First Passengers!

GREAT story!

Reminds me of what my Dad has always told me...."You can hold course better
than anyone, you can climb out in a crosswind and hold runway heading to a
T, you can even shoot a beautiful NDB approach.....but bounce the landing
and your passengers opinion of your piloting abilities goes out the window"

;-)

Jeff

Robert Perkins wrote:
>
....
>
> Rob

Rob, great story!

On one of my first flights after the checkride last month I went from
Corvallis to Mt. St. Helens with a friend. She was my first passenger,
but also a 5000 hr CFII(without a current medical though, so I was
definitely PIC). Because of the Natl Park Service boundary around the
crater, we wanted to get 2000' above the 8400' summit. Our old 152 made
the climb up to 10,500' just fine; the altimeter reported 10,500', but
the handheld GPS was reading 11,000'. It did take a *long* time to get
up there though. I think we were lucky to hold 100fpm toward the top of
the climb. I experimented with changing the IAS above and below Vy, but
it seemed that holding Vy was the only way we were going to get up
there.

The day we went there was almost no wind, and clear skies all around. We
were able to circle over the crater several times without feeling any
gusts. And great views of Mt. Adams, Rainier and Hood! It's amazing
how much devastation is still visible in the forests around the crater
over 20 years later. I was also impressed how rugged the mountains are
around St. Helens. As you go south towards Mt. Jefferson they seem more
weathered and further apart.

I hope you make it back up there sometime, the view over the crater is
worth the climb.

DanH

Robert Perkins <rob_perkins@m> wrote in message news:<suu8iv0eia6b99eokpblhggs7ug24ctjq0@>. ..
> The other thing I noticed as we passed through 8000 feet was that
> there would be no way for me to get to 9,500 feet. The airplane simply
> wasn't climbing. I guess I'll have to get to 10,000 on my own
> sometime. Or find a bigger airplane.

And get some oxygen.

At oshkosh this past week, I attended a session about oxygen, and at
8500ft most people are 'almost impaired'.
I also flew at about 10k to get over the rockies and my fingers were
tingling until I put on my oxygen cannula (this was before I really
knew when to use it)

By 9500ft your visual aquity is diminished, and it just gets worse as
you go higher.