Clark1961
Touchdown! Greaser!
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- Jun 7, 2008
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'cept when it isn't.
Decided to try a x-c to Four Corners Regional solo on Saturday as part of the commercial requirements. Mountain obscuration predicted over the norhern portion of the western slope but the forecast for the southern portion looked ok.
Departed FTG to the south and turned west once clear of APA's airspace. Cruise climb once clear of the Denver Bravo and everything was ok running 65% power and peak EGT. O2 on before 12K and slowly climbing over the foothills towards South Park.
The winds were higher than forecast and I started to have some doubts about the flight. Lots of weather to the northwest as predicted. There were broken clouds ahead and the winds were a little higher than forecast. Also I was picking up a little vibration. The gauges, fuel pressure, MP, & RPM were rock steady.
Continued the climb and maintained positional awareness. The vibration was increasing but the engine instruments were still steady. It was a short "pulse" of vibration about once a minute or so and seemed to be increasing in magnitude. When I was about to leave the South Park basin to the west I decided the vibration was too severe and turned back toward Denver saying to myself that I probably wouldn't leave the Basin with the engine behaving as it currently was. I really didn't like the idea but knew there are plenty of wide open spaces to land in the Basin if required.
Finished the turn toward Denver and started to adjust the mixture. Bingo! the engine smoothed out. I had just gone too lean on the mixture. Turned back on course.
Over Salida, the cover was broken with layers at 14K & 16K. I was at 16.5K and looking at solid weather ahead. Winds were out of the southwest at 32 but I was making 145 TAS so still making decent progress. OAT is 0 C. Climb to 17.5K and still not above the clouds.
My training says stay out of the mountains when winds are high and visibility is limited so I'm not liking the situation. I decide that it's time to divert and turn south toward open sky.
A couple minutes flight to the south and it's a whole 'nuther world. It looks like I can drop down and fly the San Luis valley to the south with no problems. But what about the clouds all along the eastern rim of the valley that seem to hug the mountains and disappear on the downwind side? Ok, I've screwed up on the engine set up and the winds are higher than forecast. Two strikes and I'm out. I turn east towards Canyon City.
The magic box now reports winds of 50 knots out of the southwest and my groundspeed is impressive. Also, the tDak will make 145 knots TAS at 65% power - ya just gotta get high enough. There is a lenticular cloud to the north as I'm headed over the pass. I'm high enough that the pass isn't important but it is clear that the weather is affected by the pass. Clouds to both the north and south but clear ahead.
After a touch and go at 1V6 and fuel at PUB I cruised back to FTG.
Ok, I probably could have finished the trip as originally planned by heading south down the San Luis valley then turning west. I'm still spooked by the high winds and the probability of mountain wave. In other words, I think there's a fair chance I would have been swatted around like a fly in the San Luis valley. I'm sure that more experienced folks may have a different take on the situation. Listening to Flight Watch and Denver (approach services for PUB ) it is clear that at least two other folks were attempting to head west into the mountains. Dunno how it worked out for them but at least there were no newspaper stories.
Decided to try a x-c to Four Corners Regional solo on Saturday as part of the commercial requirements. Mountain obscuration predicted over the norhern portion of the western slope but the forecast for the southern portion looked ok.
Departed FTG to the south and turned west once clear of APA's airspace. Cruise climb once clear of the Denver Bravo and everything was ok running 65% power and peak EGT. O2 on before 12K and slowly climbing over the foothills towards South Park.
The winds were higher than forecast and I started to have some doubts about the flight. Lots of weather to the northwest as predicted. There were broken clouds ahead and the winds were a little higher than forecast. Also I was picking up a little vibration. The gauges, fuel pressure, MP, & RPM were rock steady.
Continued the climb and maintained positional awareness. The vibration was increasing but the engine instruments were still steady. It was a short "pulse" of vibration about once a minute or so and seemed to be increasing in magnitude. When I was about to leave the South Park basin to the west I decided the vibration was too severe and turned back toward Denver saying to myself that I probably wouldn't leave the Basin with the engine behaving as it currently was. I really didn't like the idea but knew there are plenty of wide open spaces to land in the Basin if required.
Finished the turn toward Denver and started to adjust the mixture. Bingo! the engine smoothed out. I had just gone too lean on the mixture. Turned back on course.
Over Salida, the cover was broken with layers at 14K & 16K. I was at 16.5K and looking at solid weather ahead. Winds were out of the southwest at 32 but I was making 145 TAS so still making decent progress. OAT is 0 C. Climb to 17.5K and still not above the clouds.
My training says stay out of the mountains when winds are high and visibility is limited so I'm not liking the situation. I decide that it's time to divert and turn south toward open sky.
A couple minutes flight to the south and it's a whole 'nuther world. It looks like I can drop down and fly the San Luis valley to the south with no problems. But what about the clouds all along the eastern rim of the valley that seem to hug the mountains and disappear on the downwind side? Ok, I've screwed up on the engine set up and the winds are higher than forecast. Two strikes and I'm out. I turn east towards Canyon City.
The magic box now reports winds of 50 knots out of the southwest and my groundspeed is impressive. Also, the tDak will make 145 knots TAS at 65% power - ya just gotta get high enough. There is a lenticular cloud to the north as I'm headed over the pass. I'm high enough that the pass isn't important but it is clear that the weather is affected by the pass. Clouds to both the north and south but clear ahead.
After a touch and go at 1V6 and fuel at PUB I cruised back to FTG.
Ok, I probably could have finished the trip as originally planned by heading south down the San Luis valley then turning west. I'm still spooked by the high winds and the probability of mountain wave. In other words, I think there's a fair chance I would have been swatted around like a fly in the San Luis valley. I'm sure that more experienced folks may have a different take on the situation. Listening to Flight Watch and Denver (approach services for PUB ) it is clear that at least two other folks were attempting to head west into the mountains. Dunno how it worked out for them but at least there were no newspaper stories.
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