DelValle's airplane is preflighted and fueled with
enough-but not too much-avgas. Backcountry pilots
"don't tanker fuel" because the additional weight
degrades performance, DelValle said. "There's no reason
to carry full fuel tanks in the backcountry," DelValle said.
reason, too-a deeply personal mission
that she's not quite ready to share.
FLIGHT AT FIRST LIGHT

At dawn, sandhill cranes roosting in the
wetlands near Cascade Airport (U70)
are active. Their rattling cry pierces the
stillness. It's eye-rubbingly early, but
we are adhering to the common-sense
rule: Fly early and be back on the ground
before the air warms up. The airport sits
at 4,742 feet msl, and high density altitude and turbulence are on everyone's
mind, even though the cool morning
air promises smooth flying for at least a
few hours (see "Proficiency: Making it
Happen," page 93).
For this introduction to the backcountry, DelValle has chosen Landmark
(0U0), Sulfur Creek Ranch (ID74), and
Johnson Creek (3U2). Even I, born in
Maryland, know about Johnson Creek's
reputation as a beautiful destination,
with a lush and well-maintained grass
strip that is a favorite of campers. It's
also a busy destination during the summer, with multiple fly-ins. We'll tackle
Big Creek, Dixie Town, Wilson Creek,
and McCall Municipal Airport.
DelValle's airplane is preflighted
and fueled with enough-but not too
m u c h - avg a s. Ba c kc o u n t r y p i l o t s
"don't tanker fuel" because the additional weight degrades performance,
DelValle said. "There's no reason to
carry full fuel tanks in the backcountry. We always dip our tanks because we
don't trust the fuel gauges."
En route to Landmark, the common
traffic advisory frequency grows busy
with pilots giving position reports. The
transmissions are clipped and purposeful, and nobody is engaging in extraneous
chatter. Scanning for traffic never ends

in the backcountry, and DelValle worries
that the arrival of ADS-B will cause some
pilots to become lax.
We pick our way along the right side
of the mountains, which are dusted with
snow even in late June. DelValle tells
me to reduce power, reminding me that
we don't want to be flying too fast in
this terrain, lest we need to make a sudden turn.
Sulfur Creek Ranch, with an
approach that dances out of sight even
on final, is a privately owned guest
ranch located in the Frank Church River
of No Return Wilderness. The lodge's
hearty breakfasts are a favorite of local
pilots. The menu is what the kitchen
has on hand, but nobody complains. The
tranquility is interrupted only by the
occasional arrival of another airplane,
discharging another pair of pilots looking for breakfast.
COMPARING NOTES

With a morning of flying under their
belts, the pilots are excited to dig deeper
into survival skills necessary for flying
in the backcountry. But first, they share
their accomplishments and compare
notes on the airstrips they've visited. Jen
Pinkowski landed at eight backcountry
airstrips, flying a 115-horsepower turbocharged Kitfox. "It was so much fun," she
says. "I love the challenge of it."
Ganim has been flying her Super Cub
from the backseat, which she says is like
flying a different airplane because the
perspective is so different. She knows
she has to relax. "I can't feel the seat
of my pants if I tighten up too much
because I'm tense," she says.
Susan Crowe, flying a Cessna 210, had
an epiphany from flying with instructor
Christine Mortine. "I realize I baby the
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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2019

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