Mountain Flying Courses - Eagle Colorado

Have you ever wanted to venture into the mountains with your airplane, but worried that you may not be ready for the challenge? If you want to fly in the mountains, the best idea is to get some mountain flight instruction from a qualified flight instruction that specializes in mountain flying. The team of instructors at Alpine Flight Instruction can provide just that training.

Central Colorado offers incredible natural beauty, from desert mesas to snow-capped 14,000 ft peaks. This landscape also presents a wide variety of challenges for all pilot experience levels. Narrow and sloping runways, one-way airports, density altitudes in excess of 10,000 ft and difficult-to-predict mountain wave will test your decision-making abilities and skills as a pilot.

Safe and enjoyable flying in the mountains requires the right perspective, solid understanding of aircraft performance, the operating environment and most importantly, your abilities as a pilot. The proficient mountain pilot will carefully assess each of these factors when planning a mountain flight.

Our course is taught by Loren French, our instructor with over 2500 hours of mountain flying time. He has ATP rating in single engine airplanes and is a commercial pilot in multi-engine land airplanes, single engine sea airplanes, and gliders.

2 Day Mountain Flying Courses

$749 (your own aircraft) / $1499 (Diamond DA-20)

The two day course includes two full days of instruction, approximately 8-9 hours of flight and 4-5 hours of ground training. Come and visit Colorado and fly into some of the most majestic mountain areas.

The Course Lecture

Our Mountain Flying Course consists of 4-5 hours of ground training spread over two days where you will learn the basics of how to fly in the mountainous terrain. You will learn the fundamentals of performance considerations, mountain weather, navigation, strategies for terrain flying, and perspectives to help you develop a good Go-No-Go Judgment. We'll also cover aspects of mountain flight planning and instrument considerations for mountain flying.

The Course Flight

Each student will then fly two separate routes, one route on each day. The first day, we'll depart Eagle, fly to Steamboat Springs, then to Meeker, Glenwood Springs (depending upon aircraft landing capabilities), and finally Aspen before returning to Eagle. The second day, we will depart Eagle, fly to Leadville, the highest airport in North America, then to Gunnison, North Fork Valley before returning to Eagle. There will also be an option for visiting Telluride along this route.

1 Day Mountain Flying Courses

$399 (your own aircraft) / $799 (Diamond DA-20)

The one day course includes a full day of instruction, approximately 3.5 hours of flight and 4.5 hours of ground training. Come and visit Colorado and fly into some of the most majestic mountain areas, you'll visit four of the most diverse mountain airports that Colorado has to offer in this condensed one day course.

The Course Lecture

Our Mountain Flying Course consists of 4 hours of ground training where you will learn the basics of how to fly in the mountainous terrain. You will learn the fundamentals of performance considerations, mountain weather, navigation, strategies for terrain flying, and perspectives to help you develop a good Go-No-Go Judgment. We'll also cover aspects of mountain flight planning and instrument considerations for mountain flying.

The Course Flight

Each student will then fly a route starting from Eagle flying Tennessee Pass to Leadville, the highest airport in North America, then crossing Hagarman Pass to Aspen, and finally Glenwood Springs before returning to Eagle over Cottonwood Pass. This route crosses the Collegiate mountain range, some of the highest in Colorado between Leadville and Aspen.

Mountain Training Plans

Call and talk to the instructors at Alpine Flight Training. We will build a training plan ideally suited to any pilot's skill level and experience. Our instructors can provide mountain training in our rental aircraft or in your own aircraft. Additionally, we can arrange to meet you at an airport east or west of the Rockies on the way from where you are coming from.

Instinct and Intuition - A Recipe for Disaster

In the course of going through the most basic pilot training many of us learn that control inputs based on instinct or intuition are often wrong. Some examples of this are the graveyard spiral or recovery from a spin. In the case of each, the natural thing to do is not the correct thing to do. Mountain Flying is very similar, in that the natural and intuitive strategy does not always equate to a good strategy.

The goal of our mountain flight training is to help you develop a different perspective with regards to navigating your aircraft through the mountains. This new perspective will help you develop conditioned responses to keep your aircraft safe as you navigate the mountains. The basic premise is simple....(1) stay in a position to turn to lowering terrain and (2) never fly past the point of no return. While these rules seem simple enough, it takes some practice to develop them into conditioned responses. This conditioning takes time and effort, that is, practice with an experienced mountain pilot. It is not something you go out and do once or twice and figure you have "it." But it is something you can be aware of so that you condition yourself. Keep repeating the rules to yourself, "Stay in a position to turn to lower terrain," while constantly evaluating the flight situation.

Redefining Aircraft Performance and Weather

The second really large area we focus our time on when teaching mountain flying is related to the areas of aircraft performance and weather. With regards to the topics of aircraft performance and weather the goal is to thoroughly review the knowledge areas, and focus specifically on how they apply to mountain flying. Additionally, we'll show you some techniques you can use to improve your flying specifically related to aircraft performance and weather.

Mountain Flying Syllabus
Our mountain flying training is custom tailored to each pilot. Every pilot is different is terms of what they plan to do, and the sort of aircraft they are using, as a result every mountain flying training session is a little different. For this reason we don't have a set training syllabus, however the training syllabus below will provide an overview of many of the topics we cover during mountain flight training. The goal of this course is to provide the pilot with the basic tools of knowledge, skill and judgment to fly safely in mountainous terrain, while having a challenging and rewarding experience.

Course Outline

Mountain Flying Strategy

Flight Planning
Navigation Strategies

Takeoff & Landing

Determining Density Altitude
Takoff and & Landing Performance
Climb Performance
Takeoff Startegy...Ground Effect? Flaps?
Engine Cooling Issues
Cross Wind Review
Runway Gradient & Effect on TO/Land
Constricted Approches
Determining Wind Direction and Intensity
Proper Techniques for Leaning

Flying through Rugged Terrain

Box Canyons
Canyon/Valley Turns
Evaluating and Crossing Ridges & Plateaus
Weather Factors

Mountain Weather

Circulation & Pressure Patterns
Orographic / Solar Effects
Winds and Mountain Wave
Diurnal Effect
Turbulence

Emergencies

Precautionary and Forced Landings
Surveying Landing Sites
Survival Planning

Practice at Mountain Airports

Leadville, Aspen, Telluride, Glenwood Springs, Steamboat Springs, Meeker, Grandby, Gunnison, Salida, and others depending upon student’s interest.

Alpine Flight Training offers private pilot ground and flight training as well as instrument training at the Eagle County Regional Airport located in Eagle Colorado. Our training features a Diamond DA-20 Eclipse, one of the safest training aircraft in the industry, The DA-20 is the primary choice of flight schools through the nation as well as the training airplane for the US Air Force initial flight screening program. We are conveniently located within a short driving distance from Eagle, Gypsum, Glenwood Springs, Avon, Minturn, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Edwards.

by admin

Flight Lessons in Vail Colorado, Eagle Airport

Learn to fly in the mountains at the Eagle Airport, located near Vail Colorado
Whether you are learning to fly for the first time, or simply looking to add mountain flying to your skill set, Alpine Flight Training located at Eagle Airport can help. Alpine Flight Training offers private pilot ground and flight training as well as instrument training at the Eagle County Regional Airport located in Eagle Colorado. Our training features a Diamond DA-20 Eclipse, one of the safest training aircraft in the industry, The DA-20 is the primary choice of flight schools through the nation as well as the training airplane for the US Air Force initial flight screening program.

If you are looking to lean more about Mountain Flying, Call and talk to the instructors at Alpine Flight Training. We will build a training plan ideally suited to any pilot’s skill level and experience. Our instructors can provide mountain training in our rental aircraft or in your own aircraft. Additionally, we can arrange to meet you at an airport east or west of the Rockies on the way from where you are coming from.

Our location at Eagle County Regional Airport is ideal for new pilot training and a convenient drive from Vail, Eagle, Glenwood Springs, Edwards, Minturn, Avon, and Gypsum, Colorado. Students learning to fly at Eagle Airport will learn mountain flying first hand from our team of professional instructors. Our proximity from Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Rifle and Steamboat Springs provides our students with a diverse selection of airports and challenges ideal for learning safe mountain flying. Learn more about Alpine Flight Training by visiting our website or call us today at 970-401-5105.

Alpine Flight Training is conveniently located at the Eagle County Regional Airport. We a re a short driving distance and the best location of choice for leaning to fly in the Vail Valley, Vail, Beaver Creek, Gypsum, Minturn, Eagle, Avon, and Edwards.

Aircraft Rental in Vail Eagle Colorado

Aircraft rental at the Eagle County Regional AirportAlpine Flight Training offers pilot training and aircraft rental in the Vail Valley. Our aircraft is a Diamond DA-20 Eclipse, commonly referred to as a Katana and is the later generation of the tried and true Katana aircraft. The original Diamond DA-20 Katana was equipped with a 90 hp Rotax 912 engine. The Eclipse version we have at Alpine Flight Training is the C1 model equipped with a 125 hp Continental IO-240 that delivers excellent performance especially useful for Mountain Flying. Our Katana Eclipse, with it's larger engine delivers similar takeoff distances as a Cessna 172 SP, but provides superior climb performance, a faster cruise speed, and a fuel burn nearly 1/2 that of the Cessna 172 SP and a slower landing speed. The Katana was originally inspired by european glider design, and also features superior glide performance of 22:1 compared to the 17:1 glide ratio of the Cessna 172 SP as well as excellent visibility through it's bubble canopy design.

Getting a Mountain Flying Lesson in Vail

For pilots visiting the Vail Valley, Mountain Flying is a great way to breakup the time.There are a tremendous number or great reasons to visit the Vail Valley.... whether summer or winter, there is always something to do. Skiing, hiking, biking, golf, the list goes on and on. While you're visiting here consider another great activity that's available year-round. Flying!

For many of the pilots who visit find that a couple of mountain flights can be a great way to break up the vacation and do something different for a couple hours.

We operate from the Eagle County Regional Airport, but a single lesson we can visit Aspen, Telluride, Steamboat, or even Leadville. Leadville of course earns you bragging rights - the highest paved airport in North America, with a pattern altitude above 10,000 feet! We offer flight instruction and aircraft rental year-round. Call 970-401-5105 to schedule.

Colorado Flight Instruction : Demand for airline pilots set to soar

Begin your flight instruction today at Eagle County Regional Airport... Here is an interesting article from USA Today regarding the future of Pilot Hiring. I'm guessing this is a good time to learn to fly in order to position yourself for this upcoming hiring frenzy.

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/story/2011/06/Demand-for-airline-pilots-set-to-soar/48661596/1

After nearly a four-year drought of job openings, the airline industry is on the brink of what's predicted to be the biggest surge in pilot hiring in history. Aircraft maker Boeing has forecast a need for 466,650 more commercial pilots by 2029 — an average of 23,300 new pilots a year. Nearly 40% of the openings will be to meet the soaring travel market in the Asia-Pacific region, Boeing predicts, but more than 97,000 will be in North America.

"It is a dramatic turnaround," says Louis Smith, president of FltOps.com, a website that provides career and financial planning for pilots. "Pilot hiring was severely depressed in the last three years. The next 10 years will be the exact opposite, with the longest and largest pilot hiring boom in the history of the industry."

The demand for pilots will be so great that the industry could ultimately face a shortage, sparking fierce competition among airlines across the globe vying for candidates qualified to fill their cockpits.

"We're already seeing in some spots around the world a shortage of pilots … and if you were watching this a few years ago at the last peak, you had airlines stealing from other airlines," says Sherry Carbary, vice president of flight services for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Seattle. "It's a global marketplace for pilots, and … we'll not have enough if that growth trend continues over the next few years. That's something the industry needs to come to grips with. Where is our pipeline of new pilots going to come from, and how are we going to finance them?"

The hiring surge is being fueled by several factors:

•The rapid growth of travel in Asia, which is on track to surpass North America as the largest air travel market in the world;

•A looming wave of pilot retirements in the USA;

•Proposed changes to rules that could increase the time pilots must train, rest and work;

•And increasing demand for air travel within the USA as the economy improves.

U.S. carriers had 4.9% more pilots in 2010 than in 2009, with much of the increase fueled by low-cost carriers that are continuing to expand, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Low-cost airlines such as Southwest, Virgin America and AirTran increased their pilot staffing 11.2% in 2010 over 2009, while regional carriers increased their pilot numbers by 4.9%. Major network airlines, however, saw their pilot workforce drop 1.3% last year, the bureau says.

"The cost of the fuel has spooked a few carriers," Smith says, noting that the massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan have also had some impact. But, he says, the industry-wide hiring explosion is "still on track."

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