07/06- 2eme semaine/2nd week

La meilleure escale de la semaine?
Ce fut sans aucun doute a Aspen, Colorado. C'est une ville qui fut cree au siecle dernier lors de la recherche de l'argent, ainsi nomme a cause des "peupliers tremble" qui surplombe cette petite ville.
C'est maintenant une station de ski pour les gens riches et celebres, tel que Kevin Costner, Goldie Hawn, Michael Douglas et tant d'autres.
C'est aussi la que fut tourne "dumb et Dumber" avec Jim Carrey.
Ville jumelle avec Chamonix en France, ca rappelle d'ailleurs la Savoie ou les Alpes. Meme beaute dans l'air frais des montagnes.
Comme on peut l'imaginer, c'est une destination ou nous allons souvent, et l'ete, c'est sympa, surtout si on a le temps de sortir de l'hotel!

Hello American people. How are you? These are Richard's pictures from his last week in Aspen, Colorado. Must admit, it sure is a pretty state. After living there for many years, that's pretty much all I have to say about Colorado. (I don't pretend to enjoy a people whose average mentality leads them to burn down their own city to celebrate (celebrate, no less) winning some sport event. Insert "stupid" here.) However, what is interesting about Colorado is that, in Summer, as in other places in the US, when flying in and out you get to experience first hand an element of flying and physics called density altitude wherein there are some locations on some days where you can fly in but can't fly out (under certain power and weight conditions). It is one of those invisible forces which have a dramatic impact on the uninformed (or just plain ignorant) pilot. Fascinating, really. We get to experience it here in Arizona, especially when we go during Summer on a mild 118 degree day for a $100 burger in Payson. Essentially, due to density altitude and trees which surround the Payson airport, we cannot go there in Summer. You see, planes require lift for take-off. Under certain heat conditions, the air is so thin that it takes you longer to acquire lift. Coupled with weight (aircraft, fuel, etc) and other restrictions (namely, the high altitude of Payson) and environmental items such as really tall trees around the runway, if we were to attempt take off we would merely acquire a margin of lift, not enough to achieve adequate climb but just enough to plow us dead center into those waiting trees. OOOUUCCH! And such is one of the many millions of things any good pilot must always keep in mind. (FYI, believe it or not some pilots do not have such a honed sense of survival and attempt to take off under severe density altitude conditions. Such a person attempted same in the Grand Canyon area and only proceeded to kill himself.) Fly safe! :)