Would you fly the pass this morning?

Tom-D

Tom-D

Taxi to Parking
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Tom-D
Here is what it looks like
 

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Uh, no. While it looks like the winds are pretty light/air is probably relatively stable (judging by the stratus), and it might even be Class G airspace, I would not want to be skimming the clouds that close to terrain.

I'll pass on the pass.
 
Yeah, those Kia Sorrentos scare the crap out of me.
 
I'm with Fearless on this, although I have to confess there were times when I prayed for visibility this good in similar terrain!! :wink2:
 
I did it on my first XC when I was a student and did not know any better. When I reported myself to the Approach on the other end, they informed me that I was the first VFR flight of the day to arrive through the pass.
 
What's on the other side? Not knowing what's on the other side, I say no. If I am intimately familiar with the area it may change my answer.
 
No, but depending on the cloud tops (what elevation are we talking about for the pass?) I might elect to fly over them.
 
Plenty o' room and daylight! Go for it.
 
If the only 3 visible cars have their headlights on at 8:13 in the morning this late in the spring, it probably means they drove through rain or fog. So the pass may likely be obscured.

On the other hand, if one wants to go to the expense of trying, I don't see any reason not to fly up and take a closer look and see what conditions are really like - and turn back if things don't look good.
 
Doesn't look wise to me. The mountain on the right is obviously sticking up into the overcast.

Looks stable, so that's not the issue, but too low for my taste. Especially as a recreational pilot, since there's nothing particularly fun about scud-running.

I could go on about airspace and other considerations, and there's many, but that photo is enough for a no-go for me.

I'm betting there's a "survivable" way through judging by the opening there in the center for a local pilot hell-bent on some sort of important-to-them "mission", but it wouldn't be worth the risk to me.
 
Sure. In the Commander, at FL200 or above.
 
If you got suckered into that hole it would lead you to this.
 

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Helped a lot when Colorado put ASOS in several of the main passes.
 
I wouldn't fly into a pass unless I could see through to better conditions on the other side, with enough room to turn around in.
 
Palmpilot said:
I wouldn't fly into a pass unless I could see through to better conditions on the other side, with enough room to turn around in.
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That's the bad thing about Stevens Pass, you can see thru the first hole. but the main pass is higher. and you can't see it from the first hole.

The first hole is Mount Index which has more aluminum on it than any other mountain in the US.
 
ejensen said:
Helped a lot when Colorado put ASOS in several of the main passes.
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I found that very helpful. ASOS reports 6000 BKN, then I figured out the station was at 10,000MSL, perfect!!
 
weilke said:
What could possibly go wrong ? There is a little hole there, right ?
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There was for the motorhome.

Cashmere Wa was 70 degrees and high broken.

look it up on Google maps.
 
Tom-D said:
That's the bad thing about Stevens Pass, you can see thru the first hole. but the main pass is higher. and you can't see it from the first hole.

The first hole is Mount Index which has more aluminum on it than any other mountain in the US.
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If I couldn't see enough room to turn around in past the first hole, I wouldn't enter the first hole. From what you're saying, it sounds like there isn't room to turn around.

I also follow CAP's advice to never fly up a canyon, only down, so if the weather won't permit me to be comfortably above the charted altitude of the highest pass on the route before overflying the canyon, I'm not going.
 
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Tom gave a great example of how weather plus rocks equals bad juju.

That map here is chilling.

"Do not meddle in the affairs of large granite boulders, for you are squishy inside that aluminum beer can you fly above them."

For a weak Tolkien reference...
 
ejensen said:
And that's only 9 years of fatals.

This thread and the I70 comments reminded me of this. Who put that tunnel there?:(
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I fly mostly in the plains of ND/SD. I have heard the following advice from one crusty old-timer: 'If the weather comes down, just fly along the median of the interstate at 200ft, that way you dont hit any of those newfangled cell-towers, they are allways a quarter mile off' :yikes: .
 
weilke said:
I fly mostly in the plains of ND/SD. I have heard the following advice from one crusty old-timer: 'If the weather comes down, just fly along the median of the interstate at 200ft, that way you dont hit any of those newfangled cell-towers, they are allways a quarter mile off' :yikes: .
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You could get in some serious trouble doing that on the I-5 corridor in Seattle, the freeway goes under a very tall building.

Rocks,, It really doesn't matter if man put them there or God did.
 
weilke said:
I fly mostly in the plains of ND/SD. I have heard the following advice from one crusty old-timer: 'If the weather comes down, just fly along the median of the interstate at 200ft, that way you dont hit any of those newfangled cell-towers, they are allways a quarter mile off' :yikes: .
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That exact thing has been attempted before.....it is how the Planes of Fame Hellcat was destroyed and the pilot killed.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Tom-D said:
You could get in some serious trouble doing that on the I-5 corridor in Seattle, the freeway goes under a very tall building.
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The only thing you could hit along the highway between Fargo and Bismarck is another fool going the opposite direction.
 
weilke said:
The only thing you could hit along the highway between Fargo and Bismarck is another fool going the opposite direction.
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Even at a 200MPH closing rate, under a mile vis under 1000' ceiling I doubt you'd see the guy who killed ya.
 
Tom-D said:
If you got suckered into that hole it would lead you to this.
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Yeah, so? There's a Victor Airway above you isn't there? "Center 69SA I am going emergency IFR into IMC in xxx pass as we speak climbing to MOCA of xxx joining the V 123 enroute Podunk". Doesn't seem like that big of a deal.
 
Henning said:
Yeah, so? There's a Victor Airway above you isn't there? "Center 69SA I am going emergency IFR into IMC in xxx pass as we speak climbing to MOCA of xxx joining the V 123 enroute Podunk". Doesn't seem like that big of a deal.
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Unless you really have a great performer your are too close to climb over the second ridge.

This is the same curve in Highway #2 in Stevens pass on a clear day.
 

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Tom-D said:
Unless you really have a great performer your are too close to climb over the second ridge.
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Then I would have done a tight course reversal long ago. It takes little more room to turn around the 310 than a PA 12on a 3g pull on a 45 downwind then shift over. An Ag turn in the 310 with the flaps and gear down takes 150' vertical and 500' horizontal.
 
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Tom-D said:
Unless you really have a great performer your are too close to climb over the second ridge.
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BTW, I would not have launched if I knew about the second ridge and the clouds requiring obvious use of IMC IFR.
 
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