Mountain Flying Adventure
By Dave Hirschman
Backcountry flying is an increasingly popular discipline among general aviation pilots—and many learn the specialized craft at Mountain and Canyon Flying Seminars in McCall, Idaho; the River of No Return Mountain Flying Clinic in Challis, Idaho; or other flight schools in the mountain west.
The Idaho Aeronautics Board doesn’t keep exact figures, but Mike Pape, the state’s flight operations director, says that aerial activity at Idaho’s roughly 60 backcountry strips increased in 2008. He credits the rise to the increased popularity of mountain flying; continued production of capable aircraft such as Aviat’s Husky, American Champion’s Scout, and refurbished Super Cubs; and a benign fire season.
This backcountry flying video was filmed in Idaho’s Frank Church Wilderness Area—a remote, ruggedly beautiful, and geographically diverse 3.3-million-acre expanse that includes deserts, forests, canyons, rivers, and jagged, snow-capped mountain peaks.
