Johnson's Creek Video

[ScottSchmidt]

Here is a video we shot last year around August I think, actually Sean Strasburg shot the in-plane video. With Spring around the corner (only 17 days to go) I thought I would share to get us all excited about the summer of flying coming up and the airplane camping we need to plan.

It is a pilots video....no music.....no talking.....all airplanes, all video, shot in 1080P.
Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cqf6r23W44

[panhandler1956]

Nice video Scott! Thanks for sharing. Never been up there, but it sure looks like fun!

[DeltaRomeo]

Wonderful, Scott!

That really took me back to my first trip there. What an amazing place. Those trees looked like skyscrapers on downwind to this flatlander.

Thanks for shooting/posting that.

[hydroguy2]

Everybody needs to make a trip to Johnson Creek. I'll be back this year.

Thanks again for the booster shot, Scott

[pierre smith]

Scott, sems to me from the topography that you could take off in either direction, no?

Thanks,

[DeltaRomeo]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

Scott, sems to me from the topography that you could take off in either direction, no?
Thanks,

Landing to the south and taking off to the north at Johnson Creek is the preferred method, Pierre. The terrain rises fast south of the field.

[81270]

Originally Posted by DeltaRomeo

Landing to the south and taking off to the north at Johnson Creek is the preferred method, Pierre. The terrain rises fast south of the field.

No kidding....there's nothing like that which compares to airfields in Australia... had me white-knuckling the armchair just watching it

[hydroguy2]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

Scott, sems to me from the topography that you could take off in either direction, no?

Thanks,

The people who donated the land also requested the no one fly over the house at the South end, so even of you and your plane are capable they would prefer you don't.

Come on up Pierre, while some mountain instruction is definitely recommended, Johnson Creek is one of the easy strips and a great place for all to enjoy.

[nomocom]

Originally Posted by pierre smith

Scott, sems to me from the topography that you could take off in either direction, no?

Thanks,

Anyone planning a Johnson creek trip, please take the time to read this letter from our very supportive Idaho Aeronautics folks. Explains the situation.

Begin quote

July 13, 2010

To All Fellow Aviators,

It is our responsibility as pilots to ensure an orderly and safe flow of traffic in and around Idaho?s backcountry airports. The FAA Airport/Facility Directory, the Idaho Division of Aeronautics Airport/Facility Directory, and Galen Hanselman?s Fly Idaho are three sources that provide the most current approach and departure recommendations to the most popular airports. Information passed by word of mouth or over the Internet, although well-intended, can skew these recommendations and inadvertently mislead others into attempting maneuvers beyond their abilities or better judgment.

Recent events indicate that misinformation about the traffic pattern at Johnson Creek is being circulated, creating a potentially unsafe situation. The following is meant to correct any misunderstandings as to what patterns are flown, when, and why.

It was Emma Bryant?s graciousness and generosity that provided the land on which Johnson Creek now sits. The Bryant family, whose ranch house sits on the hill at the south end of the airport, fully supports all flying activities at Johnson Creek. However, they have three requests of those flying into Johnson Creek: First, under normal conditions, make all landings to the south and all takeoffs to the north.

Second, landings to the north are permitted whenever the pilot decides, based on weather and not convenience, that a landing to the south is unsafe or unwarranted. However, offset your base leg to the south and final approach to the east to avoid overflying the house.

Lastly, takeoffs to the south are strongly discouraged: your takeoff path is directly toward the ranch house; you are taking off toward rising terrain; and a marginally performing aircraft, struggling to stay airborne, flying passed their living room window is very disconcerting. In the recent past, high density altitudes led to three accidents and seven fatalities, each aircraft failing to out climb the rising terrain to the south. Unfavorable southerly winds generally occur in the late afternoon when aircraft should remain on the ground until more favorable conditions prevail.

As a courtesy to the Bryant family, we should honor their requests.

One last item: noise is our greatest enemy in the backcountry. Most of the airplanes we fly are noisy and sound travels great distances in the canyons. That sound amplifies tremendously when we fly in formation, make low passes, and multiple takeoffs and landings. Johnson Creek and the nearby village of Yellow Pine represent a cross-section of the local population and those that come to enjoy our pristine mountain beauty. Not all of them are pilots, yet all of us share the same purpose and must find a way to enjoy our pursuits without treading on those of our neighbors.

Please enjoy our airports, but also be considerate.

Sincerely,

Frank W. Lester, Jr.
Safety/Education Coordinator
Idaho Division of Aeronautics

end quote

[rv7boy]

What a video! My heart was pounding just watching it. Thanks for sharing this. I hope to be able to fly my RV-7 there someday, but if it's not to be, videos like this capture some of the adventure.

I have one question about updrafts and downdrafts near mountains. Is that not a concern at Johnson Creek? A friend in Utah told me once that there is a rule of thumb which I can't remember now. Something about for every 50 knots of winds at the mountain peaks, stay so many thousand feet above. Obviously I can't remember it and if/when the time comes when I can fly to Idaho, I'll surely enroll in a mountain flying course before flying in the mountains.

But the question remains in my mind. Are there concerns about updrafts and downdrafts near Johnson Creek? The letter quoted by "nomocom" didn't say anything about that.