IFR In The Mountains

A cardinal rule of mountain flying is to always be mindful of places where the terrain climbs faster than the airplane, and then avoid them. This isnt exclusively a backcountry issue-you dont have to fly in the Western U.S. or in the mountains to get bitten-there are plenty of airports on the U.S. East Coast where we can run into things if we cant climb well enough or if we stray off the published route, whether IFR or VFR.

Mike Hart

Monday, May 16, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Thorough pre-flight planning is crucial for safe departures, especially in mountainous or unfamiliar terrain, requiring pilots to understand aircraft performance and utilize published departure procedures (ODPs) to ensure clearance from rising terrain and obstacles.
Night operations present significant risks due to "black holes"—unlit areas that obscure terrain and can cause disorientation—necessitating careful avoidance and adherence to minimum safe altitudes.
Pilots must actively identify and avoid specific hazards like power lines, often found in topographical pinch points, and stay updated on new or "pop-up" obstacles through NOTAMs.
Modern electronic flight bags (EFBs) provide essential, current charts and NOTAMs, making comprehensive pre-flight planning for terrain and obstacle avoidance easily accessible with "no excuse" for inadequate preparation.

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A cardinal rule of mountain flying is to always be mindful of places where the terrain climbs faster than the airplane, and then avoid them. This isn’t exclusively a backcountry issue—you don’t have to fly in the Western U.S. or in the mountains to get bitten—there are plenty of airports on the U.S. East Coast where we can run into things if we can’t climb well enough or if we stray off the published route, whether IFR or VFR.

The good news is there are well-established and published procedures we can use—VFR or IFR—when failing to outclimb terrain or obstacles poses a threat. The bad news is we can’t always meet the minimum rate of climb requirements. That’s where some additional flight planning is necessary.