ventana7
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2003
- Messages
- 1,599
- Location
- Salida, Colorado
- Aircraft
- Xenon Gyroplane, Cessna 182
- Total Flight Time
- 1,000+
Flying my Xenon in the Colorado Rockies
Recently there was a thread that intimated that flying over unlandable terrain was bad pilot decision making. While I agree with the sentiment, where you live and fly sometimes makes that easier said than done.
Here is a video clip of what is one of my easier routes out of the Arkansas River Valley where I base my Xenon at Salida airport, 7,500'. There is a road along the river and in most places I could land on either fields or the road itself. The video clip does not look like it but I was always within gliding distance to the road.
I appreciate the sentiment of flying over landable terrain. For me I have a line of 14,000' peaks 8 miles west of my airport. I can go north up the valley a ways to Leadville- the highest airport in the US at 9,934'. Farther than that leads to another line of 14,000' peaks.
I can go directly south at 10,000' to get over Poncha pass and into the San Luis Valley which will lead me to routes east or west. To get east to the front range I have to fly about 11,000' to get over La Veta Pass.
Rob Dubin
Recently there was a thread that intimated that flying over unlandable terrain was bad pilot decision making. While I agree with the sentiment, where you live and fly sometimes makes that easier said than done.
Here is a video clip of what is one of my easier routes out of the Arkansas River Valley where I base my Xenon at Salida airport, 7,500'. There is a road along the river and in most places I could land on either fields or the road itself. The video clip does not look like it but I was always within gliding distance to the road.
I appreciate the sentiment of flying over landable terrain. For me I have a line of 14,000' peaks 8 miles west of my airport. I can go north up the valley a ways to Leadville- the highest airport in the US at 9,934'. Farther than that leads to another line of 14,000' peaks.
I can go directly south at 10,000' to get over Poncha pass and into the San Luis Valley which will lead me to routes east or west. To get east to the front range I have to fly about 11,000' to get over La Veta Pass.
Rob Dubin