Legends

If you ever get the chance to fly through the mountains, take it. The views can be breathtaking as you cruise above isolated peaks seemingly untouched by man. But thorough planning, including studying your charts and carefully selecting your course, is the key to having a safe and enjoyable mountain flight.

When you're planning your route, you'll want to take altitude and aircraft performance into consideration. At this time of year when the weather is hot, you need to pay special attention to the effects of high density altitude on your aircraft's performance.

If you were to plan a VFR flight in the mountainous terrain southwest of Eugene, Oregon, for example, you'd want to pick a route that would allow you to stay well within your aircraft's performance limits-that means not trying to fly directly over 9,000-foot peaks in a fully loaded Cessna 152 on a hot summer afternoon.

Your charts can help you to find the best routes with special markings used in mountainous areas. In addition to contour lines (see "Legends" in the October 1998 issue) and maximum elevation figures, charts show mountain passes, which often allow aircraft safe passage at a lower altitude than surrounding terrain. Mountain passes are identified with two arcs that curve toward one another leaving a gap in between. Generally, they are also labeled with the name of the pass and the elevation-in this case Pengra Pass at 5,003 feet.

While the chart makers point out that mountain passes are not necessarily recommended routes and that the altitudes are not suggested flight altitudes, you may find passes useful when you are looking for a safe way through difficult terrain. Even when mountain passes are not marked, you may be able to find them by following major roads. More often than not, highways through the mountains follow natural contours and use passes to cross through mountains. If you find that you're having trouble navigating through high terrain, following a major highway will often lead you to a pass through the mountains. Of course, the best solution is to be prepared before you ever get into the airplane-plan a primary route and leave yourself some alternatives before setting off into mountainous terrain.