Introduction to Colorado Backcountry Flying
Alpine Flight training is pleased to announce our newest training course. Introduction to Colorado Backcountry Flying.
https://alpineflighttraining.com/colorado-backcountry-flying-introduction
A review of Alpine Flight by Robert Currie - He passed his private checkride this last sunday!!
A bit of background may help put this review in perspective. I have always loved aviation. As my 65th birthday approached, I knew that it was time to stop dreaming about learning to fly and just start the process. Spending our winters just a one hour drive from the Eagle Airport, a quick internet search popped up Alpine Flight Training. It looked interesting but I also seriously considered going to Scottsdale, Arizona for an intensive course. There are a couple of flight schools at the Scottsdale Airport. They use Cirrus aircraft and promise a private pilot's license in 21 days. There were two issues with this approach in my case. First, 21 days of flight training with two fights per day is a lot. I found that after I flew for two hours, that I was mentally done. Sure, I could have gone back up for a second flight and had the instructor keep me out of trouble. However, I really do not think, that I would have gotten much out of it. Flight instruction should be Fun. Why hurry the process? If you are a twenty something year old student with aspirations for a career in aviation, then maybe a short, intensive training schedule is right for you (Alpine offers a condensed, intensive course). Second, the Cirrus SR 22 is a powerful, sophisticated aircraft. It is meant to be flown fast and has an improving but somewhat troublesome safety record. Yes it has a parachute. However, most student pilots are going to get into trouble close to the ground, where the parachute is of little value. I really wanted the experience of flight at a pace and flight speed, which would give me the greatest opportunity for success. Alpine Flight Training has a Diamond DA 20 C-1, which is a modern carbon fiber, two seat trainer. It has a dependable Continental 125 HP fuel injected engine and is a delight to fly. This was the plane I chose for my training. It is derived from an Austrian sailplane design, with a center stick and a bubble canopy, which provides astounding views. While not hard to fly, you do really need to fly it. Alpine's second airplane used for primary and instrument training is a Piper Archer, which I also learned to fly. The Archer is a more traditional plane with a yoke and certainly is more comfortable for tall pilots and a bit easier to land. Alpine has good airplanes, which are impeccably maintained. Given a safe, appropriate aircraft, the most important thing is to have a good instructor. You are going to spend upwards of 50 to 70 hours with this person and it has to work. Loren French, the owner of Alpine was my primary instructor. I also had the pleasure of flying with Joe, John and Brian during my training. Flying with different instructors is really valuable. The key thing is that all the instructors at Alpine are fascinated by aviation and teach because they love to be in the sky and share their knowledge. These are pilots with years of experience, some still flying commercially with the big airlines, who just want to fly small aircraft in an amazing mountain environment. Many flight schools are filled with young, poorly paid flight instructors, who are are trying to build time for their resume, to fly commercially. The opposite is true at Alpine. My principal instructor, Loren is one of the brighter guys, that I have met. While intelligence does not always equate with the ability to teach, Loren has that gift. I am not going to go into his resume, but suffice to say he knows more about aviation, than most seasoned, professional pilots. What is more important to the student is his extraordinary ability to explain the complex components of flying an aircraft. As he recently told me, each student has a particular hurdle. Some students struggle with the academics, some with the hands on skills and some struggle with decision making or the pressure of being the captain. You are not really going know, what issue will prove the most problematic for you, until you are training. What I can tell you is Loren has an uncanny ability to be firm and encouraging at the same time. This is not easy to do. When your teacher tells you that you really messed up, perhaps in a dangerous way, and then is able to support and encourage you to do better. That's as good as it gets! I loved my training at Alpine and plan to do my IFR and advanced mountain training with them after some experience in my own aircraft. Alpine has great enthusiastic instructors, excellent aircraft and an amazing mountain environment. I can't imagine getting better training anywhere.
Robert Currie
President
Cliffside Beach Club
Nantucket, MA 02554
Welcome Rusty Henson
Rusty Henson joins Alpine Flight Training this summer from Old Mexico. Learning to fly while an FAA engineer in the 70s, he continued to add airplane and helicopter instructor ratings while flying his beloved “Gladys”, a 1964 Piper Cherokee, to almost every State in the USA and from Nicaragua to the Arctic Circle.
After almost 30 years of flying the Colorado high country he moved to 500-year-old San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato in 2007. There he met a few other aviation “aficiandos” (fans) and together started “Jóvenes Águilas”, the Mexican equivalent of “Young Eagles”, to share his passion for aviation with young people there.
Rusty loves to teach and is happy to be “back in the Valley”, having worked for Vail Associates in the early days of Beaver Creek. Rusty says: ”Learning to fly and learning to fly WELL is the coolest thing you’ll ever do: the places you can go, the things you’ll see, and the people you’ll meet! “
“LET’S GO FLYING!” or, (as we say done south): “¡VAMOS A VOLAR!”
Flight Training Survey - We want your feedback
You trusted us to help you achieve your dream of flying. Now we’d like you to tell us about your flight training experience. We are participating in the Flight Training Experience Survey, and your feedback will help shape the flight training experience for future students.
The Startle Response & Aviation
Surprisingly Relevant topic, considering the typical student response to an open door on takeoff.
Angle of Attack
Angle of Attack The “Angle of Attack” is the angle between a plane’s wing and the oncoming air (relative wind). If the angle of attack becomes too great, the wing can stall and lose lift. If a pilot fails to recognize and correct the situation, a stall could lead to loss of control of the aircraft and an abrupt loss of altitude.
More than 25% of GA accidents occur in the maneuvering phase of flight. Half of those accidents involve stall/spin scenarios. Stalls can happen during any phase of flight, but they are critical when planes are near the ground and have less room to recover, such as during landing and takeoff.
What is an AOA Indicator?
We often discuss stalls with respect to airspeed and that can be a problem. Part of that problem is that stall speed changes with the aircraft’s configuration (e.g., cruise, landing, etc.) Also, as an aircraft’s load or weight increases, so does its stall speed. Using an AOA indicator can help prevent a stall as it provides a more reliable indication of airflow over the wing, regardless of its configuration. Without it, AOA is essentially “invisible” to pilots.
An AOA indicator can help when used in conjunction with airspeed and existing stall warning systems, when available. It can be used to get the pilot’s attention (via audio and/or low cost stick shakers) even if the pilot is not looking at it. This focuses the pilot’s attention on where it needs to be to avoid the stall.
How Can I Equip with an AOA Indicator?
AOA indicators have recently become more available and affordable for GA aircraft. The FAA’s Small Airplane Directorate has helped with this by streamlining the process for production and retrofit approval of AOA devices.
A New Angle on Safety
AOA systems offer many benefits to safe flying so consider looking into one for the aircraft you own or fly. And if you do install one, make sure you’re familiar with its operation and limitations. It’s also a good idea to keep your skills sharp through practice of stalls and slow flight as well as pattern and instrument work with a CFI. Be sure to document your achievement in the Wings Proficiency Program too. It’s a great way to stay on top of your game.
Resources
FAA news release on streamlining the AOA installation process for small aircraft: http://go.usa.gov/cgu2Y
FAA policy on AOA installation: http://go.usa.gov/cgu95
Safety Enhancement Fact Sheet on AOA Systems: http://go.usa.gov/cgu8w
FAA Airplane Flying Handbook — Engine Inoperative Flight Principles for Multiengine Airplanes (Chap 12, pgs 23-31): http://go.usa.gov/cguEQ
“A Finesse for Vitesse: Mastering the Maze of V-speeds” May/June 2015 FAA Safety Briefing www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2015/media/MayJun2015.pdf
Vmc Training - Multi-Engine
Alpine Flight Training provides all levels of multi-engine training. Vmc training is a standard part of our training curriculum.
What is Vmc?
Familiar to pilots of multi-engine aircraft, Vmc is the speed below which aircraft control cannot be maintained if the critical engine fails under a specific set of circumstances (see 14 CFR part 23). It is marked as a red radial line on most airspeed indicators. The blue line that’s found on many (but not all) multi-engine airspeed indicators is the Best Single Engine Rate of Climb Speed. It’s good to be at or above this speed whenever possible to give you some climb performance if an engine should fail. Vmc only addresses directional control.
What’s So Critical About It?
While you could argue both engines of a multi-engine airplane are important, the laws of physics dictate that losing a particular engine will make maintaining directional control more challenging. Any engine failure on a multi-engine airplane will result in a yaw toward the inoperative engine, but if the critical engine fails, the yaw forces will be greater due to P-factor. Engines that rotate clockwise from the pilot’s perspective (like most U.S. aircraft) will produce greater thrust on the descending propeller blades when the aircraft is flown at a positive angle of attack. Because there is a longer moment arm associated with the right engine, the yaw will be harder to manage if the left engine fails.
Practice Makes Perfect
Too often pilots will practice Vmc before their checkride, but may fall short in experience and skill when a real-world situation strikes. To stay fresh on engine failure procedures, get with an instructor and practice a Vmc demo or two. It’ll also give you chance to review some of the unsuspected conditions that can easily make a Vmc situation worse, like an aft CG, retracted gear, and/or holding wings level.
Maneuvering Flight
More than 25 percent of general aviation fatal accidents occur during the maneuvering phase of flight — turning, climbing, or descending close to the ground. The vast majority of these accidents involve stall/spin scenarios (half of which are while in the traffic pattern) and buzzing attempts.
Stalls/Spins
The majority of fatal stall/spin accidents occur at low altitudes, when recovery is unlikely. A pilot can stall an aircraft at any flight attitude and at any airspeed. Try practicing stalls, or approaches to stalls, at a safe altitude with an experienced instructor. Remember that turns, either vertical (pull-ups) or horizontal, load the wings and increase the stall speed dramatically. A key antidote to maneuvering flight accidents in the pattern is being aware of stall/spin aerodynamics.
Target Fixation
Every pilot has practiced turns around a point to build skill in wind compensation, aircraft ground track control, orientation, and division of attention. However, stall recovery while turning around a point at the altitudes typically used for ground reference can be dangerously close to the ground. They’re called moose stalls in Alaska and coyote stalls in Arizona because the pilot is focused more on the target point than turning the plane.
Formation Flying
Routinely performed for aerial photography, it’s critical to know the pilot you’re flying alongside. A miscommunication or lack of skill can be deadly.
Buzzing
Buzzing your friend’s house to show off your piloting skills is never a good idea. It’s reckless, and it may likely end in a violent angle-of-attack (AoA) stall. It will not be the type of stall with minor altitude loss that you experienced in training.
Last minute gift idea: Discovery Flight Experience Gift Certificate
Does your son or daughter, friend or spouse have an interest in aviation? Give them a Discover Flight Experience with Alpine Flight Training located at the Eagle County Regional Airport. The Discover Flight Experience is an excellent first step if they have interest in getting a pilots license or pursuing a career in aviation.
The Discover Flight is the first flight lesson towards getting a pilot's license. You'll have a short ground school lesson, then go flying for 40 minutes. It's also an opportunity to learn about the process of getting a pilot's license. You'll meet the instructors, see the facility, see the books we use, look at different airplanes and have all your questions answered.
The actual lesson begins with a brief discussion about our the plane, and preflight and the the basics of flying and why planes fly and how to control them. Following the intro ground school we will show you how to do a normal preflight inspection and then we will go for a flight. The flight will be 40 minutes and will introduce you to the fundamentals or flight. You’ll be at the controls, participating in every phase of the flight from taxi, to takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, approach and finally a landing back at Eagle Airport where we started. You’ll fly in our DA 20 training aircraft equipped with dual controls, and sitting beside you for the entire flight will be one of our highly trained instructors.
Gift certificates expire one year for date of issue and are priced at $199 ($205 after taxes). Simply purchase the discovery flight online and we will issue a gift certificate in PDF format that you can print and present to that special someone.
Give the Gift of Flight
The journey begins February 1st, 2017! Alpine Flight Training, the Colorado Rockies premier flight school is now enrolling students for our February Ground School. Reserve your spot today, seats are limited.
Alpine Flight Training will be conducting a private pilot ground school beginning February 1st, 2017. The class will prepare students for flight training and the FAA Private Pilot Written Exam. Classes will be held in the evening at the Eagle County Regional Airport from 6-9P M twice per week for the month of February for a total of 21 hours of instructional time. The class will be taught by FAA Certified Flight Instructors.
Class cost is $449, and includes the Complete Private Pilot Text Book, the ASA Private Pilot Test Prep book, an E6B digital flight computer and Plotter.
At conclusion of the class students will be presented with the necessary sign-off to take the official FAA Private Pilot Written Exam. The FAA Written Exam may be taken in Denver or Grand Junction for a cost of ~$150.