Through the mountains and under the cloud...

What was the red dot? Do you feel any thermals up there from the mountains? Have you flown lower over the road below? Are you flying with a 914 turbo at those altitudes?

Nice landing too. Thanks for posting!!!
 
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What was the red dot?
This is the sun messing with the camera lens...
Do you feel any thermals up there from the mountains?
Flying close over hills is traitorous when there are strong winds in the area, but that day it was all calm.
Have you flown lower over the road below?
Which road are you referring to? In general, I try to keep sufficient altitude in case of emergency, not to mention the regulations...
Are you flying with a 914 turbo at those altitudes?
Woodstock is equipped with a 914UL, and an 8.8 meters rotor system, so higher altitudes are not a problem.
 
Hi Peter, do you think with that setup you can fly at 10-11k since that is the altitude I have to fly around the mountains here in Colorado. I like to fly over my house sometimes which is at 8k. Keep posting the videos! These are great. Really enjoy watching them.
 
Hi Peter, do you think with that setup you can fly at 10-11k since that is the altitude I have to fly around the mountains here in Colorado. I like to fly over my house sometimes which is at 8k. Keep posting the videos! These are great. Really enjoy watching them.

Obviously that depends on weight. Your weight to be precise. I can fly to 10000 feet in a 914 AR-1 with 8.8 m rotors with a second private pilot who weighs 160 pounds. I weigh 150 pounds. I did not try going higher but it probably would have. Easily. We were still getting 500 FPM climb. We started on the ground with 1600 feet Density Altitude.
Too many cheeseburgers are enemy of flight and enemy of your health
 
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Hi Peter, do you think with that setup you can fly at 10-11k since that is the altitude I have to fly around the mountains here in Colorado. I like to fly over my house sometimes which is at 8k.
As Abid said, the weight of the machine would be important, but I am confident 10,000 feet would not be a problem.

I will let you know the moment I achieve it... :)
 
Do you think you can try up to 13k? This is the highest I had to go to get over some of the smaller mountains in Wyoming and Idaho. Thanks! I’m no where near 310lbs that Fara mentioned so in reasonable shape regarding weight. :)
 
From the journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering:

Effects of mild hypoxia on pilot performances at general aviation altitudes, the authors found that perceptual-motor performance at pressure-altitude equivalents of 7,000 and 12,000 feet in a hypobaric chamber had significantly slower response times at both altitudes as compared to sea level (Nesthus, Rush, & Wreggit, 1997).

I have personally experienced hypoxia from flying at 9,500 density altitude for an hour.

I live at sea level so I am not acclimated to high altitudes.

The FAR is:

§ 91.211 Supplemental oxygen.

(a) General. No person may operate a civil aircraft of U.S. registry -

(1) At cabin pressure altitudes above 12,500 feet (MSL) up to and including 14,000 feet (MSL) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen for that part of the flight at those altitudes that is of more than 30 minutes duration;

(2) At cabin pressure altitudes above 14,000 feet (MSL) unless the required minimum flight crew is provided with and uses supplemental oxygen during the entire flight time at those altitudes; and

(3) At cabin pressure altitudes above 15,000 feet (MSL) unless each occupant of the aircraft is provided with supplemental oxygen.
 
Do you think you can try up to 13k? This is the highest I had to go to get over some of the smaller mountains in Wyoming and Idaho. Thanks! I’m no where near 310lbs that Fara mentioned so in reasonable shape regarding weight. :)
Your engine being capable of getting you to high altitude is only part of the battle.

The other questions are:
- What would the temperatures be up there
- Can I bring oxygen with me
- What would the winds be at that altitude
- Is there a way to fly around those hight mountains
- What kind of fuel am I burning - car gas with Ethanol is not recommended for high altitudes.

13,000 feet is not something I want as part of a daily commute... ;)
 
I rarely fly at anything like a high altitude; the highest I've gone was about 7500ft, crossing from Delaware to NJ over Delaware Bay. It was in the mid 80s F on the ground but only about 50 F up there.
I once went skiing at Taos (base lodge at 9,000 ft) with a friend who was puking his guts out after just a couple of hours skiing at 10,000+ ft. Had to take him down into town (7,000) to recover.
 
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My house is at 8000 feet. Luckily I haven’t had any mountain sickness. I use to drive down to Denver everyday so there was a decent of 2,500 feet and back, I haven’t had any issues. I fly over my house usually 1,000. - 2,000 feet agl. Have not noticed any issues yet. Mt Evan’s at 14,000 feet is just a few miles west of my house but never flew out there yet. When I fly out to Idaho usually go over one mountain range where I reach about 13,000 feet, but I could go around them. It is harder to jog here and can feel thinner air when hiking the taller mountains.
 
The people at the most risk are those who normally live at sea level. If you normally live at high altitude, you are less likely to have problems as your body is mostly acclimatized.
 
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