Negative Lift Effects

[JamesT1950]

Can anyone tell me if there is anything I should need to know about flying in the mountains. I will be going out west in a few months and will be flying in the mountains to get some nice scenery pics. How about negative lift effects? I'm not really familiar with them but saw somewhere that it is possible. Any hints from those that fly the mountains would be helpful.

 

[solentlife]

The only downer I could imagine is if you have a 'downdraft' on one side of the mountain .... but you would know if it was ... you'd feel it.

I used to do a lot of slope soaring .. side facing wind had UPdraft .... other side had DOWNdraft behind ... so it could be used to land out if UPdraft was too strong.!!

Nigel

 

[Avocet]

Yes, in most aircraft, and the smaller craft, the more pronounced, mountain flying is a art unto itself and usually a specific arm of study for light aircraft for example. Flying a Phantom or Mavic sized machine would make me skittish unless I had a solid idea of conditions. I tend to err on the side of caution, perhaps to a fault anyway. The apexes coming off of peaks, ledges or outcroppings at altitude for example can produce wind shears of significant violence.

Have fun and fly safe.

 

[RodPad]

I would be most nervous around water falls.

Rod

 

[Bigskyflyer]

Can anyone tell me if there is anything I should need to know about flying in the mountains. I will be going out west in a few months and will be flying in the mountains to get some nice scenery pics. How about negative lift effects? I'm not really familiar with them but saw somewhere that it is possible. Any hints from those that fly the mountains would be helpful.

James, I live in SW Montana and the wind can be a huge issue here. Never fly too close to the tree tops, the face of a mountain or too close to water. Wind gusts can come out of no where. Always, and I do mean always, keep your bird LOS, you can't tell what the wind is doing by watching the monitor, just watch the behavior of your bird. Just because it is calm at the bottom of a valley doesn't mean the wind isn't blowing 40 mph at 300 ft. The wind is totally unpredictable in the mountains out here, so stay clear of close quarters flying and you will have a chance to react to the occasional unexpected wind gust.

 

[Nightwolf]

 

[Doug Rosevear]

Be aware of tree canopies when taking off because if you go RTH it might try to land through them