SLUY - SLCB
La Joya Andina - Jorge Wilstermann International Airport
Bolivia is pretty bad ass. Seriously. The topography of this country is insane. I am pretty happy that these summer days are great in terms of weather and visibility because I wouldn’t really want to fly this terrain under harsh weather conditions.
First, we take off from Uyuni, and get some nice views of the Salar de Uyuni:
As we cross north through Bolivia, the terrain gets tougher (and more spectacular than ever):
Cochabamba sits at 8360ft of elevation. And it is surrounded by high mountains. The approach to the airport needs to be planned carefully, as you don’t want to get too close to some of the remarkably high surrounding mountains. At this altitude, your engine is not very efficient, so you’ve better not get into a situation where you depend on engine power to clear off mountains, because you won’t.
Following IFR procedures are sweet because, if you know how to do them, they will keep you out of trouble. So, despite the tough terrain, the landing was easy and uneventful.
