Backcountry Etiquette & Safety - Part I

Choosing the Right Airstrip

by Crista V. Worthy

Every situation has an appropriate etiquette. For example, codes of conduct in a church are different than in a noisy bar. Aviation has codes too. Using proper radio terminology facilitates information transfer and reduces misunderstandings. The thoughtful copilot knows it's both rude and unsafe to interrupt or distract the PIC during preflight, takeoff, and landing, unless the PIC asks for help. Backcountry flying takes special skills, but the hallmarks of a great backcountry pilot are not only safety in operations, but also courtesy to others.

FAR 91.103 states, “Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight.” This regulation, and common sense, dictate that you have a particular destination in mind before setting off. America, particularly in the Northwest, offers a dazzling array of backcountry airstrips, some even in wilderness areas, where people can experience the sights and sounds of nature in relative solitude. Other locations offer services and space for large fly-ins. Our good fortune is that there's something for everybody. Your selection of a backcountry strip should be commensurate with your skills and the aircraft's performance envelope. Some airstrips like Idaho's Garden Valley are less challenging: several thousand feet long, flat, with open approaches, and at a lower elevation. Other airstrips are more difficult, and some like Mile Hi can be extreme: less than 600 feet long, sloped, unmaintained, in a canyon, at nearly 6,000 feet MSL.

Fortunately, several resources are available to help you choose an appropriate airstrip, both in terms of your capabilities, and your plans after landing. Galen Hanselman's Fly Idaho! book presents photos and data on runway and approach conditions for 71 Idaho airstrips. Similar books are available for Montana, Utah, and Baja California, shop.pilotgetaways.com. The Idaho Airstrip Network (IAN) has a system of PIREPs, often with photos, showing recent conditions at many Idaho airstrips; visit the Idaho Aviation Association (IAA) website, www.idahoaviation.com, and click on “Idaho Airstrips.” Together with the Idaho Division of Aeronautics, the IAN has developed a classification system which helps pilots understand each airstrip's surroundings, services, remoteness, and maintenance levels. In terms of usage and development, from highest to lowest, these classifications are: Community, Developed, Primitive, Wild, and Hazardous. After your trip you can contribute your own PIREP and upload your photos to help others. Another handy tool is the special Idaho Aeronautical Chart showing all airstrips and reporting points, available in the IAA's online store for $10.

If your destination is in Utah, the Utah Back Country Pilots Association's website provides data and recent reports on many Utah airstrips, www.utahbackcountrypilots.org. A special Utah Supplemental WAC Chart with every Utah strip is available for $19.95 at shop.pilotgetaways.com.

In Montana, the Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF) provides information about airstrips within the Missouri Breaks National Monument, Russian Flat (the newest public airstrip in the Continental United States), and Ryan Field, where you need to request a safety briefing before landing, www.theraf.org.

But in choosing your destination, you should also consider if it is appropriate for the types of activities you have in mind. Are you staying overnight for a little hiking or fishing, or are you flying with a group of other aircraft for a fun social event? Certain wilderness airstrips are not appropriate for group fly-ins. Think about it: When you go out with your friends to have a good time, would you go to a library? No, you'd go to a bar, restaurant, nightclub, or private home. Likewise, there are airstrips where loud behavior (airplanes or people) is also not appropriate. Particularly sensitive are Idaho's “Big Creek Four” airstrips: Mile Hi, Vines, Dewey Moore, and Simonds. Located within a wilderness area, they were closed to all but emergency use, meaning you couldn't plan to land there. Through negotiations with the IAA and the Idaho Division of Aeronautics, the Forest Service re-opened those strips for “sporadic” use—a group of airplanes doesn't fit that description. Usage has increased beyond what the USFS considers sporadic, particularly during fly-ins with pilots seeking to challenge their skills and equipment. The problem is particularly acute at Mile Hi, where pilots are landing en masse and publicizing their exploits on YouTube. One pilot who landed perpendicular to the runway posted his landing and was later cited by the USFS for landing off the approved zone, a hefty fine. To prevent any further closures, the same aviation groups that have fought to keep backcountry airstrips open for all pilots now ask that groups refrain from flying in to these strips.

Perhaps the same should apply to those labeled “wild.” If you want to land at a challenging, remote strip on the Salmon River with a group of aircraft, don't drop in on Wilson Bar; save that strip for those who seek solitude. Instead, bring your whole group to Mackay Bar, a challenging airstrip just one mile downstream, but on private land. (Call first if you want a hot meal served to you.) When you land at a wilderness airstrip, the Idaho and Montana pilots associations, the UBCP, and the RAF all support the wilderness airfield usage principle known as “wilderness-related.” That is, using the airstrip as access for wilderness-dependent activities like camping, hiking, photography, study, or hunting. If you haven't already, consider joining one or more of these associations that are dedicated to preserving backcountry aviation for all, www.idahoaviation.com, www.theraf.org, www.utahbackcountrypilots.org, www.montanapilots.org.

Part Two of Backcountry Etiquette & Safety, in our next issue, looks at crucial safety techniques, as well as backcountry etiquette during en route, landing, taxiing, and takeoff operations.