April 5, 2004

North route across Rockies

By Doug Stewart

405 Norman Ave.

Cashmere, WA. 98815

(509) 679-3485

Flying the Rockies is a subject that seems to generate a lot of interest in folks that live East of them and have not experienced any mountain flying. Actually, it generates a lot of interest in pilots in the West who have not flown them, so don’t feel bad. I know the first time I planned a trip across the Rockies I was somewhat intimidated by all of the dark brown on the charts. I think this is a natural feeling toward something unknown but should not be a deterrent to doing it.

It seems that a lot of the articles about flying the Rockies deal with extremely high altitude and flying through canyons, etc. In some areas this is the case and extreme caution needs to be exercised as far as winds and rapidly raising terrain are concerned.

I will try to portray a different point of view and suggest some routes for you to take. One thing I want to stress right now is that this is not an area where you want to press your luck or crowd the weather. This doesn’t mean to not fly if it is cloudy or if the wind is blowing somewhat. Just use good common sense and keep in mind that the mountains are less forgiving than the flat lands if you insist on screwing up. Remember, you can crowd the weather today and be buried in the sunshine three days later.

Rava and I have crossed the Rockies 40+ times in N7522D and 16 of these were with 150 hp operating at gross or near gross weights. Dave and Sally Luse have made several trips across these routes with us in their 125 HP Pacer loaded to the gills and it did a fine job. These short wings we are flying are amazing airplanes and will do about anything you ask of them within reasonable limits.

There are several routes that we have flown and I will cover these in a series of articles prior to the Oregon Convention. The one we will talk about this time is the Northern most of the ones that I have flown and is the shortest in actual time spent crossing the Rockies and probably the easiest route provided the weather is good and winds are light. This is a good route for those living in the far Northern parts of the U.S.

If this route is chosen, I would suggest flying through the upper half of Montana and take in the sights along the Missouri River as it cuts its way through the State. This area of Montana is reasonably flat with thousands of acres of wheat land. Just before entering Montana, WillistonN.D., (ISN),(*ISN) is a good fuel stop (at least it was a few years ago) with runways large enough to handle jet traffic and a motel very close to the airport.

Leaving Williston Westbound, the next logical fuel stop is Haver, MT. (HVR),(*HVR) which is about 280 nautical miles. The Missouri river can be followed for about 130 miles of this, which will put you over the towns of Culbertson (S85), Poplar (42S), and Wolf Point (OLF), all with airports. From Wolf Point it is 45 miles to Glascow (GGW), which is a good midpoint stop if you prefer shorter legs. From Glasgow to Haver is an additional 145 miles. So far, all of this is over flat terrain less than 3000 feet MSL.

This is the leg that will cross the Rockies. I like to take a direct route from Haver to Kalispell, MT (S27)then to Felts field in Spokane or any of the surrounding airports for fuel. This is a leg of around 350 miles. If you feel this is a bit on the long side and it might just be if there is much wind out of the West, then a good fuel stop before crossing is at Shelby or Cutbank. I would suggest Shelby as it gives you an extra 25 miles to gain altitude prior to getting to the high stuff, which by now is clearly visible. 150 miles from Haver or 60 miles from Shelby puts you at the foothills of the highest terrain you will have to cross. The highest point in this area is 10,142 feet and will be about 15 miles North of your flight path. There are three backbone ridges that run roughly North-South and top out at around 9300 feet where you will be crossing.

You will notice highway 2 also follows this route, and if you are so inclined you can stay low and follow the highway, which will put you below the peaks and have you flying the pass. If you choose to do this, make sure it is not windy and always fly on the side of the pass and not down the middle. This leaves extra room to make a 180 if necessary. Also when flying in a pass like this it is not uncommon to have up air on one side and down air on the other. If things don’t feel good, scoot over to the other side of the canyon and see if it feels better there, which often times it will. If you feel you need to turn around and the area feels confined to you, slow down to below 100 mph and you will be able to make a much smaller radius turn.

I like to go straight across at an altitude of 11,000 to 11,500 feet as the view is spectacular as you fly across the three backbone ridges with their high alpine lakes and year-round glaciers. After an all-too-short flight of about 45 miles the real high stuff is behind you and you find yourself over the low basin area of Kalispell, MT., which is 2932 feet.

The sudden change is dramatic as all of a sudden Flathead Lake appears and looking north you will be able to see Glacier Park International airport and the glacified peaks of Glacier Park. Also, you will notice that the mountains to the West are not as imposing. Most of them are now under 7,000 feet, with numerous valleys and timber covered countryside.

From the Kalispell area it is around 120 miles to the Coeur D’ Alene Idaho area. Just before the end of this leg you will see the very pretty Lake Pend Oreille ( Pon-der-rey ). There are numerous airports within a 30 mile area of here to choose from. I normally stop at Spokane Felts Field (SFF), (*SFF)for fuel and a stretch.

From here it is an easy flight all the way across Washington State to the convention. Leaving Spokane West bound you will cross many acres of dry land wheat if you go direct to Wenatchee (EAT), (*EAT)or Yakima (YKM), (*YKM). This is a fun scenic trip so why not fly the Spokane River which you will cross shortly after leaving Spokane and follow it to the Columbia River. At this area, the Columbia is actually backwater behind Grand Coulee Dam, which is one of the largest concrete structures in the world. This reservoir of water goes well into Canada and forms a vast lake. When you arrive at Grand Coulee Dam (3W7), you will notice that the river appears to be much smaller below the Dam. This is deceiving since it is often flowing in excess of 200,000 CFS.

Banks Lake, which is just south of Grand Coulee, is the reservoir for the Columbia Basin irrigation project of over 1 million acres, and all that water is pumped up into that lake from Grand Coulee. If you fly down the east side of Banks Lake, you will see thousands of acres of dry-land wheat which is one of the largest (if not the largest) cash crop in Washington State.

You will find Coulee City at the south end of Banks Lake and the dam which forms the lake. This is where the irrigation canals collect the water for its journey to the rich Columbia Basin farm lands. South and slightly east of Coulee City is some very interesting terrain. Much of this area was formed about 10,000 years ago when a massive ice dam failed and the area was inundated by a cataclysmic flood, which permanently changed the features of the land. The area of dry falls is remains of a waterfall that dwarfs New York’s Niagara Falls and has been dry since the periods of floods took place.

Swinging back west anywhere along here will have you over the Wenatchee Valley after a short bumpy ride. This crosses about 30 miles of dry-land wheat country and is premier glider country because of all the thermals it generates. Wenatchee is a good fuel stop, but beware that the price is high at over $3.30 p/gal at this time. Yakima which is only about 45 min away is also a good fuel stop and is on the way toward the Columbia River gorge and Pearson Airpark (VUO), (*VUO), for the Convention.

From either Wenatchee or Yakima this last leg is spectacular with several options for you. On a nice clear day majestic Mount Rainier will be in the right side of the windscreen and Mount Adams in the left side. You can choose to fly the higher terrain and fly past Mt Rainier or take the lower route and fly past the east side of Adams. Also between these two you will find Mt. St Helens which erupted in 1980 and caused a lot of grief for the area. This is a must see, but can be done as a side trip while at the convention so don’t feel like you have to see it now.

Just past Mt. Adams you will intersect the Columbia River Gorge and the Columbia River again. Take a right turn and follow the gorge to our convention site. There will be a separate article about flying the gorge so more of that later.