Page 50 - Volume 18 Number 9

by David MillerRush to JudgmentOne of the components of a safe flight is thorough planning. For some of my “milk runs”, like Addison (KADS) to Shreveport (KSHV) or Gunnison (KGUC), I don’t do a lot of it, other than review the weather and NOTAMS. I know the routes pretty well after numerous launches over the years. But, going to a new destination, especially one in mountainous terrain, is a different story.On this day, it was Kelowna, British Columbia (CYLW). Kelowna is nestled in a gorgeous valley on the shores of Okanagan Lake, and is known for its summer wineries and winter skiing. It’s one of the prettiest places I have visited in North America. The airport sits at 1,421 feet MSL and is surrounded by cumulo-granite rising to almost 9,000 feet. The good news is that radar service is available, and that’s how I expected my departure to be as I studied the plates prior to my return to Dallas.“November 1865 Charlie, you are cleared via the Kelowna 5 Departure as filed. Climb and maintain 14 thousand, expect flight level 390 within ten minutes, squawk 3780.” I read back the clearance and began my very short taxi from the FBO to the active runway 16. The weather was VFR but clouds covered the highest peaks in all directions. This was going to be easy.As I neared the run-up area, I heard “65 Charlie, Vancouver Center is now reporting a radar outage. Your Kelowna 5 Departure is cancelled. You are now cleared as filed.”My filed flight plan was basically direct to my destination of Minot, North Dakota. Now, flashing through my head were several questions:(1) How the heck do I get out of this area safely?(2) Where is the obstacle departure chart?I immediately recalled a C-130 crash years ago from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, carrying President Clinton’s limousine and a secret service agent, as it departed directly into mountains obscured by clouds. The crash site was about a thousand feet below the summit. Everyone perished.Five jets were lined up behind me. Each with two engines. Burning fuel. Making noise. “November 65 Charlie, are you readyWith 5,000-plus hours in his logbook, David Miller has been flying for business and pleasure for more than 40 years. Having owned and flown a variety of aircraft types, from turboprops to midsize jets, Miller, along with his wife Patty, now own and fly a Citation CJ1+. You can contact David at davidmiller1@sbcglobal.net.for takeoff?” came the query from ground control. I was slowing down the departure queue. Everything was set up for my rush to judgment. I had an opportunity to “wing it” and go with the flow. The weather wasn’t too bad, was it? Surely I could make my way around the peaks. Almost all of them were visible. Almost. But I didn’t have a plan. “Negative, standby,” I said. At least on this day, I wasn’t going to let someone pressure me into rushing the plan, even if I didn’t have a firm one at the moment. Papers flew, the FMS was re-programmed, and I discussed the new plan with Mark Aloe, my co-pilot. We agreed on the appropriate navaids and safe altitudes. Now we were ready.“November 1865 Charlie is ready for takeoff.”Last minute unplanned changes can ruin our day. It can be tempting to succumb to someone else’s plan or even worse, to launch without one of your choosing.On this day, I did the right thing. Fly safe.David’s first book, “Confessions of a Very Private Pilot”, is available at: www.universityaviationpress.comON FINAL48 • TWIN & TURBINE SEPTEMBER 2014