Idaho recommendations

Alright ya'll, Wannabe is takin a trip. I'm flying from Reno up to Boise for Thanksgiving to visit some friends (and maybe you too Don D.)

I'm taking a 180HP 172 with 2 pax and light bags. Once I get there, we'll jettison some cargo, and then I'd like to visit some surrounding areas within 50-70 miles of Boise.

Any suggestions? I'd like to visit Johnson Creek but I'm not sure I have the ponies to get out of there with 2 pax on grass. Plus, it's 100 mi from Boise and I'd like to stay a little closer.


Thanks,

Zane aka Agent Smith

zane, jonson creek is as civilized as it gets, even has hot showers! I have had a 140 cessna in and out with a passenger too, and fuel is close at mcall.

A guy on the skywagons.org site told me that the mountain strips (does this include Johnson Creek?) are pretty snowy around Thanksgiving and that it would prob be a no-go that time of year. While I have been flying in the mountains a lot recently, I am a pretty low time pilot. Hmm but if the 140 served you well there...

Z

At the risk of sounding preachy, you might want to pay the bucks and get a checkout with a local flight instructor. There's a lot of bent aluminum around the Idaho backcountry, including wrecks by high time pilots that were unfamiliar with a particular airstrip. For instance, it's not necessarily obvious that a C172 is unlikely to successfully execute a go around at Johnson Creek, as two guys in a C172 found out a couple of years ago (it helps if you don't overload the airplane, too). The club I used to fly at required a checkout at each airstrip before landing the first time, plus a general recurrency review each year. The policy seems to work, since the club has no accidents or incidents in the mountains in over 25 years.

Regarding snow, it depends on where you go. Some of the strips are low enough to stay clear for much of the year, although they can get wet. I've flown a Hawk XP into Flying B, but that's even farther than Johnson Creek. Backcountry flying in Idaho is such a kick that I'd recommend getting a checkout if the weather cooperates, even if you don't have the chance to fly solo into the airstrips on this trip.

Regards,
Steve

Steve,

Thanks for the note, and I agree with you that local orientation when flying the backcountry is essential. I don't think I am going to venture too far out of Boise in the 172 on this trip. I don't have the time to go with other pilots while I'm there, I just want to get a feel for the area and take some local friends up.

So did the Hawk XP perform well up there at Johnson? I have access to one and am checked out in it, but it's not as well equipped (autopilot, Garmin 430) as the 172N.

Maybe we can just hop over to Emmet... Ever been up to Garden Valley? Is there anything worth seeing there?

Z

Zane,
Emmett is fine, paved, and you can buzz golfcarts on short final
Garden valley is one of my favorite places to go when I need a quick trip out of rat race. Not real remote, but a nice picnic spot and you can do a little fishing. I haven't been there in over a year, but there was a shooting range nearby which can get a little noisy.
Another quick trip is Smith Prarie. Once there, you can hike around some collapsed lava domes just up the road from the airstrip.
The Hawk XP performs just fine at these strips with two people, light bags, and cool temperatures. Also, I once flew a 180 hp 172 conversion into Flying B. It had flap extension limited to 30 deg. as part of the STC. The flap limitation was pretty annoying and defeats one of the best features of Cessnas.
Sigh, I'm stuck in LA for two more years. Can't wait to get back.
Steve
PS - Don't forget the checkout, even at a strip as simple as GV.