Learn to Fly the Backcountry
Learn to navigate the beautiful and extreme terrain of the mountain west with confidence.
Aircraft
- Backcountry flight instruction in our aircraft or yours.
- Our Cessna 182 is modified with a Pponk engine and a Sportsman STOL kit adding a comfortable margin to an already great performing airplane.
- Long range tanks give us a lot of capability. This means we don’t have to go back out to an airport for fuel as often.
- 182 is comfortable for larger people.
- Flexibility to take more than one student at a time. This benefits both students by enabling back seat pilot to observe and learn while taking a break.
- 182 makes good time coming and going so more time is spent doing high performance operations than grinding along to and from the target area.
- Another benefit of a nose wheel aircraft for non taildragger qualified pilots means we can concentrate on mountain and canyon flying techniques rather than tailwheel training.
Instruction
All of the instruction is done by me personally.
There are some great opportunities to take a break from flying and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and rivers. We will also plan on experiencing the hospitality of wonderful backcountry hosts at some of the lodges.
- Flight instruction in your own airplane available at $100.00 per hour.
- Custom course tailored to your needs and experience level.
- Ground instruction will be tailored for each flight. Plan on one hour before and after each flight. This training is to proficiency so we will take as much or as little time as is required.
- Tail wheel endorsements in your aircraft
This training will involve flight planning and how to consider variables based on aircraft performance, existing terrain, and weather considerations.
What to expect
- Expect 1 to 2 hours of ground instruction upon arrival to get familiar with the operations we expect to perform.
- We will plan an early morning departure to the backcountry airstrips.
- After flying for 1-2 hours we can take a break and enjoy a fly in breakfast at a lodge or a wilderness picnic.
- After a break and discussion of our previous and expected events we will continue flying in the area.
- After 3 to 5 hours of flying we will plan on overnighting in the area. This could be the nearest town, our point of origination, or a backcountry lodge.
- I recommend planning a minimum of three days to get a solid base of experience.
Location
- Cascade, Idaho with close access to many of the countries greatest backcountry airstrips.
- Off season availability to operate in Southern Utah where there are wonderful opportunities for backcountry flying in the cooler months. This includes flying from Moab, Grand Junction, Page, St George, or others.
- If it is easier to fly from your location to the airstrips in your area, I can bring the course to you and fly from your location.
Payment
- Hourly rate billed at 300.00 per hour with the 182.