Treat High-Altitude Turbulence with Knowledge and Respect

Mountain wave turbulence can be a great teacher that cuts both ways.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 08:44 PM ET

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If mountain wave turbulence is severe, use both flaps and gear and slow to just above stall speed. [Illustration: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

During a mountain flying course, the pilot and instructor experienced an exceptionally severe and unpredictable mountain wave turbulence event over Colorado, causing rapid altitude drops and uncontrolled deviations, narrowly avoiding terrain.
This near-disaster highlighted critical safety procedures for severe turbulence: immediately slowing the aircraft by deploying flaps and landing gear to mitigate stress and maintain control.
The experience served as a stark lesson on the treacherous nature of mountain wave turbulence, emphasizing the need for significant terrain clearance and profound respect for mountain weather phenomena.

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It was October 2006. I had just bought a terrific, well-equipped Cessna T210 about a year before. It had occurred to me that with such a great high-altitude aircraft that I should take some quality mountain flying instruction. A friend had told me of an outstanding mountain instructor based at Vance Brand Airport (KLMO) in Longmont, Colorado, and strongly urged me to take his two-day course.

The first day of the course was basic mountain flying. We covered mountain and high-altitude basics. Where and how to crash-land and survive. How to prepare an emergency pack. How aircraft performed. And so on. It was a thorough and excellent preparation.