Page 13 - Feb23T

PROTECTING the BACKCOUNTRY
Stanley, Idaho.
THE RAF COMMEMORATES 20 YEARS
by Lance Phillips
Centerline, aimpoint, power for 65. That was the mantra drilled into my head when training for my private pilot’s license
many ages ago. As I was developing those skills necessary for my professional aeronautics degree program, the thing I loved most was fine-tuning the art of landing. I loved it above all the other skills we practiced in the hot and humid Florida troposphere. I learned the sweet spot of a Piper Cherokee during descent, power to idle, flare and just squeaking the mains on as the stall warning begins to stutter.
I accomplished all of my initial, advanced and even professional training on neatly maintained asphalt runways. Still, something always seemed to pull at me – something to this day I have yet to really truly experience for myself – backcountry operations.
February 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 11