Corpflyer

Have a trip coming up to Aspen and looking for some tips. Do you use higher personal mins for the RNAV approach? Not being able to make the climb gradient for the instrument departures, I assume most have to wait till it's VFR. If you accept a departure when it's VFR and bang an engine, Is there room to maneuver back to the airport on the departures?
Thanks

Javichu

zondaracer flies often to Aspen and he'll be able to help, I'll tell him about it.

galaxy flyer

Some but limited experience:

Be careful during mid-day--as the valley heats the air rises and creates tailwind conditions, sometimes quite strong and the airport winds may NOT match the actual wind. I was conservative, if the variable wind looked out of limits at TOD, send the driver to Rifle or Eagle and divert. Everyone should understand and the driver will be waiting at either airport. Or arrange a rental/taxi.

Take your time, if you fly--off a bit to the west of RBL and fly over the valley, you do not need to fly a 6 or 7 degree descent.

Be slowed at Red Table VOR, you don't need to configure, but be back at flap speed.

Day VFR your first time, maybe on your third time, too.

Do NOT circle a jet to runway 33; there's marginal room, but you'll be belly up to a lot of close terrain and doing a downslope landing on 33 (15 is upslope 2%, 33 is down 2%).

Be real conscious to be "on profile", "on speed" leaving about 3-5 miles, going around or a balked landing in close would be exciting, not in a good way, either.

OEI on take-off, go up the valley and transition to RIL or EGE. Doing and engine-out return in the valley would be very risky.

I've gone missed on the approach, I didn't breath until about 14,000'

GF

viper548

I've been into ASE 300+ times in the CRJ-700.

If you've never been, go VFR. Be fully configured abeam Red Table or configure while passing DBL if flying over it. Try to do a constant angle descent as best you can. Be prepared for a 10 knot TW landing on 15. If you have to reject the landing after the missed approach point climb at v2, wait until .7 DME south of the airport then LEFT turn to get on the loc bc. The runway is narrower than standard and uphill, so the illusion is that you are high. Don't go at night if you've never been. Watch for windsear on short final.
On departure stay over the low terrain. 3.7DME left 270. If you lose an engine do not return to Aspen.
Don't be afraid to say no. Aspen is NOT a 365 day a year airport. If you have microsoft flight sim or something similar, practice flying around there. Play around with google earth if you don't have the game.

Vital Signs

Yep, if the conditions are not good VFR for the 1st time, go to Rifle.


And DAY ONLY

zondaracer

Don't go at night and go VFR like everyone else said. There is a road intersection about a mile prior to runway 15 that has four stop lights, and they all turn red at the same time and it looks like a PAPI. It's not a bad idea to fly 10-15 knots fast on final for any possible windshear. Low pressure and winds out of the west is usually a bad combination.

When departing, they depart 33. I've seen guys do a VFR climb off of runway 15 when there were strong tailwinds on 33, but if you lose an engine, your options are limited.

Also, when departing runway 33, you have to make an immediate right turn to a heading of 343. Don't wait till 400 feet or 1000ft, especially if there is landing traffic on 15. If tower is telling you to begin your right turn per the LINDZ8 departure, then you are probably turning too late.

Falcondrivr

My department only goes to ASE maybe once a year, so each of us goes maybe every other year at best?
Our departmental minimums are: Cloud bases above the mountain tops by 1000 feet, 5 miles vis, and day only.

RI830

My basic practices.....
- configured and on speed at DBL
- Airport in sight by DOYPE or ALLEX
When the airport is in sight, swing out west into the valley to give yourself more room to descend. You have plenty of room to maneuver to get down.
- always watch the tailwind
- don't be afraid to divert to RIL OR EGE


Dept
Using the LINDZ dept SID, if you have FMS's you will split the boxes.
Program the normal two engine dept in FMS 1.
In FMS2, program the OEI procedure. Ususally is the turn to 343 and fly to the DBL 9.3 DME fix, turn left to 270 to intercept the LOC BC outbound to LINDZ.

Have fun and enjoy

Tony Clifton

All of the above is good advice; allow me to add...

Buy your lift tickets on Liftopia -and/or- plan to drive up to Sunlight and ski there instead to save considerable $$.

B727DRVR

First, everything mentioned here is spot on. Configure early, don't rush.

Second, read this article about how an overbearing passenger sitting on the jumpseat "who just HAD to be in Aspen in time for a party" pressured the flight crew into pushing a bad situation and ended up crashing: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2005/april/pilot/landmark-accidents-aspen-arrival

In a nutshell: Don't let some jerk, who is used to being told "Yes" all the time, allow you to put your life and your crew's life at risk.

Have a Plan B for your passengers as well: When Aspen was doubtful, we made sure that we had limo's set up out of KRIL and let the passengers know in advance that, while KASE was a maybe, we had already planned for that contingency. Might be a good idea to have hotels and rental cars set up for the crew in KRIL as well. Hotels fill up fast in KRIL when KASE is down.

Finally, on your first approach into KASE, everything is telling you that this is a bad idea. When you have just been flying back and forth between KEWR, KDFW, and KLAX, the first sight picture of the approach is an eye opener. It's challenging, but like anything, will become second hand with practice. Don't rush, configure early, and have the approach plate dialed in.

And be sure to have some extra cash: There are no Subway's in Aspen. You will be spending some money to eat. Be sure and let your cheapskate Captain who keeps all the Atlantic Bucks for themselves that there is no Dennys there, either, and that your $20 meal is not unreasonable. Hint, hint CA based CE-750 guy!