AT ONE TIME, our entire family of six weighed about 660 pounds, fully dressed for Montana's weather. We'd pack our 1978 Piper Turbo Lance, fasten the four kids' seatbelts, and fly someplace on a free weekend. With a turbocharged 300-horsepower Lycoming, anything was possible. The club-style seating was great, once the kids agreed on an arrangement for their eight legs in the passenger area. When a Labor Day weekend opened up with no obligations, we decided to fly to Meadow Creek, a 2,800-foot turf field near the Bob Marshall Wilderness in northwest Montana. We'd camped there several times-beginning as a young couple flying our 135-horsepower Tri-Pacer. Now we were eager to share the experience with our kids. With attention to power loading and winds, Meadow Creek is manageable for most GA aircraft. It's recommended that landings and takeoffs are to the north to avoid rough surface, tall trees, and ascending terrain at its south end. Northbound departures put you over a broad drop-off, and you're heading downstream over the South Fork of the Flathead River if density altitude exerts a heavy hand on your climb-out. In the backcountry, one heeds pioneer mountain pilot Bob Johnson's "100-foot rule." His pilots were to get their aircraft down in the first 100 feet. "Land short. Whatever's behind you is wasted," he said.
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