Anyone with experience flying at 6 or 7000ft altitude?

[AgnotGT]

Thinking about taking a trip to Lake Tahoe and the thought came up. Would we have less flying time? I think Donner Pass is 7200ft. and the Lake is 6000ft.

The air is thinner so what other expectations might there be? I think flying around Emerald Bay would be the best! I've been there by boat; just me and my dog.... (Stock photo. Not mine)

 

[Meta4]

Thinking about taking a trip to Lake Tahoe and the thought came up. Would we have less flying time? I think Donner Pass is 7200ft. and the Lake is 6000ft.
The air is thinner so what other expectations might there be?

The Phantom is capable of flying at 6000 metres so 6-7000 feet shouldn't be a big deal.
Some members from the high altitude states should be able to give you some actual numbers.

 

[RoyVa]

The difference in flight time is minimal, just remember when you have changed locations by a long distance that you need to recalibrate the compass befor flight. Get a good GPS lock over land before take off. And ENJOY!

 

[BigAl07]

We have some pretty large elevation changes here in the Blue Ridge Mountains and on any given day we don't see a drastic change going higher but . . . on a hot and humid day the difference is exaggerated.

The highest point of land (terra firma) I've personally flown was a pinch over 6,600 and we've flown up there several times. On a normal day I would say going from 2,500 to 6,600 may reduce flight time by a minute or two. But on a hot humid day you can feel the difference in the "punch" the aircraft has (reduced climb rate/acceleration) and battery time is cut by maybe 25% - 30%. But to be honest you can feel a similar reduction in performance down in the valley on a hot humid day. This is all because of "Density Altitude". Also you can feel it in your lungs hiking up to the top of the mountain too.

 

[tcope]

I've flown at 8500' and at 10,000' without any issues, other than shorter flight time. At 8500' I did not notice much change. At 10,000' the flight time was cut down enough to where I could notice a difference. But in both cases it was not considerable. I'd _guess_ at 10,000' I went from 18 minutes down to 15 minutes.

 

[Storm]

High altitudes only effect gas motors with carburetors not electronics. As far as battery, only temperature affects it

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[BigAl07]

High altitudes only effect gas motors with carburetors not electronics. As far as battery, only temperature affects it

Sent from my SCH-I545 using PhantomPilots mobile app

Not true at all Storm. Air Density affects prop performance. It's not nearly as pronounced as an internal combustion engine but it's very much a real thing.

 

[Storm]

Well, you can argue with your scientifics all you want. Here's a fact for ya, phantoms fly in mountains EVERYDAY with NO issues what so ever! Have a great day!

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[sar104]

Well, you can argue with your scientifics all you want. Here's a fact for ya, phantoms fly in mountains EVERYDAY with NO issues what so ever! Have a great day!

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I don't think that anyone is suggesting that they don't work at higher elevations - just that the props do not generate as much lift at any given RPM, so they have to work a bit harder. Of course the drag also goes down with air density, but that doesn't fully compensate. It's the same physics that results in all aircraft, fixed wing or helicopters, having narrower operating envelopes at higher altitudes, and operating ceilings.

I'm at 7500 ft, and I've flown mine up to around 11000 ft. The P2 performance dropped off noticeably, especially with regard to VRS issues. The P4 flies better, albeit with a slight reduction in flight time as noted by other posters.

 

[BigAl07]

Well, you can argue with your scientifics all you want. Here's a fact for ya, phantoms fly in mountains EVERYDAY with NO issues what so ever! Have a great day!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using PhantomPilots mobile app

Where did I (or anyone else) say they don't fly at those altitudes? I even gave testimony that I fly at higher altitudes (although not as high as many others who have higher peaks to take off from) when I can.

 

[AgnotGT]

Good info! Thanks for the replies. For where I will be flying a few minutes if any won't make a difference. Now I just need to find time for the journey....