A day of glacier landings
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Hi Nonrad,
This has recently changed - the snow rating no longer includes the wheel rating. The wheel rating is, surprisingly, a lot harder than the snow rating. You don't have to learn about snow conditions and glaciers, but in most cases it takes a lot more precision to land on wheels on a short and narrow altisurface than it does on skis on a glacier. This is why the French Mountain Pilots Association lobbied to have the law changed so that the wheel rating was not acquired automatically after passing the ski rating.
Yesterday was a wonderful day for flying in the Alps. (Today isn't...
). Here are a handful of photos:
First, a Jodel Mousquetaire arriving at Megève:
I flew into Italy, to the Monte Miravidi in a Jodel D119. 90hp will take 2 people to 11000ft with no problem! This shot was taken on base leg to our landing site:
A quick check to the right to make sure nobody is doing a long straight-in approach...
... before turning left onto the final approach.
The landing sites aren't all that clear. There are 2 that we used, highlighted in red below.
I messed up slightly on the 3rd landing at the lower site. I was a bit too slow applying full power after landing, so we stopped. Anything less than 2000rpm had us sliding backwards, so the poor instructor had to get out and push...
I got to stay inside and steer! I owe him a beer or two.
This rating lasts indefinitely and allows you to fly to any Altiport or Altisurface when you want to (the snow rating includes the wheels rating). The non-snow mountain rating is much easier to do as there is less to learn and no glaciers are involved, only Altiports.
Yesterday was a wonderful day for flying in the Alps. (Today isn't...
). Here are a handful of photos:First, a Jodel Mousquetaire arriving at Megève:
I flew into Italy, to the Monte Miravidi in a Jodel D119. 90hp will take 2 people to 11000ft with no problem! This shot was taken on base leg to our landing site:
A quick check to the right to make sure nobody is doing a long straight-in approach...
... before turning left onto the final approach.
The landing sites aren't all that clear. There are 2 that we used, highlighted in red below.
I messed up slightly on the 3rd landing at the lower site. I was a bit too slow applying full power after landing, so we stopped. Anything less than 2000rpm had us sliding backwards, so the poor instructor had to get out and push...
I got to stay inside and steer! I owe him a beer or two.
Last edited by Aerobatic Flyer; 2nd Mar 2003 at 19:10.
Join Date: Feb 2003
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QDMx3 & topunicyclist.
Yes there is a "strip" at Mannlichen. Its nearer to the top of the gondola from Grindelwald than the cable car from Wengen. There's a helicopter and a Cub (Super Cub I think) which offer peasure flights around the Eiger.
I was there in 2002, and actually saw the Cub land along side the piste that runs from Tschuggen (?) to the gondola and cable car stations. I've got some pictures of the Cub parked near one of the bars at the top and some looking both ways along the "strip". If you want to see them let me knw and I'll scan one or two in at low res and email them to you. Unfortunately I didn't get a flight the Cub is only there at weekends and we left early the next Saturday
.
I later met somebody who had flown in the Cub. From his description the take-off sounded hair-raising and the landing even more so.
Brooklands
Yes there is a "strip" at Mannlichen. Its nearer to the top of the gondola from Grindelwald than the cable car from Wengen. There's a helicopter and a Cub (Super Cub I think) which offer peasure flights around the Eiger.
I was there in 2002, and actually saw the Cub land along side the piste that runs from Tschuggen (?) to the gondola and cable car stations. I've got some pictures of the Cub parked near one of the bars at the top and some looking both ways along the "strip". If you want to see them let me knw and I'll scan one or two in at low res and email them to you. Unfortunately I didn't get a flight the Cub is only there at weekends and we left early the next Saturday
.I later met somebody who had flown in the Cub. From his description the take-off sounded hair-raising and the landing even more so.
Brooklands
Not so N, but still FG
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Marvellous stuff. I am very jealous, especially as my other hobbies include climbing up and sliding down mountains. I must make an effort to do some Alpine flying soon...
I am glad to see that no one has popped up and said "how dare you land somewhere that hasn't got a million foot runway and an ILS? think of the insurance premium on my Cesspipe POS!".
I am glad to see that no one has popped up and said "how dare you land somewhere that hasn't got a million foot runway and an ILS? think of the insurance premium on my Cesspipe POS!".
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Brooklands
Is the Mannlichern Cub HB-OYK, if so its the same one I had a trip in in the early 70's. The ski takeoff appeared to rely on falling into space to gain flying speed, and I couldn't believe the amount of time we continued to fly towards the face of the Eiger after it appeared to be only 100 ft away. Sensibly the stick had been removed from the rear seat so I could have no influence on the flight.
Is the Mannlichern Cub HB-OYK, if so its the same one I had a trip in in the early 70's. The ski takeoff appeared to rely on falling into space to gain flying speed, and I couldn't believe the amount of time we continued to fly towards the face of the Eiger after it appeared to be only 100 ft away. Sensibly the stick had been removed from the rear seat so I could have no influence on the flight.
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If you want a feel for what glacier flying is like, this is a fantastic video for those of you with a high-speed internet connection:
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/parientefilms1/amis.mpg
It's a video about 9 minutes long showing a flight from Méribel to the St Sorlin glacier, followed by a landing at l'Alpe d'Huez, then a return to Méribel. It was posted on the FNA forum by Denis Pariente.
Right click on the link, and save the file.
Warning number 1! The file is about 30 Mb. It will take forever to download with a normal dial-up internet connection.
Warning number 2! It might give you an uncontrollable urge to drop everything and head to the Alps now!
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/parientefilms1/amis.mpg
It's a video about 9 minutes long showing a flight from Méribel to the St Sorlin glacier, followed by a landing at l'Alpe d'Huez, then a return to Méribel. It was posted on the FNA forum by Denis Pariente.
Right click on the link, and save the file.
Warning number 1! The file is about 30 Mb. It will take forever to download with a normal dial-up internet connection.
Warning number 2! It might give you an uncontrollable urge to drop everything and head to the Alps now!
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bluskis
No I don't think so - unfortunately in the only picture I've got of the plane you can't see the registration - there's a barrier in the way
I'm still trying to get my pictures onto a web site so that I can post a link to them here.
AF
Ah, absolutely wonderful, loved the soundtrack as well. You're right, I did get a (controllable) urge to head off to the alps.
If anybody would like to see it but hasn't got access to a fast internet connection let me know (by e-mail) and I'll post you a copy on CD.
No I don't think so - unfortunately in the only picture I've got of the plane you can't see the registration - there's a barrier in the way
I'm still trying to get my pictures onto a web site so that I can post a link to them here.
AF
Ah, absolutely wonderful, loved the soundtrack as well. You're right, I did get a (controllable) urge to head off to the alps.
If anybody would like to see it but hasn't got access to a fast internet connection let me know (by e-mail) and I'll post you a copy on CD.
