PURPOSEFUL PRACTICE...AT HOME

By Matt Foster  -  Safety, Education, and Etiquette Committee Chair

Your backcountry adventure likely involves a heavily loaded airplane, a short strip, challenging terrain, and limited options. Your practice should reflect those realities – at your home airport. Weave exercises into your normal flying, and consider bringing someone along to observe and keep you honest.


Make your normal operations backcountry-ready operations. Seek out an instructor with backcountry experience or challenge your local instructor to learn about your upcoming mission and play a role in your preparation. 


Load the airplane as you expect to fly it. Bring the camping gear, survival equipment, and ballast that simulates your expected weight and center of gravity. You’ll learn more about how the airplane performs when it's configured for the mission…not when it's empty and light.


Make all your landings “spot” landings (remember: your “worst” landing is your standard). Know your performance for takeoff distance and power settings. Learn to lean for density altitude. Practice these calculations for your aircraft. Fly non-standard patterns where airports allow. Practice go-arounds with varying flap settings. Practice slow flight and canyon turns. 


You can do many of these on every local mission with only a little more thought and purpose…and it can be fun and rewarding.


Visualize the adventure, and practice before you launch your adventure.


The backcountry is no place to discover your limitations.


Submitted July 14, 2026

Photo Credit: Bill Brine

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