Re: Quad Pic of C&TS

Hi Wade,

The aircraft that you see going into Chama East Side is a Pilatus PC-12. It's a Swiss-built, pressurized, single-engine turboprop business airplane that has cabin space similar to that of a Beech King Air. Those airplanes are amazingly capable at handling both short and soft fields. They regularly use grass strips that are under 3,000 ft long. Like most turboprops, they have beta reverse and can stop very quickly. The biggest challenge at high altitude strips like Chama is speed. On final, the indicated airspeed is no different from sea-level strips, but the true airspeed is higher than indicated. 3,000 ft sounds like enough for a flat-lander, but at high altitude, it's tight. They welcome having the reverse available.

As for the AF aircraft, they do indeed have low-level training routes in that area. I recall being up at Cumbres one day under a low overcast and being surprised by the sudden appearance of a V-22 out of Kirtland on a low-level route. In "airplane mode", the V-22 is a pretty fast critter.....and those rotors.....I mean props, are HUGE.

/Kevin Madore