Part 4/5 Missouri to Washington, Trip Report - N3934V

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counsellj
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Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 2:58 pm

Part 4/5 Missouri to Washington, Trip Report - N3934V

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We soon passed over Cody Airport at midfield and joined the left downwind to runway 4. 34V must have been showing off to his friends because my best landing of the trip occurred there at Cody as the 170 Convention was just getting going. While it was just a short 2-hour stop, we got to meet several members, admire the 20 or so other 170s on the ramp and grab a delicious lunch. We topped off the tanks and departed under 7700’ DA conditions. I experimented with my takeoff. I used 10 degrees of flaps versus the book answer of flaps up. I was airborne within 1500’ with an 8kt headwind and accelerated to 70MPH while still in 10’ ground effect, but she would accelerate anymore. As soon as I raised the flaps she immediately accelerated to 85 and we began our slow climb. Even though we had the same DA and weight, 34V didn’t climb as well as she did coming out of South Dakota. I attribute this to the more unstable airmass.
Riding The Ridges for Lift at High Density Altitudes
Riding The Ridges for Lift at High Density Altitudes
We headed west out of Cody for Sylvan pass that tops out at 8,565 feet on the eastern edge of Yellowstone National Park. We had to utilize the thermals during the cruise climb to gain the altitude necessary to safely cross the pass with contingency clearance due to downdrafts with the 20-25 kit winds at altitude. The five miles from the pass we found some strong ridge winds that sent us upward at over 1500 fpm. We leveled off at 12,500MSL and easily cleared the pass.
Note the Instrument Readings
Note the Instrument Readings
Over the top of Sylvan Pass
Over the top of Sylvan Pass
The run over several of the popular sights in the park featured 20 knot headwinds and continuous light and occasional moderate turbulence. After passing over the easy 7,200-foot Red Rock Pass, we descended back down to 1,000’ AGL as we flew along the Montana/Idaho border through the Centennial Valley. After forty miles of spectacular views, green meadows full of wildlife, and livestock, and snowcapped mountains we turned north along I-15 briefly before turning back to the west at the Clark Canyon Reservoir for the twenty mile run to Lemhi Pass, which tops out as 7,400.’
Just inside the Montana border
Just inside the Montana border
I fly almost exclusively with sectional charts all over the US and I consider my map reading and pilotage skills to be well above average. I have to admit though that as we neared the turning point to dogleg right over Lemhi Pass, I wasn’t exactly sure that we were really at the turn point. The dirt mountain roads below us and the sectional depicted roads weren’t matching very well. Neither passes were visible from this point. Before I had a chance to make a few moments of analysis while making a time-buying 360 degree turn, Jarod referenced the moving map on his iPhone running the FlyQ program tied into a Stratix, that was providing weather, traffic and GPS information. This is a truly incredible electronic capability in a portable, cheap package. As the pass slid behind us, it was a simple smooth descent to Lemhi County Airport, (SMN)
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You can't hide fertilizer skips from the air
You can't hide fertilizer skips from the air
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