Flying in Colorado offers the unique thrill of mountain flying, combining breathtaking views with specialized skills. While mountain flying presents certain risks, understanding the conditions, operational features of mountain airports, and your aircraft's performance can help manage these challenges.

Our Mountain Flying Course provides both ground and flight training, focusing on safe high-altitude operations, landing at high elevations, and handling common mountain-related emergencies. This course is ideal for pilots who are new to or unfamiliar with high-elevation flying.

A Private Pilot Certificate is required to enroll. Price varies with flight time. Call us to book your course.

For gift options, consider purchasing a gift card for the Mountain Flying Course.

Our Mountain Flying Course features a comprehensive 2-3 hour individual ground session that covers essential techniques and safety practices for flying in the Rocky Mountains.

• Performance Considerations

• Developing Go/No-Go Judgment Skills

• Mountain Flight Planning

• Mountain Weather

• Mountain-Related Emergencies

We strongly recommend reading Mountain Flying by Sparky Imeson, available for purchase through Quest Pilot Supplies.

Each student will schedule a four to five hour flight, exploring a range of mountainous terrain and encountering various conditions that provide valuable learning opportunities. As graduates of the course know, mountain flying often requires flexibility, so the flight path may vary significantly.

Typically, the flight departs from Meadow Lake and heads to Salida, then continues north toward Aspen via Hagerman Pass. From Aspen, the route might extend to Glenwood Springs. If conditions allow, a stop at Eagle may follow before a break at Leadville. After earning a certificate for landing at the highest airport in the U.S., the flight concludes with a journey over two more passes back to Colorado Springs.

For this course, we typically use aircraft with extra power that is better suited for mountain flying. Additional costs apply for certain aircraft. If you'd like to complete this course in your own plane, please reach out to us—we'd be happy to accommodate you!