October 3, 20241 yr Hells Canyon and Glacier Park For Saturday, October 5, 2024 Michael MacKuen We spend an afternoon flying over the high country of northern Idaho and Montana. We begin by running the course of the Snake River through Hells Canyon. Then we traverse the ranges of the Rocky Mountains and enjoy a quick run through Glacier Park, the “Crown of the Continent.” Hells Canyon We begin at McCall [KMYL], an aviation center for central Idaho’s backcounty pilots and a regional base for US Forest Service smoke jumpers and fire bombers. Flying westward, we pick up the Snake River at the Ox Bow Dam (no landing at the company airstrip) and turn north to enjoy the most dramatic parts of Hells Canyon. In this area, the rim of the canyon is around 5,000 feet above the river bed below. We can enjoy the rugged desert environment of the canyon flying under the rim without a need to fly through the whitewater spray at the bottom. After 40 miles, we break out at Pittsburgh Landing and climb up onto the Camas Prairie to land at the small rural town Cottonwood [S84] which hosts the state-wide famous landmark The Dog Bark Park Inn. We turn north over the agricultural plain and the edges of the Nez Perce Reservation to land along the banks of the Clearwater River at Orofino [S68]. On departure, we go west 2nm and turn sharply northeast to see the massive Dworshak Dam – the third tallest in the country. (The dam plays a major role in flood control but runs at only half-capacity due to the opposition of downriver communities.) Then east over the Clearwater Mountains and the higher Bitterroot Range to land at Missoula [KMSO]. After a moment, we depart to the northeast into the Rocky Mountains and cross the Continental Divide between Scapegoat Mountain and Twin Peaks. We land at the accommodating US Forest Service firefighting airfield Benchmark [3U7] which also serves recreational aviation and local campgrounds and resorts. Continuing northward over the Sun River and the Lewis & Clark National Forest, we can enjoy the peaks of the Rockies before landing at Starr-Browning [8S0]. The small town Browning is the headquarters and education center of the Blackfeet Reservation. Then a short jaunt west to Saint Mary Lake brings us to the much-loved mountain ecosystem of Glacier National Park. Our route winds though a short portion of the larger park, alongside the famous Going-To-The-Sun Road (cut into the mountainsides, 1921-1932, and named after the nearby mountain) – this is a National Historic Landmark. The road is the easiest way for visitors to experience a bit of the park. Nationally famous naturalist George Bird Grinnell (who played a major role in the preservation of America’s natural western heritage) highlighted the area, “Far away in northwestern Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain peaks, lies an unmapped corner—the Crown of the Continent.” (1901). After curling through Logan Pass (6,646 ft), we turn southwest over Lake McDonald to land at Kalispell and the Flathead Valley’s Glacier Park International [KGPI]. We can park at the Glacier Jet Center – south of Runway 12/30 and north of the passenger terminal. Documentation The flightplan can be found here. Aircraft This is a flight of 413nm with 7 landings. The route is designed for a fast GA aircraft like the Cessna 414 Chancellor. Any GA aircraft capable of something like 200kts should be just fine. Other popular options might include the Beech (Piston) Duke, the Daher TBM 850/940 and the Pilatus PC-12. (Faster yet would be the King Air 350.) I’ll probably choose the Black Square Piston Duke in Tim Scharnhop’s N422SB livery. Please fly what you like. Additional Scenery All of the airports are in the default simulator. That said, these addons will enhance the scenery appreciably. Thanks to these talented addon creators. Missoula International [KMSO]. whitymicmuffin Glacier Park International [KGPI]. Windhover Temporarily, you can obtain the full freeware package here (50MB). There is a very good payware McCall at Orbx (recommended). And a small payware for Orofino at Flightsim.to. (Both by Mark “Milo” Taylor.) You might try Fall season if you like. Time and Weather For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 10:00am local for October 5, 2024. We typically prefer real weather. Multiplayer Particulars Date and time: Saturday, October 5, 2024. 1800 UTC RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server. If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Please be kind enough to enter the title exactly as it stands in the title=”xxx” line of the aircraft.cfg file. Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks! --Mike MacKuen
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