Flying in Colorado - A Flatlander in the Mountains

I can just imagine a tiny sailplane angel, perched on a shoulder, whispering to moments back in the day when you were piloting without an engine...with scenery like that. Perfect soundtrack. Great editing. I always learn something through the narration of WHY you’re doing WHAT you’re doing. CAVU ✈️😎👍

Probably see more from you then I did back in 2000 at 34000 ft in a 737

My first time commenting on one of your vids, Martin. I've enjoyed them all so far, but this video and the further two you have pron=misedare top of the list so far. I lived in Colorado Springs 20 plus years, visited almost all the mountain towns, but sadly, only by auto. It was just great to see the same territory I am familiar with from the air. Great video work and great flight planning and judgment. Living in the mountains for years it was always so sad to hear the sad litany. year after year of flatlander pilots, full of confidence and self-importance who splattered themselves and their families against Colorado granite. Be well, fly safe, and film lots!

Thanks for (as always)enjoyable videos Martin.

Oh wow, a VFR flight plan. I have yet to do one. Flying into the mountains makes sense filing VFR flight plan.

Great blend of flying and touring adventure; Love a great flying adventure series :-)

Martin, very enjoyable as always. Q: I'm guessing your takeoff performance at that altitude was degraded by about 15-20%, is that about right? And, did you have the option of getting flight following, but chose to file a flight plan instead? In an emergency wouldn't flight following offer an even faster search and rescue? Appreciate your thoughts on this.

Right! I’m off to fly KBFF to KRIL in a Bonanza in MSFS2020! 👍🏻❤️🇦🇺

Great!!

Alhamdulillah ❤

NANA ❤

Awesome Martin! I think with your new powerful engine the flight would of been possible to go Aspen. But excellent decision making by going to RIL. 🙌 with normal aspirated engine we are very limited unfortunately :(

Very scenic! I miss living in Colorado. Someday soon I'll go back for a long visit.

Thanks for documenting this trip. That was a great landing at Rifle.

G, day from Sydney, Australia.
That was a scenic flight out to Aspen Colorado. NMBZ
* any comments on the new Beechcraft bonanza engine?
* as for the mining geology of the stone; all gems are determined by the various heat and pressure of the original stone (e.g Quartz, topaz, Emerald, Sapphires).
I have only basic knowledge to identify building foundations.
🌏🇦🇺

Excellent videography and editing! I've watched many of your flight experiences. As an avid 'flight simulator' you provide the adventures I can replicate on my FSX. I've skied in the area you flown to... Beautiful country with its own inherent 'risks' (DAL). Looking forward to many more 'adventures'! Viel Spass!

Another great video. Always like the commentary. Nice blue skies all the way. Looking foward to your next video

Outstanding video Martin. I’m thankful you included the radio call to Columbus Radio. One of the things we learn or should learn in primary but I have to admit, I have never done. Simple I know, but again thanks for including. Great landing at Rifle. I was nervous for you just looking at that crosswind and then with a Citation on a eight mile final... whew!!! We have a home in Cedaredge, Co. , but I’ve yet to make that flight from the Texas panhandle. Final airport would be to either Montrose or Delta and I’ve mapped out several routes. Would probably keep it to the west of the mountains the first few times, similar to what you did. Looking forward to the next two videos. Robert Klump

Beautiful video Martin. One of your best so far. Great narration, scenery and music. Looking forward to the next parts. Thank you.

Another excellent video. Your preflight planning is a very good example for fellow pilots. Look forward to the second leg.

those opening shots of the country are breathtakingly beautiful...

Can't wait to fly out there myself!

Great flight and video Martin! Thanks much for taking us along!

Dear Captain Martin

! ! ! GRATITUDE ! ! !

Thank You (And Your “CREW”) Very Much For Sharing This Beautiful And Relaxing Trip !

I’m Happy For This Rich Moment of Yours !

While I Watched The Video, It Reminded Me a Brilliant Brazilian Woman Pilot,

ADA LEDA ROGATO,

Who, In The 50's, Crossed The Andes Mountain Range and Landed at La Paz, Bolivia, (SLLP - 13.325 ft) With a Cessna 140's 90 hp;

The First Pilot, Male or Female, To Cross the Amazon Jungle - The Dreaded "Green Hell" - In a Small Plane, Without Radio, In a Solo Flight, With Only a Compass, a Rule, a School Compass, a Pencil and a Eraser (1956);

Among Other Outstandings Accomplishments.

You've Got To Know About Her Sometime.

Well, I’m Eager To See The Next Part of The Trip.

Many Thanks !

Best Regards !


Ed
São Paulo (SBSP)
🇧🇷

Welcome to Colorado! I live just 25 miles north of Denver and my son and I fly and base our Grumman Tiger out of the Rocky Mt. Metropolitan Airport - KBJC.

The two most challenging times to fly here in Colorado are in the summer and winter months. In the summer, it's high density altitudes and afternoon thunderstorms that you have to plan for and deal with... and in winter, it's high winds and icing. Best times of year to fly are early fall and mid-spring. Temps are usually cool and weather is typically nice and calm during those times.

Our Tiger has a 180 HP Lycoming O-360 that is normally aspirated, which limits our ability to fly in the high country. The service ceiling is only 13,800 per the POH. We tend to fly between 7,500 and 11,500 MSL on most of our local flights and we avoid flight in the mountains unless we're in a turbo charged aircraft or something like a C-182 with more horsepower. Most low landers who come up here for the first time don't realize how the high altitudes can effect the performance of their aircraft and end up learning the hard way. Rule of thumb is always fly early in the day or in the evening and always lean for best power during the run up if you're not turbo charged. And let's also not forget to have supplemental O2 handy. We carry a pulse oximeter with us to monitor our O2 levels as a safety measure.

Colorado has some spectacular views and scenery, as you already know and have experienced. Just flying up and down the Front Range is a blessing in itself. The views never get old! Glad you were able to visit. Please come again and, if you're ever planning a stop at KBJC, let us know so we can say hi.

Die Preise sind ja mal übel - dabei wollte ich mir Aspen wirklich gerne mal ansehen. Danke für das schöne Video ;)

Pleasant place, pleasant piloting, nice calm video! Great job, Martin!

Thanks for a very well made video story of your summer adventure!

Martin, you indicated that activating your flight plan thru ForeFlight did not work for you this time. If you get a moment, can you email or message me with details.

Nothing like an airplane in the mountains for proper therapy. Get Sparky Imeson’s “Mountain Flying Bible”. Good info. Thanks in part to Covid I did four trips to Idaho’s backcountry this summer. If you ever go, I can send you various airport info in ForeFlight’s Scratchpad for quick reference in flight.

Great flight and great BMW!

Martin, thank you from your old home country. It must be a lot of effort editing these videos, I appreciate it a lot. Good learning material for my future coast-to-coast when these crazy times are over and we can travel again.

nice! Looked like a serious X-wind. Nice job!

Nice and beautiful...! love it.

awesome photography

Beautiful scenery and background music. Great narration!

Your radio work is good. I like to think mine is as deliberate as yours. There's always a temptation to compete with ATC for the fast talking prize.

Looks like a really fun trip, Martin. Beckey couldn't come?

I absolutely loved this video! It’s not like the other GA channels out there that are focused on how hot your co-pilot is. Thank you.

That was an awesome landing and a great ending to fantastic video!!! The planning explanations are very helpful...

Awesome video Martin. Cathy is wanting to possibly try and go snow skiing at Copper Mountain in late February or early March. I was looking at going into Eagle or maybe even braving Leadville by flying up the valley from the Pueblo area. Like your routing much better. Our other option was to stop at Centennial and just drive in from there. That wind report of 170 30-32kts would have really made me rethink my plan. Your landing looked great.

You're landing was alright? I'd say it was just fine, and didn't miss a beat. I noticed a slight bump to the side, but let's see: You had a 14 - 25kt crosswind, a 3 to 4kt headwind, or 0, or a 3 to 4kt tailwind (depending on the wind at the moment: 180˚, 170˚, or 160˚, respectively), a Citation breathing down your neck on a straight-in to land, a Challenger chomping at the bit to take off... Yeah, professional & cool as always Martin. : ) It's been 6 - 7 months since I've watched one of your vids! Hope you & the fam are doing well. Looked like a great trip!! (I've been wanting to fly into Aspen for years. <Right now I'd just like to be flying!!> I'm pretty familiar with the area, and have family there, but never done any flying in CO. = O

Great trip! Next time you will have to work in a landing at Glenwood Springs- KGWS. Fun approach! I am sure you saw it from the air to/from Aspen.

Could you give us your flight plan into rifle?

From where you were on base, and not knowing what airport the Citation was straight in for on an 8 mile final for 26, I would've verified his arrival airport, and if it was Rifle I might've thought about making sure were coordinated in spacing.

Nice and well explained flight.

Nice Vid!
A couple of comments from a 50 yr Co Pilot.
When approaching a AP to land include in your initial call Where you are How high you are direction your heading and approx time to landing.
When landing on a strong cross wind day, plan a longer final, yours was about 15 secs.
With a much longer final you can see and feel how strong the wind is via crab angle and can plan if its really bumpy and strong X

Yes, GPS direct can be very dangerous in the mountains. Low power airplane flight in the mountains is mostly maneuvering flight where horizontal space limitations are often greater than vertical space limitations. However, in the Colorado rockies, down drainage egress is always available when we plan well and stay alert to terrain. On long runways we can manage total energy by using free ground effect energy to accelerate more quickly to cruise airspeed and then cruise climb with the outcome of the maneuver never in doubt. This becomes critical at high DA where ground effect energy and down drainage egress energy are a large percentage of total energy. Wind, well managed, can be our friend. If we climb in updrafts and dive a bit to get through downdrafts quickly, we will have a net gain in ground speed and altitude gain over time. In the high desert and mountains, attempting to maintain altitude (climb in down air and dive in up air) can be dangerous. The down air, which compresses near the surface, does not slam airplanes into the ground...they stall/fall from trying to out climb 2-3 thousand feet per minute downdrafts.

Early or late, in the cool part of the day is good DA management. If your Bonanza has a carburetor, leaning before takeoff will get you 300 extra rpm at Rifle, even early in the day. Ground effect energy will get you to cruise airspeed quickly providing a lot of zoom reserve energy if needed. Down drainage egress, 26, in addition to the slope is really the only safe way to go. Prevailing wind from a westerly direction should also favor that way, but down slope and down drainage is more important.

Great photography and interesting video. Thank you.

Flying a Bonanza M 35 over the Rockies tomorrow from Denver to Vegas. Wish me luck. :)