What gear/tools do I fly with when landing on top of Mountains!?

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[@GravityKnightFlying]

Didn't show it in the video, because youtube can get weird about firearms, but I also always carry a pistol/knife etc. Another important part of backcountry exploring is protection. Just wanted to mention it. -T

[@DWBurns]

I figured you had something. Nickel cases with shinny primers, no brass?

[@johnbednarz1424]

I was wondering, some of the places you go has bears, big cats etc.

[@rockymountainboy8080]

I have flew with him a lot he does carry a gun

[@TRUMPMAGAPatriotUSA1]

The badassness never ends!💪🏼😎🇺🇸

[@jimecee]

#1 backcountry pilot channel in my opinion. You’re one of the driving forces keeping me working on my PPL. Almost through ground school, hoping to start flight lessons end of this month. Being a young adult with a full time job is making it tough but one day this is exactly the kind of thing I want to be doing. What do you think your ground roll was in front of the Utv guys? That looked short for 12k feet! Fly safe!

[@GravityKnightFlying]

Thank you James! and that is excellent, keep plugging away man! It was pretty short considering.. cool temps, decent headwind, and decent downhill all came together nicely!

[@slkgeothermal]

I don't understand how you don't have a 100K subscribers. You have some amazing footage and poor man's back country advise. I keep recommending your channel to my aviation friends. Thank you for your continued efforts.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

thanks Michael!

[@Christopher-bl3tn]

Killer video, love your flying videos above all the other creators out there

[@GravityKnightFlying]

Thanks Christopher!

[@montyantcliff1299]

What a fantastic video, the mining operation was quite a site to see, thank you for all videos. Safe flights 👍

[@iannorton4463]

Bloody brilliant 👏... I found you because of PFI Speed, brent. Last year when they were doing the drag and drive thing through your area. Hello from England 🇬🇧 ✌️

[@GravityKnightFlying]

Thanks Ian!! Brent is one hell of a nice guy!

[@-Master_Of_Disaster]

Awesome video as always! Your channel deserves a lot more viewers.

[@MrWinger1951]

Like your choices in gear. I would recommend a light synthetic sleeping bag to be carried at all times (many are available, Snugpak makes decent gear). And it wouldn't weigh more than most blankets. And at the altitudes over the terrain you often fly it can easily get down into the 40's, or even 30's even during the Summer months. I carry one in my truck.

[@ChadBrinkerhoff]

Love your videos. Great Content and camera imagery.

[@portnuefflyer]

If it's in your baggage area, it's camping gear. Emergency gear is what you can exit the plane with! Or so some say. I make sure my PLB is in my pocket when landing a new off airport site, plus a small bag (signal kit with signal mirror, flares, firestarters, survival whistle with compass, (think Titantic scene with Kate W on the wreckage) space blanket, a couple big garbage bags under the pilot seat that I can grab on the way out, that has enough to get me thru a night. Having a sat based PLB has made me think more how to get thru 1 night, maybe a day, even if uncomfortable, and I am big on matches, firestarter kits, butane lighters, I have them all, probably a dozen all told! A very light small backpack was recently added, when it occurred to me if I had to hike out, being able to carry stuff other then in my hands could be very.....handy.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

I've been carrying a backback more often too, its a great point... hiking out with an armful of stuff would be terrible! I should put a few of those extremely lightweight items in the backpack, and have it ready/easy to grab on the way out the door. Good points

[@portnuefflyer]

@@GravityKnightFlying I got gifted a cheezy but super lightweight pack when I resubscribed to a magazine, Air and Space, almost threw it away, but after a vapor lock incident (or something...landed out, couldn't restart), and almost starting the hike out, for the first time I realized the need for a pack of some sort. Mine's empty, rolled up tight, and with other stuff fits above the door on the little ledge we S-7 pilots know about!

[@dougm2745]

Great stuff. Be careful.

[@hogey74]

Hey thanks for this. Love the gear run down. It's been on my mind as I get back in to flying. I am a bit of a hiker so there is plenty of light weight gear in my garage. If you wanted to shave some weight I can recommend the naturehike tents and cheap inflatable mattresses. For exposed locations the cloud peak 2 and opalus 2, 3 and 4 tents are pretty sturdy and heaps lighter.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

I wondered about naturehike stuff... nice info thanks

[@Jeffopar]

I would like to see more of your hangar set up. It’s the only thing holding me back from starting a build right now.

[@DanasWings]

Nice video as always. You might want to look at a bivy sack instead of a tent. It's all I ever use for backcountry camping nowadays, combined with a tarp if it's rainy or very windy but I'm not flying then anyway. Super compact and light, and you can sack out in a bivy in a lot of places where there's no room for a tent...not an issue at a landable LZ but could be if you go down in the timber. I only use a tent if I'm at an airport or fly-in, for privacy

[@HookedOnUtah]

Great video!! Loved the gear review!!

[@superduper1917]

Love your channel! Thanks for your effort!

[@Bushmasterpilot]

Ranstastic!😊

[@lilianamalusardi4026]

👍👍👍

[@justinparker7795]

Dude at 7 1/2 min in theres a monument , they are from the spainiards mining, I got a tun of them here in Ut. & Nv.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

I see a ton of them on mountain tops.. Cairns they are called I believe?! I wonder how many of them are old, and how many were done more recently just to copy? interesting stuff...

[@richardshane9222]

Another great video Todd. Thanks for sharing. Do you ever feel the need to use oxygen at those high altitudes?

[@GravityKnightFlying]

thanks Richard! i don't... but living at just under 7k may be a big part of that. I ran a little ways up the side of that hill I took off from after inspecting the spot I wanted to take off from... I felt it then!

[@MissionaryBushPilot]

If you come across anyone selling a kitfox, please let me know. I would love to go flying with you sometime

[@danblumel]

They are selling for crazy prices these days

[@prof.heinous191]

There you go Todd, fans in PNG too - respect MBP!

[@danblumel]

@@prof.heinous191 He is back in the USA for a year or so, a break from his missionary flying.

[@prof.heinous191]

@@danblumel Aha! Possibilities...

[@n7gn]

I'm surprised to not see at least one "space blanket" in your kit. I had too many people recommend them and at the price and weight, there was no reason not to take a couple in the airplane.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

I do have a couple, I think I took them out when summer started. I don't get cold easily, and during the summer, I don't worry too much about low temps. And I'd rather be comfortable with a real blanket, and give up the weight (for that). I do agree though, for the weight and size you can't beat those from what I understand. (I've never used one) I'll probably throw one back in the pack, at least before colder temps anyway.

[@Bearhawk_Life]

You might want to look at heavy duty construction garbage bags for warmth, they are super light, take virtually no space and hold in body heat better than a space blanket

[@MrBobSanchez]

I used a couple while sleeping out doors in the winter, in Montana. They’re nearly worthless. I think they give someone a false perception that it’ll do something. It would be great for signaling though.

[@gapster46]

I have to wonder where you had the camera mounted for this video. Can’t recall seeing that angle before. It’s a good location.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

thanks man... it's on the wing tip, same mount used to look back over at the plane typically, sometimes point it forward.. its real hard to get it pointed straight forward, but I too love that view!

[@gapster46]

@@GravityKnightFlying Thanks. I just couldn’t figure out where you had the camera mounted. It looked like it was pointed towards the wing tip, but it was looking forward.

[@davidspeyers5740]

Another really neat spot. Love it. Where do you get your music from Todd? Searching and cant find the song you used here. Do you have a playlist you use for your videos? It always seems to fit the mood perfectly.

[@damonhancock5547]

ELFL - Purple Voyager

[@GravityKnightFlying]

I pay for Epidemic Sound, its a service that provides music that won't get copyright strikes and all that. They have some decent stuff, but a lot of crap to sift through! thanks David!

[@cabinvibeetsystore9094]

New sub ! Liked 🙏🙌✌️

[@seansanborn4874]

you should trash that life straw and get an actual filter like a Sawyer squeeze. they sell them at Walmart for like 30 bucks.

[@Jim_Austin]

Where is that gigantic mine or quarry at 6:03 in your video and what in the world was taken from it? I’d like to look at it on Google Earth if you know the coordinates. That is an enormous scar in the earth!

[@GravityKnightFlying]

That is just outside of Victor Colorado... kind of between Victor, and Cripple Creek. Big gold mine, still active! Pretty wild place!

[@DWBurns]

Do you ever go down to American Basin between Lack City and Silverton? I take my Jeep in there, thinking about getting a bush plane, my daughter is helping me think that way, our Arrow is not kewl enough.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

I believe I have flown that basin... flown the general area down there quite a few times over the years. Love it down there, the San Juan mountains are extremely impressive to say the least. There are a few spots to land down in the San Juans, but a lot of it is "off limits"😑 But the views down there are second to none

[@coppi60]

Great video!!! What was being mined in that monster deep pit?

[@GravityKnightFlying]

That is a gold mine... located in between Victor and Cripple Creek Colorado... always like flying over it, quite a hole in the ground! There are several pits there actually. Thanks George

[@whosyourcaddy]

How’s your hybrid 912STi holding up? We have a Highlander/912STi build coming up, starting in ~November.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

It's doing well.. I've had a few little things I had to work on with it, but overall, it runs well and makes a ton of power. Very efficient as well. The tuning takes some time to really dial in. It didn't adjust properly for altitude the way it comes setup, and the boost control can be a little finicky, but overall, their system is the best thing going hands down. I come from a tuning background, so that didn't bother me to tweak and perfect it over time.. and now after many many hours tuning, its very dialed. Thx... sounds like a fun build! enjoy!!

[@robw4ltz408]

At that altitude and air temp what was your station density altitude

[@GravityKnightFlying]

best I can tell, it was right around 15k DA up there.

[@RogerWyatt]

Are you running a turbo engine?

[@GravityKnightFlying]

Yes, Edge Performance EP912STi (highly modified Rotax). Does still lose power up high, as I have a fixed pitch prop and had to setup the boost to taper off as I go up in order to keep the motor under redline. But makes a lot of power regardless.

[@thompsonjerry3412]

Do you have general parameters for weather, wind at the peaks, mountain wave activity, or do you just wing it. Crap stay in the woods or come home in a bag?

[@prof.heinous191]

This guy doesn't wing anything, check out his videos.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

Generally I'll look at windy.com for the couple days leading up to a potential flying day. Then some weather apps the night before and morning of. This gives the overall picture.. but in the end, the mountains will do what the mountains will do. I've seen every combo of conditions happen that were not predicted. Sometimes it's windy and smooth, sometimes its nearly calm but bumpy, sometimes thunderstorms pop up when it wasn't predicted. It's just what the mountains do.. the more time you spend flying in them, the more you can ready whats going on, but in the end, there is always a certain amount of weather in the mountains that is unpredictable. I'd like to think I'm not a "hold my beer and watch this" kind of guy... risky taker, absolutely... calculated/planned risk? yes, as much as possible.

[@thompsonjerry3412]

@@GravityKnightFlying lately have seen you tubers flying in 50 and 60 knot winds with seemingly no fear, do not have the balls for this, even after 20 years bouncing through the hills, I land and look up.

[@jjohnston94]

Are you planning to be in south Texas for the 2024 total eclipse?

[@portnuefflyer]

Total eclipse??? I watched the last one in Idaho a few years ago, from a LZ partway up the biggest peak in Idaho. Having seen several partials, I'm here to tell anyone that a TOTAL eclipse is a whole different deal and worth whatever it takes to go see!

[@jjohnston94]

@@portnuefflyer April of 2024. The path of totality crosses the Mexico/US border at Piedras Negras/Eagle Pass and goes all the way up into Maine! Should be a good one with lots of places to see it. The maximum totality of around 4 minutes, 30 seconds is actually in Mexico, but not too far from the border.

[@GravityKnightFlying]

@@jjohnston94 I'm not, but that is very cool... I caught a pretty decent one on my overnight off airport camp trip to Dinosaur National Monument... pretty neat to see. A little too far to go for it, but thanks for bringing it up