Mountain Flight Course

The flight that follows the ground school seminar presents a progressive set of mountain flying situations and conditions, each of which focuses on a specific cluster of topics covered in the ground seminar.

We focus on certain key skills early in the flight and build on them successively along the route, demonstrating the need for them in later locations and conditions. Throughout the flight, we make in-depth, practical coverage of assessment tasks, planning skills, aircraft operations and mountain flying techniques for reducing risk and keeping the pilot and passengers safe.

A typical flight day takes approximately 5-6 hours, the flight route normally is from the Denver area and we make landings in these places:

• Granby (KGNB), a small mountain airport with high elevation topography, winds and wildlife.
• Glenwood Springs (KGWS), a hot springs resort town at 5,600 elevation with a short 3,300-foot runway.
• Leadville (KLXV), the highest paved airport in North America (elevation 9934 feet).

The flight includes two crossings of the Continental Divide at over 12,000 feet. Pilots can bring spouses or one other passenger, and photography is encouraged.

Each pilot receives a certificate for having made a landing at the highest paved airport in North America.

The Ground School Seminar can accommodate four or more pilots at a time, or it can be an individual one-on-one ground school, as desired. The Seminar normally is held at facilities at either Front Range Airport or at Rocky Mountain Municipal Airport, and usually lasts six hours.

During the Seminar, we cover the following subjects:

• The Effects Of Density-Altitude On The Airplane And On People
• Mountain Weather
• High Altitude Airplane Operations
• Cross Country Planning For The Mountains
• Mountain Flying Techniques
• Emergencies And Survival

These subjects are covered both in concept and in practice, that is, as practical matters. A complete set of training materials is provided each student.