idaho back country flying

[ngb1066]

Larry and Joe

Thank you for your helpful advice on this. I can now move forward with the project.

Neil

[hharney]

I lived and flew in the mountains of Idaho, Montana and Nevada for 20 some years. I started out using a 172 and learning the basics of mountain flying. Dad had two different Skymasters both normal aspirated. Turbo's would be nice but not a necessity. Here are a couple of strips I did operations in and out of several times.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/55H
http://www.airnav.com/airport/U60
http://www.airnav.com/airport/U81
http://www.airnav.com/airport/U63
http://www.airnav.com/airport/U87

Here is some action at U87
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...0374385469147#

Don't let the length of these strips fool you. You might say that these strips are 3 and 4,000 ft long. No big deal. Check the elevation at some of these locations. Then think about DENSITY ALTITUDE. If you think about taking off in the summer at one of these strips you are going to be easily looking at a 10,000 ft density altitude. So not to be taken lightly. These strips sometimes have one way in and one way out. You are also on turf, dirt, gravel, not hard surface. Take all this in account when flying the back country.

The normal aspirated Skymaster is a really nice aircraft for these operations. You can really have a good time taking your Skymaster into these beautiful areas.

The STOL kit is a great addition. VG's would be another great addition but I have never flown with them. The gear on the Skymaster is strong, no problems on the rough surface. The only other caution is the rear prop picking up FOD. One must practice good techniques in the some loose surface areas.

The Skymaster will work well, if fact for most of my experience it was very impressive and comfortable. I think a lot people were surprised when we showed up in a twin.

[B2C2]

Thanks for the detailed answer. It looks like this is doable. Now off to find the right airplane. I have been searching around and visited "skymaster center" (www,skymaster.com). Has anyone had any dealings with them and could comment on their experience?

[hharney]

Skymaster Center is the foremost experienced with the aircraft, especially in marketing and representing more aircraft than any other dealer. They have been in business for over 20 years. Contact Bill Crews and you will learn a lot about buying a Skymaster.

Phone: (864) 583-5967

FAX: (864) 585-1188

E-mail: BillCrews@Skymaster.com

[atsiii]

I live and fly a T337 in Idaho, and am based in Driggs, ID (KDIJ) at the foot of the Tetons (6220 MSL). While my Skymaster is both turbo and STOL, for most of the Skymaster-friendly Idaho back country strips, the STOL is not really needed. Turbo is always nice at high density altitudes, but since you will almost always be flying early--normally aspirated is fine.

I think one of the biggest consideration with Skymasters in the back country is the rocks and gravel. Most back country strips in Idaho are high, dry and rocky... with emphasis on the rocky. There are not many good grass strips in Idaho's mountains, and Herb listed most of them (with the exception of Johnson Creek--my personal favorite). Many of the back country strips have lots of loose gravel--and your rear prop will not like that. My suggestion is to look closely at photos and call nearby FBO's to determine what the runway surface is really like. Most strips are not watered, so the surface can change a lot during a long summer.

[Ernie Martin]

I've flown my normally aspirated 337 into Garden Valley (U88) and found it with good grass, no loose gravel. My son (who was posted there when he was a Heli-attack forest firefighter) still has friends there; if you plan a trip there, I can get you a name and phone of someone who can tell you current conditions. BTW it was a real cross-country -- all the way from Miami, Florida and over the Rockies.

Ernie