Fascinating insight into a problem rarely encountered here.

[Tins]

https://youtu.be/8PBUVMCbmFQ

[Fourgearsticks]

We have some mountainous country here, operating in the summer up in the high country degrades the performance a bit.

[superquag]

'What are "mountains" ?

Asking for all pilots in WA...[biggrin]

[101RRS]

Thin air equates to density height - quite common in Australia with our heat.

[PhilipA]

This Youtube is strangely relevant to this thread.

The Craziest Rescue I Ever Had! - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnTmh_7JB3A&ab_channel=Matt%27sOffRoadRecovery)

Regards PhilipA

[JDNSW]

Reminds me a bit of my highest landing and takeoff (both altitude and density) as PIC - at Margarima in PNG in a C185. 7,800ft and density altitude of over 10,000.

Maybe rarely encountered here today (although as others have pointed out, high temperatures have a marked effect even at modest altitudes), but at that time (1971) this was in Australian territory.

[Tins]

Thin air equates to density height - quite common in Australia with our heat.

Indeed. But the combination of "thin air" and terrain is less likely here. Not impossible of course.

Getting boxed in by terrain happens of course. It's one of the first thing students doing Nav in the Yarra Valley are taught. The Kilmore Gap, and the valleys adjacent, are a problem for VFR. The ceiling can come down quite quickly, and a pilot can find there is no room to reverse course. A choice of going IMC, with all the probs that can cause a VFR pilot, or crashing. It has caught seasoned pilots out.

[Tins]

Reminds me a bit of my highest landing and takeoff (both altitude and density) as PIC - at Margarima in PNG in a C185. 7,800ft and density altitude of over 10,000.



Just thinking of flying in the Owen Stanley's is scary.

[chuck]

I was impressed with how quickly they got the lessons learnt out to the public.

[4bee]

Just thinking of flying in the Owen Stanley's is scary.


Flew from Pt.Morseby to Madang via a couple of other stops in a ANG Fokker F27, if I could have wound the window down I reckon I could have picked some leaves etc or it certainly seemed like it.


A few folk had filled my head the night before over a few drinks about the "Dangers of the valleys, Des" so wasn't all that comfortable, but, still here.[bigrolf]
Probably just trying to put the ****s up me & in that, they succeeded. Bastards![bawl]

[JDNSW]

Not density related, but one of my more interesting flights in PNG was as a passenger (in the RH seat) of a C402 into a small strip at Nuku in the West Sepik. Approach to the strip is over a ridge on the opposite side of the valley, below treetop height, through a gap in the middle of a village, with moderate power and full flap, then immediately clear of the ridge, maximum angle of sideslip to lose altitude down to the threshold, straighten up for touchdown, then full throttle - to keep it moving up to the top of the strip (let it stop and you will need the station tractor to get to the top). At the top of the strip, turn across the slope so you are not relying on brakes to avoid finding the plane at the bottom of the valley in an unairworthy condition. And turn off fuel tank crossfeed.

Takeoff (in the C402 is with very limited payload) is in the opposite direction, and turn down the valley once airborne.

Much less drama in a BN2a that has an approach speed of about 45kts compared to the C402 of about 100kts. And can depart at MTOW.

[Fourgearsticks]

Not so much these days but used to be common to operate from strips up to 4500' in tableland country, warm days of 30+ puts the density height up. Flying fires in the summer around Vic high country thin air as well, a drop near mount Bogong had to approach near the top (Top around 6,500?) and descend a couple of thousand feet down one side to get access to the fire. Was a bit strange seeing snow drifts around the summit just before Christmas.

[austastar]

Hi,
Altitude can affect engine cooling too.
A mine at high altitude in USA had cooling problems with trucks as the lack of air molecules passing the cooling fins reduced the heat removal.
Being underground and warm did not help either.
Cheers

[Tins]

Was a bit strange seeing snow drifts around the summit just before Christmas.

If you'd flown over Mt Dandenong, Olinda and Sassafras on Christmas Day 2006 you would have seen heaps. Not like Hotham, of course, but a lot for here where we don't often see snow in winter. Thankfully.