By Laurie Prouting
For the beginner, the mountains can be a scary place to fly, particularly for those who have learnt flying on the Canterbury Plains or in similar terrain.
Add some cloud and it can become tricky; add the nor-west wind and it can become difficult or a bit unpleasant. That’s not to say we should avoid the mountains in these conditions, just that we should be more careful.
I would impress on the student to take their time, give themselves a wide margin, and carefully work their way along and, above all, be comfortable with what you are doing. If you don’t feel it’s right, then probably you should turn away early and try an alternative. This is the key: always have an alternative.
Let me explain what I mean by alternative and how it relates to mountain flying.
Flying Up a Narrow Valley
Don’t just meander up the middle but fly close to one side, generally on the right-hand side both going up stream and right-hand side coming down (anti-collision).
Why fly close to one side? It gives you an alternative if your engine fails. You have all the valley to do an about turn and fly to safety. The same applies if you are caught in a violent downdraught – and this can and does happen on an apparently calm and sunny day.
Flying Across a Ridge
Don’t fly straight at the ridge, unless you have plenty of height, but fly with the ridge and when you are comfortable with the terrain on the other side, and that there are no downdraughts close to the ridge that would upset you, just veer gently over the ridge – or, if you are not happy, just veer away, use your alternative!
Flying Through a Saddle
Maybe there’s a layer of cloud leaving you a relatively small gap to get through… again, leave yourself an alternative. Fly close to one side with the idea of flying past the saddle in a gentle turn and checking out conditions on the other side, just in case there’s another layer of cloud rolling in from the next valley!
Remember, don’t be caught up the creek without a paddle!
Valley Pitfalls
One of the most common mistakes learner pilots can make in our smaller valley systems is thinking that the valley floor is level and, believe it or not, some pilots align their aircraft with the valley floor thinking they are flying straight and level. Doing this, they can so easily turn a corner, pass over a couple of waterfalls and run out of height, manoeuvring room, airspeed and ideas all at the one time!
I’ve set some rules for myself when flying in what I call sharp or narrow valleys:
1. Enter the valley at such a height that in the event of an engine failure you’ll have sufficient height to glide to clear going.
2. Keep a sharp watch on your airspeed indicator. In my opinion this suddenly becomes the most important instrument you have!
3. Only fly to the point where you can safely turn; don’t go through a narrow part expecting the valley to open up again, or for cloud conditions to be suitable for a turn.
4. Give some thought to the prevailing conditions. It may pay to fly on the windward side, or the sunny side, where updraughts are more likely. The shady side, if covered in snow, just could have the odd downdraught. There could be less risk than other traffic.
5. I always make myself sharpen up when I’m doing this type of flying. Just because you’re on the windward side does not necessarily mean updraughts! Be quick to believe what is actually happening and take evasive action. Don’t sit there fat, dumb and happy believing you are in an updraught if the reverse is true!
6. Take the common scenario of wanting to fly through a saddle with a low cloud base (Shooting the Gap). Be careful! It is most likely that there is quite an airflow coupled with strong updraughts or downdraughts. Maybe the side you approach from is quite calm but, once you get through, you could be hit by a walloping big updraught that threatens to push you right into the cloud even though the aircraft is red lining in a screaming dive to stay clear! Give yourself some manoeuvring room, don’t get too close to that cloud base under these circumstances. Somewhere in the good old rule book it tells us much the same thing.
Don’t get me wrong, mountain flying is not dangerous if approached the correct way. The above are just some of the basics and some of the pitfalls. Part of the key to it all is:
(a) Always have an escape route; Alternative.
(b) Keep a sharp watch on your airspeed.
(c) Pay attention to the conditions and to your flying.
Above all, just feel your way along quietly, get comfortable with your tight turns in a confined space, and give yourself room.
Happy and safe flying.
This article first appeared in AOPA NZ’s Approach magazine – Winter 2026 edition
To learn more about Laurie’s flying and hear some of his stories, check out our AOPA NZ Pilots’ Talk video with Laurie Prouting.