Mountain Flying Instruction

Imagine a paved runway located at the top of Mount Elbert, Colorado’s highest peak, at 14,433’.  Would you or could you take off from that runway?  On a summer day, the density altitude at Leadville or Telluride Airport can exceed 14,000 feet, and it's not unheard of for the density altitude at airports like Eagle, Grandby, or Steamboat to exceed 10,000 feet.  The difference however is that unlike Mount Elbert that is surrounded by lower terrain and a treeless landscape on all sides, many Colorado’s mountain airports are surrounded by higher terrain on all sides as well as trees and other obstacles.

Flying in the Colorado Rockies in the summer is a very rewarding experience.  As with all General Aviation flying there are risks.  The key to mountain flying is learning the risks, and how to manage or avoid the risks.  Mountain CFI offers a 2 day course designed to do just this.

Our 2 day course starts with several hours of one on one ground instruction and review on the variables of mountain flight, high altitude aerodynamics, and weather.  We then practice techniques specific to mountain flying and specific to the pilots make/model of aircraft.  Towards the end of the first day we visit several mountain airports located in the vicinity of Eagle Airport.  Our second day is spent entirely in the air visiting a variety of mountain airports throughout the state that each present different problems and challenges for takeoff, approach and landing.

This course can be taught in the Pilot’s own aircraft, or rental aicraft that Mountain CFI will supply.  Additional days of training are available for pilots that want more practice.

This course (both ground and flight training) qualifies as completion of a full WINGS phase.  Participants will be provided with WINGS flight and ground signoff, flight review endorsement as well as certificate of completion for Mountain Flight Training.