Pilots put Mountain Flying training to work in all types of terrain
More than 4,000 and rising! That's the number of pilots who've "graduated" in Mountain Flying, one of the many free online courses in the AOPA Online Safety Center.
Pilots are putting the safety information to good use and earning FAA Wings credit to boot. And did we mention they might also win a free checklist for completing the course?
"Before flying my family across country from Richmond, Virginia, to the Rocky Mountain region, I completed the Mountain Flying online course and truly benefited from being fresh with important safety information," wrote Gerald Waddill, a Cessna 182 pilot. "This was my second year in a row to make this trip and this year was made safer with the knowledge base given in your course. I highly recommend these courses to all my fellow pilots."
But even if you're a "flatlander," there's plenty of useful information in the course.
For example, now that we're in the dog days of summer, density altitude should be a preflight consideration regardless of terrain or altitude.
And proper leaning is not just for high-altitude operations. You'll learn why and how you should pull back the mixture knob anytime you're operating at less than 75-percent power. There are even times when you want to lean the engine at full power. It's in the course.
Mountain Flying is the latest addition to the online course offerings in the AOPA Online Safety Center. Most of the courses are good for FAA Wings credit. And all of them will help make you a safer pilot.
August 24, 2005
