Backcountry Flying Challenges

My personal advanced goals mostly center around backcountry flying. I have had numerous initial and advanced courses, and Ive been fortunate to be able to visit backcountry airstrips in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Utah. The better I get at backcountry flying, the more places Im able to visit safely and the more places I want to go.

Key Takeaways:

• The author, an advanced backcountry pilot, identifies a core dilemma: the need for practice conflicts with the "wilderness ethic" that discourages excessive use of remote airstrips.
• Organizations like the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) discourage "bagging airstrips" (landing just for practice) as it detracts from the wilderness experience, impacts other users, and can lead to increased restrictions due to overuse.
• The resolution to this ethical challenge is to build proficiency in backcountry flying outside of designated wilderness areas, gradually progressing to more remote and challenging terrain only once skills are sufficiently developed.

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