Mike's Mountain Flying
The history, tradition, and drama of avation has been a vital part of the backcountry for nearly 100 years, and most of it started right here in western Montana. Whether is was the aviation pioneers of Johnson Flying Service, lone operators flying into the vast wilderness of the Salmon River country, or modern day pilots flying for enjoyment, the skills and techniques needed to operate in this region have changed little over the years.
We have a surprising number of public and private strips to fly into and their usability varies with the seasons, weather, and what specific type of activity we choose to do.
On a typical day we will get adequately energized with whatever coffee or breakfast is desired, review and discuss the strips that we would like to visit, confirm that their selection fits the existing conditions, and then head off into the atmosphere.
Each strip has it's own characteristics such as specific approach and departure techniques, breathtaking scenery often including the adjacent Selway or Salmon rivers, and local historical items such as cabins, monuments, or undisturbed remants of inhabitants long departed. We will have a chance to view and visit some of these special places as we execute our flight plan for the day.
Experience is a hard teacher. First comes the test, then the lesson
Aviation Wisdom
Winter reduces the number of backcountry strips workable for our plane but we operate all year long, and it is a beautiful and quiet time of the year to fly here.
We will be flying our somewhat bushed out STOL 1964 Cessna 182G. The flight deck displays a wide array of impressive avionics including a Garmin 696 with just the right amount of confusing multi-functional displays, and good solid data. We may also refer to sectionals, which are rectangular and made of paper. We will review such things during our adventures together. If there is an easier and more honest airplane to fly around then I think it has yet to be made.