Beginner backcountry basics

Paved runways were a place we visited for a special treat to eat at a restaurant. However, those familiar ridgetops quickly became foreign after I learned to fly at paved runways. It took two decades of flying, several new certificates and ratings, an introductory mountain flying class, and a dose of competitiveness for me to return to those strips.

It shouldn’t have taken that long for me to build my confidence—intimidation trumped my skill level for too many years. Had I broken down each aspect of landing at a backcountry strip to master them individually, it would have seemed attainable much sooner.

Start with homework: Identify backcountry strips that you want to fly into and learn all you can about them. Research airport directories (if the strip is listed) to find out if the runway slopes, has a dog leg, or has an abort point on final approach; if you lose sight of the runway in the pattern; and other details. The Recreational Aviation Foundation’s Airfield Guide (https://airfield.guide) is an excellent resource. Ask pilots who have flown to the strip for pointers, ride along with someone else to observe the pattern and approach, and walk the runway (if you’ve ridden with someone else or are able to access it by ground). Learn your aircraft’s landing, takeoff, and climbout performance at different density altitudes and with different weights so that you know how much runway and climb performance you will need to take off.

Familiarize yourself with the area: Backcountry airfields can blend in with the surrounding terrain or might not even look like a landing area from the air, so it can be easy to fly past them even with a point marked on your GPS. Become familiar with landmarks that you can use to help identify the strip.

Practice: Many backcountry strips are short or have unusual approaches that require precise aircraft control, particularly power and airspeed management. Practice maintaining altitude in slow flight with the stall horn on with the first and second notches of flaps on your aircraft. Then stall the aircraft in each configuration without changing the power and note the one that gives you the greatest difference between the first indication of a stall and the stall itself. In my Cessna 170B, it is two notches of flaps (20 degrees) and the appropriate power setting to give me 70 mph. This is what McCall Mountain/Canyon Flying Seminars (See “Super Cub Sweepstakes: High and Low,” November 2018 AOPA Pilot) calls canyon speed/configuration for operating below the rim of a canyon. I use it to set up all my backcountry patterns because it slows me down and gives me excellent aircraft control while I focus outside. Also practice slower than normal approach speeds, hitting your landing spot consistently without dragging the aircraft in on power, and maintaining precise centerline alignment on rollout. If you operate at a long, wide, paved runway, try these techniques at short, narrow runways for a different perspective.

Start with the easiest and work your way up in difficulty level: Pick a backcountry airfield that has the simplest pattern and approach, isn’t super short, and doesn’t have several complicating factors like a dogleg or serious slope. Once you boost your confidence operating at that one, progress to strips with one or two complicating factors—such as nonstandard patterns and approaches, landing in valleys, one way in/out strips, or very short runways.

Create your pattern: If the airfield doesn’t have a pattern explained in an airport directory or guide and you haven’t been able to talk to pilots who have flown in there, fly over the area above pattern altitude so that you can see the strip and surrounding terrain well to plan your pattern and approach. Fly it again at pattern altitude, noting visual checkpoints you can use if you lose sight of the runway, and evaluating if your pattern set you up properly on final approach. Fine tune your pattern until you feel comfortable.

Fly multiple approaches: Fly practice approaches, tracking your aiming point and breaking off before any point that would commit you to landing until you feel comfortable with a stable approach. After a few stabilized approaches and you begin to feel comfortable, take it all the way to landing.

Have an out: Some backcountry strips have abort points, after which going around is no longer an option. Make the decision early whether you can continue to land or need to go around for another approach. Analyze the terrain to pick the best go-around route—look for valleys that give you time to climb and areas that offer emergency landing options. On takeoff, have an abort point ready in case your aircraft doesn’t have the performance to continue the takeoff and climb, you have an aircraft problem, or wildlife runs out in front of you.

Master each of these steps, and you will be on your way to building your confidence and decision making to assess and land at backcountry strips that are within your skill level and your aircraft’s performance.

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