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Mountain Flying.


rotormandan

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The HAI course was taught by an Instructor from CHC's training academy. And they train in real mountains. This years course will be another instructor from that same facility. Heliexpo rotates between the coasts. This year was Houston, last year was Orlando. This year is Anaheim. I found the course contained a great deal of good information. It is a condensed version of the 5 day course CHC teaches at their training facility.

 

Based on this course, I have come to the conclusion that most instructors teach pinnacles and confined areas incorrectly.

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I attended the Army's High Altitude Aviation Training School (HAATS) in Eagle, CO a few years ago. Of course it is a military training program but having flown various aircraft in mountain environments I can certainly say this is a good course. Their program was the subject of an article in Rotor & Wing a month or two ago.

 

I would bet if you got in touch with them, they could provide you some good information. I do recall there being a website for them and I know it is run by the Colorado National Guard. Hopefully that will help you in your search.

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they train in real mountains. This years course will be another instructor from that same facility. Heliexpo rotates between the coasts. This year was Houston, last year was Orlando.

 

Real mountains? Houston, Orlando ? Wow, what am I missing !

 

Don't worry though, we have REAL mountains in L.A.

 

Goldy

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I attended the Army's High Altitude Aviation Training School (HAATS) in Eagle, CO a few years ago. Of course it is a military training program but having flown various aircraft in mountain environments I can certainly say this is a good course. Their program was the subject of an article in Rotor & Wing a month or two ago.

 

I would bet if you got in touch with them, they could provide you some good information. I do recall there being a website for them and I know it is run by the Colorado National Guard. Hopefully that will help you in your search.

Army High Altitude Site link here

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Go fly with DAVE EVERSON @ AIR SHASTA ROTOR & WING in Redding California! He has like 10,000 hours all in Robbies flying in the mountains!

 

I flew in florida and passed through Redding along my journey for jobs and decided to get some mountain flying training.

 

We flew for 2 hours and I learned more in that 2 hours than any book or instructor EVER TAUGHT ME!!

 

Plus NORTHERN CAL was an awesome place to fly. Not at all what I imagined!

 

Air-Shasta - 530-222-0100

 

WELL WORTH the CASH!! Only $500 for that 2 hours!!

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Bristow Academy takes their 300s from Concord, CA to Reno a couple times a year for their mountain course... might look into that as an option.

 

 

first 2 days of mountain course are this week...and filled. but there will be more. it's wed/thurs i think....or maybe tues/wed.

 

:)

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Speaking of the Army's High Altitude program. I was at Leadville Colorado a couple months ago waiting on a student taking a checkride. The Army's OH58 was in and out all throughout the day so that the students could get their Leadville airport certificate, and the instructor could get cookies. One of the students came in and was this quite attractive German woman or maybe I should say girl since she was in her early twenties at most. She said she started training at Fort Rucker a few months earlier, and after the high altitude training, she would return to Germany. She said she has never flown a piston helicopter.

 

Anyway, the point of my story is...um...well....she was hot.

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Speaking of the Army's High Altitude program. I was at Leadville Colorado a couple months ago waiting on a student taking a checkride. The Army's OH58 was in and out all throughout the day so that the students could get their Leadville airport certificate, and the instructor could get cookies. One of the students came in and was this quite attractive German woman or maybe I should say girl since she was in her early twenties at most. She said she started training at Fort Rucker a few months earlier, and after the high altitude training, she would return to Germany. She said she has never flown a piston helicopter.

 

Anyway, the point of my story is...um...well....she was hot.

 

And the photos are... ?

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Goldy, I was talking about their school which is located near Vancouver, BC which does have some real mountains. Even more so than SoCal.

 

 

Are getting into an argument over who has the biggest mountains?? :rolleyes:

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Goldy, I was talking about their school which is located near Vancouver, BC which does have some real mountains. Even more so than SoCal.

 

 

 

Are getting into an argument over who has the biggest mountains?? :rolleyes:

 

Yeah, I just thought it strange...it sounded like they were doing mountain training in Florida and Houston!! Those altitudes I can beat !

 

Let's see, 15 minutes from VNY are peaks about 8500' (Gorman)...thats high enough for me.

 

Goldy

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Unfortunately in the lower 48 it's California. Mt Whitney is 14,505. compared with the 14,439 of Mt Elbert in Colorado.

 

 

Yep that is right. That's why Class E is at 14,500 unless specified. Anyway, L.A. is a great area for training. One thing I learned from my progress in my career is that the procedures they(FAA) teach in the RFH is not what is really done in the "real world" and now I understand why.

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Yep that is right. That's why Class E is at 14,500 unless specified. Anyway, L.A. is a great area for training. One thing I learned from my progress in my career is that the procedures they(FAA) teach in the RFH is not what is really done in the "real world" and now I understand why.

 

could you give some specific examples/ expand on that? I'm just curious because I'd like to end up flying in the mountains some day.

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One thing I learned from my progress in my career is that the procedures they(FAA) teach in the RFH is not what is really done in the "real world" and now I understand why.

 

I'm just assuming here, (and we all know what that does) but I think he was asking more about this part of the quote as I am interested as well.

 

Thanks for all the replies eveyone. One day when I have some extra $ I'll look into a course. How about reading material? Any good books on the mountain environment out there?

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Simple really. It has to do with being able to provide radar coverage which won't go through mountains. ;) Once at 14,500 that's not a problem.

 

I fly in the mountains all the time above 14,500 and approach loses me on radar all the time. I have been as high as 18,000 and they still lose me occassionally.

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