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Mountain Flying & Instrument Courses:
Frequently Asked
Questions
Can I use my own aircraft?
ABSOLUTELY! Over half of our students bring their own airplanes. For
IFR students, it should be equipped with a Garmin GNS-430/530 and coupled
autopilot. For VFR students, we ask that you have at least a handheld GPS
with Terrain warning mode, such as the Garmin x96 series or the Lowrance
Airmap. Recommended minimum engine horsepower for operating safely in the
mountains: 180.
What is your instruction philosophy?
Here's our philosophy: if private flying is to survive in America, pilots
have to do a better job of not making negative headlines. That means each
of us needs to:
- Be getting better, and more, training.
- Be adding to our flying skill set by
adding an instrument rating and getting more frequent recurrent
training.
- Get at least 10 hours of instruction
before proceeding into the heart of mountainous country.
- Stay up to date on, and use,
technology, like GPS, glass cockpits and all the new weather reporting,
charting, and training technology that is now available to us through
the Internet and on the Ipad.
We also believe that pilots learn better
when they "do it all at once" and concentrate on nothing but flying for a
few days at a time. No distractions from family or business...just flying.
See our details page for more about our
philosophy.
What are the instructors'
qualifications?
There are no "time builders" here.
We only employ instructors who are ATP-rated, are at
least 35 years old, have at least 2000 hours of total time (usually over
4000), have airline, cargo or corporate turbine experience, have
experience teaching in Garmin G1000 cockpits, and, most importantly,
LIKE TO TEACH.
What if I'm only interested in VFR mountain
flying?
For licensed pilots, we offer VFR mountain flying courses that cover
everything you need to know about safely operating in the Rockies or other
mountain ranges. It includes a Biennial Flight Review sign-off. See our
courses page for details.
Why do you prefer glass cockpit aircraft?
Slowly but surely, glass cockpits are taking over small aircraft. And
we should be grateful, because sophisticated avionics will help lower the
accident rate by dramatically increasing situational awareness and
promoting better engine management. With features like satellite weather,
moving map, and terrain warning systems, glass cockpits makes mountain and
IFR flying MUCH safer! Once you try it, you'll wonder how you ever lived
without it. However, you are welcome to bring your own aircraft,
regardless if it is equipped with "glass" or "steam" gauges.
I fly a "steam gauge" (traditional
instrumented) airplane back home. After training with you on "glass," will
I be competent to safely fly it IFR?
Actually, some of your training will be by reference to the backup "steam"
instruments installed along side the "glass" cockpit display. In addition,
after completing your training on "glass", a "steam gauge" Cessna 172,
and sophisticated simulators with
Garmin WAAS GPS is available to safely transition you back to conventional
instrumentation. If you're new to instrument flying, you should plan on an
extra day to make this transition to traditional instrumentation.
What does the typical training day look like?
There is no "typical" day! Mountain flying requires "going with the
flow" and being ready to make changes as necessary. Each training day
varies according to the weather and the airports you and your instructor
want to visit.
We start at around 8:00am with a preflight planning session, often over
breakfast in the hotel or the airport restaurant. If you're flying a G1000
aircraft, we recommend starting out with a few hours in our G1000 simulator:
Then we head out, flying from airport to airport. We stop frequently to
rest, review student performance and the weather, conduct ground training,
and update our procedures and plans as necessary. The goal is wrap up by
2:00-3:00pm at the airport nearest the hotel at which we have
reservations.
Will we be doing any backcountry flying, like landing on 1000'
dirt strips on the side of the mountain, or flying up narrow canyons?
Backcountry mountain flying
courses are a blast, but with our aircraft, we have to stick to paved
surfaces most of the time (the exception is
Lindreth, NM). However, we
do fly into "one way" airports like
Los Alamos, NM and
Glenwood Springs, CO and
challenging airports like
Telluride and Aspen, CO
which are completely surrounded by mountains. And we discuss how and when
to use unpaved mountain strips. We also do some canyon flying and
teach you how to safely cross mountain passes and ridges. The focus of our
courses is staying alive in the mountains, including deciding before each
flight whether the trip would be more safely made under VFR or IFR.
Will we fly in the clouds?
If you're an IFR student or pilot, we sure hope so! At SkyMachines, we
believe that flying in real instrument conditions is extremely valuable
for instrument students, and we won't miss an opportunity to let you do
that. If necessary, we can fly to where the weather is. And learning about
mountain weather is one of the most important aspects of our courses.
Can I bring a non-pilot passenger?
One passenger is acceptable if you're flying an aircraft with 230 or
greater horsepower, but not in a 180 hp. airplane like our Diamond DA40.
We will need them to be quiet and not be a distraction to your learning.
(Another option is to bring your passenger on the trip, but leave him or
her in Santa Fe to check out our amazing shopping, scenery, history, and
culture.) Be sure your passenger understands you will not have free time
to spend with them; your evenings will be filled with ground study.
Do you have references?
If you are serious about training with us, we are happy to provide you
with the email addresses for recent students. You can contact them
directly to assess their satisfaction with our programs
I'd like to start researching the airports
we'll be using. What are they?
Good idea. Be sure to bring current sectional charts for Albuquerque,
Denver and Cheyenne paper or on the Ipad. We recommend studying the following
airports:
- New Mexico:
Santa Fe (SAF),
Los Alamos (LAM),
Taos (SKX),
Angel Fire (AXX),
Raton (RTN), and
Las Vegas (LVS). VFR
students also land at
Lindreth, NM (E32)
-
Colorado:
Alamosa (ALS),
Kremmling (20V),
Eagle (EGE),
Aspen (ASE),
Meeker (EEO),
Cortez (CEZ),
Rifle (RIL),
Gunnison (GUC),
Montrose (MTJ),
Leadville (LXV),
Telluride (TEX),
Pagosa Springs (PSO),
Steamboat Springs (SBS),
Nampa Valley (HDN), and
Craig (CAG). Most
students also land at
Glenwood Springs (GWS)

What if there is a particular airport I'd like
to visit, or some particular scenery I'd like to see?
No problem! We can customize your training to visit anywhere you'd
like! YOU decide where we visit.
What should I bring with me?
All students should bring the following items with them:
- Current FAA medical certificate
- FAA pilot certificate
- Current FAA aircraft registration for your
plane
- Current FAA airworthiness certificate for your
plane
- US passport or stamped, certified birth
certificate (if training for the Instrument Rating)
- Current weight and balance for your plane
- Pilot logbook
- Current and updated Pilots Operating Handbook
for your airplane
- GPS and autopilot manuals for your plane
- Warm sleeping bag
- Winter coat
- Warm (wool?) socks
- Bottled water (you can obviously get that here;
we drink a lot due to the altitude)
- At least two "Oxymizer" oxygen-conserving nasal
canulas with MH3 flow meters (if your plane probably came with masks,
the canulas will pay for themselves in a hurry in reduced oxygen cost).
Make sure to get the right connectors for your oxygen system. If you
don't have canulas and connectors, we recommend calling Mountain High
Oxygen (800-468-8185) and telling them you need the above for your
particular plane. They'll know just what to get you.
How should I prepare for training?
I am an initial Instrument Rating student. What
else should I do to prepare?
Getting the full IFR course done in 10 days is a
challenge for most pilots. Don't underestimate the difficulty. It
is imperative that you arrive fully prepared.
- Be sure to read and
follow the steps we outline in our
Instrument Rating Prep
document!
- If you are taking an initial instrument rating
course,
you
must have your Instrument Rating Knowledge Exam passed before you
come. We recommend the
Sporty's DVD
course if you need help.
-
Our favorite instrument rating manual is the
FAA
Instrument Flying Handbook. The
.pdf version is free here. The
FAA
Instrument Procedures Handbook is more technical but also excellent,
and is also available as a
free .pdf version. (The FAA's manuals are the most current
instrument rating books available and include discussions on glass
cockpit flying.)
- Know how to read instrument approach,
departure, and enroute charts before you come. Buy a DVD on how to read
them, from Sportys or King Schools, if necessary.
- If you are bringing your own G1000 aircraft,
study the POH and G1000 manual, and know the AHRS and ADC systems.
- Review the approach and departure charts for
the airports listed above. Come prepared to answer and ask questions
about them when you get here.
- Be able to program Garmin GPS/Comm units; 430,
530, or G1000. We suggest installing the
free GNS 400/500W-series simulator and
practicing loading flight plans and approaches. Prospective G1000 pilots
should consider purchasing
this
inexpensive G1000 PC trainer if your computer meets the system
requirements.
- If you really want
to arrive prepared (and save time in the airplane), consider getting
Microsoft Flight Simulator X and taking
the instrument rating lessons described in
this book.
If you'll be
flying our Diamond DA40, add
this
Diamond DA40XLS add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
- Take these free online resources
AOPA Air Safety Foundation: IFR Insights:
Regulations,
Charts |
IFR Chart Challenge: RNAV Approach
FAA:
Instrument Proficiency Check Review Guide |
Flight Review Prep Guide
The more prepared you are
when arrive, the faster your training will flow and the less you'll spend.
More questions?
Call us or email us...our contact info is below:
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SkyMachines
Buy, Sell, Trade, Train
www.MountainFlying.org
Contact:
Marc C. Coan, CEO
Tel: +1 888 651 2257
Fax: +1 866 896 5551
Email: Marc@SkyMachines.com
121 Aviation Dr., #4003
Santa Fe Municipal Airport, NM 87507 |
© 2010 Marc C Coan
"SkyMachines The Airplane Store" is a
registered service mark;
"Buy, Sell, Trade, Trust" and "Extreme IFR Training" are protected
trademarks.
All Rights Reserved.
Garmin and
Garmin G1000 are trademarks of Garmin Corp.
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