Sport Pilot Talk

I flew from KUAO to KMFR and got there early. Flew right over the mountains to KMFR, Medford Oregon at about 0900. It was great!
Then i left there after getting 4 free cookies and two cups of coffee and conversation, and gas, at ($6.43) and some conversation with the semi-beautiful chick at the desk at Million Air in Medford (who let us use their BMW courtesy car).
Flying back I said, "come on baby, get up there!" as she struggled off the runway. I wanted to reach the mountains and be at 6,500 feet but could only get to about 4,500. I did three or four loops before I approached and notice that I was only rising about 100 feet a minute (two of us inside CTSW).
I then proceeded over the mountains only to be hit by some rough turbulence. I then had second thoughts and headed west and sought out the l-5 pass. I then went IFR (I follow roads) with the 1-5 in sight and made it through the mountains.
The rest of the trip from the mountains back to suburban Portland was uneventful and I did a straight in landing on runway 35.
Anyway, talking about altitude density is one thing-actually seeing the mountain in front of you and not slipping nicely below your feet is another thing!

Oh yes. We left Medford, which is at 1300 feet, at about 2pm and it was hot. The cookies were actually quite good. Not Food Lion good but more like high end Costco cookies-peanut butter 2 and choc. chip-2.
The girl at the counter was not my type.

'Sounds like a nice flight...
re: DA - it sure can mess with you, but unless you were extra heavy with pax and fuel something doesn't sound right. I've flown in/out of Flagstaff with DA over 9300 without much problem, at Bryce with DA at 10K, and all the way from Phoenix to near Seattle at 10,500 to 12,500 (Sept 85 degrees), without much problem climbing (ctsw). When the controllers asked me to climb to 13.5 over SLC, I did have to go back to zero flaps to get some quick climb.
I wonder if your prop is pitched for more go than climb.

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Tim
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check out CTFlier.com

He coulda been extra heavy from those cookies!

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The opinions expressed in this post are those of one CFI, and do not necessarily represent the position of the FAA or its lawyers.
Prof. H. Paul Shuch, Ph.D., CFII, LSRM-A/GL/WS
AvSport of Lock Haven
http://AvSport.org fly@AvSport.org