Not too different from a 172, the standard 170 can be a challenge in the mountains. I recall flying to Kelowna convention, Jamie and I spent the night in a B&B at Trinidad, CO and departed in the AM for fuel at Montrose, CO, requiring us to climb thru Alamosa Pass.
We were following a railroad track as it wound up thru the mountains. This was because trains can't climb very well either, and the tracks would provide us a nice navigational tool at a gradient the airplane could manage.... Until we came around a bend and found ourselves looking at the entrance to a tunnel.
We circled for about 20 minutes to gain sufficient altitude to climb over the pass. We had a way out. The following story is about pilots who didn't keep an alternate available.
PS: This is not an attempt to discuss horsepower mods. I disagree with the author's opinion that the 170/172 is not suitable for long cross country flights. The point made best is, that pre-flight planning is important regardless of the equipment used.
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
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