Skywest and Aspen

[LVFlyer]

Two questions/rumors that I was wondering if someone could clear up for me:

1. How many people can you take out of Aspen? Was told you were extremely weight restricted due to climb performance and have to leave with a ridiculous number of empty seats.

2. Also heard that you can only go there day VFR, and the feds weren't real happy with the operation.

Anyone care to educate me on this?

 

[SSDD]

I don't know about the ORD flights, but for the shorter flights we can go out full.

We can do the ILSDME 15 day or night approach which at 1000/3 has the lowest minimums of any approach into ASE.

Don't know about the "ridiculous" factor, or the level of happiness of any FAA employee.

 

[rickair7777]

They only use the 700, which is the zippiest of the CRJ's.

The crews are specially trained; they have to spend a week in the sim just to qualify...but the know the SE procedures cold, so it should be pretty safe. They are probably better prepared to do a complex SE procedure than a lot of 121 line crews...

 

[FmrFreightDog]

Don't know about the "ridiculous" factor, or the level of happiness of any FAA employee.

Ridiculous factor.... always high.

Level of happiness of any FAA employee... always relatively low. After all, the short sleeve shirt/tie combo is most certainly bad for one's self esteem.... Oh... wait... crap....

 

[skypine69]

"should be pretty safe"

that comment scares me.

 

[FLYBOYMATTHEW]

I would like to hear from any AWAC or Mesaba pilots who have been operating in and out of Aspen for years. Would you fly a CRJ-700 in there? This is an accident waiting to happen.

 

[doug_or]

I would like to hear from any AWAC or Mesaba pilots who have been operating in and out of Aspen for years. Would you fly a CRJ-700 in there? This is an accident waiting to happen.

I'm willing to bet not a lot of ZW or XJ guys have any time in the CR7, so I can't really share your enthusiasim for their opinions on the subject.

"Accident waiting to happen"? Have I seen you on TV before? CNN? MSNBC? was the title "aviation expert" underneath your name?

 

[CFIT]

I would like to hear from any AWAC or Mesaba pilots who have been operating in and out of Aspen for years. Would you fly a CRJ-700 in there? This is an accident waiting to happen.

Your "arm chair quarterback reference" aside this training program has been well defined and the FAA has used this program as an example for others to develop special airport operation models.

Clearly Flyboy, youre an idiot.
Yes, I've been there and done it, more than most.

 

[FLYBOYMATTHEW]

Have you talked to a crew who has lost an engine on departure out of Aspen on a 4-engine a/c? They were $#'!!ing they're pants. I pray for the sake of the 70 ignorant passengers on board that this never happens to you.

BTW...interesting handle.

 

[rickair7777]

Have you talked to a crew who has lost an engine on departure out of Aspen on a 4-engine a/c? They were $#'!!ing they're pants. I pray for the sake of the 70 ignorant passengers on board that this never happens to you.

BTW...interesting handle.

I think you'te talking about aircraft with 5 APU's, not 4 engines.

The 700 is very powerful (P vs. W), vastly more so than 200.