Mountain Flight Training

Home > Flight Training > Details > Courses > FAQ

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:

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.

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:

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.