Become a mountain pilot!

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Common conditions for admission to training

The following conditions must be met before enrolling in any training offered by the flying club and for any flight within the flying club:

Mountain Flight Awareness

Are you a pilot with no experience flying in mountainous terrain? This training course, lasting approximately 3 hours of flight time, is ideal for discovering the specificities of flying in mountainous terrain. A detailed briefing covers the challenges of flying in mountainous terrain without a usable horizon, the decrease in aircraft and pilot performance with altitude, flight preparation in the horizontal and vertical planes, weather conditions, and relevant documentation. At least two flights with an instructor are included in the program:

• a basic flight in mountainous terrain, without a usable horizon, which also allows you to discover techniques for flying in valleys and crossing ridges and passes
• a navigation flight in mountainous terrain, to put into practice all the preparation carried out by the pilot

Altiport access authorization

Would you like to enhance your flying experience by mastering landings and takeoffs on the steep, short runway of an altiport? The training course for altiport access authorization, lasting approximately 5 hours of flight time, will cover the knowledge and skills of the mountain flight awareness program, the specifics of landing and takeoff at altiports, and the management of degraded situations during these phases.

The training is conducted by a qualified mountain FI instructor or a mountain MI instructor, and authorization is issued by an MI instructor. Access authorization, as defined by the amended decree of June 21, 2019 , is issued either for wheels or skis and is valid as long as the holder can prove that they have made two landings and two takeoffs at the altiport in the previous nine months, in accordance with the rolling validity conditions. If these conditions are not met, the authorization must be renewed with an instructor.

Finally, the access authorization is a training course particularly suited to pilots who wish to develop their skills and visit the altiport regularly.

Mountain Rating

The mountain rating allows the holder to land and take off at all altiports and altisurfaces. This is a European PART-FCL (FCL.815) rating, for which training is based on the acquisition of theoretical and practical skills within a period of 24 months: the training volume is approximately 20 hours of flight time, but may be more, as it depends solely on two factors: the candidate's flying skills and their attendance during the training course. Entry into the training program requires passing a flight assessment to determine both the candidate's level of piloting and their availability. At the end of the training, the candidate is presented to a mountain flight examiner, who assesses their theoretical and practical knowledge and skills. If this test is satisfactory, the mountain qualification is then issued by the authority.

This qualification can be obtained either on wheels or on skis and is valid as long as the holder can prove that they have made five landings and takeoffs in the last 24 months. If these conditions are not met, the qualification can be renewed with a mountain examiner.

Finally, this training is very comprehensive and demanding: it requires a good knowledge of the mountains, a significant amount of personal work, and regular flights throughout the 24 months of training.

Advanced training - refresher courses

For pilots with access authorizations or mountain qualifications who wish to either take a refresher course in order to renew their certification or undertake additional training in the form of advanced training, the Méribel flying club can offer personalized programs to best suit individual needs.

Professional mountain flying training

You are a professional pilot: mountain flying training is currently in high demand in business aviation in Europe and is a prerequisite for applying for certain government pilot positions. The Méribel flying club, the only professional mountain flying training organization in France, can help you achieve your goals, from raising awareness of mountain flying to advanced training, not to mention access authorization and mountain qualification. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

If you are an employer, the Méribel flying club is also a professional training organization that can provide high-level mountain flying training for your crews. We offer training in mountain flying awareness, altiport access authorization, mountain qualification, and advanced training. As the flying club is a non-profit organization, our prices are competitive while guaranteeing a high level of safety and quality training. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

Mountain Instructor MI - AFPM

The ATO of the French Mountain Pilots Association (AFPM) offers training for the mountain flight instructor (MI) qualification. This training is intended for flight instructors who hold a mountain qualification and have significant overall and recent experience in mountain flying. The Méribel flying club is one of the bases for this ATO, so MI training within the framework of the AFPM can be organized in Méribel. For more information, please [contact the AFPM].(mailto:formation@afpm.fr).

Price List

The table below shows the rates for active members of the flying club. It is also possible to join the flying club as a temporary member; in this case, the flight hour, with or without an instructor, is €280 for everyone, limited to 4 hours of flight time over a maximum of 45 days. If more than 4 hours are flown, the temporary member automatically becomes an active member of the club at no additional cost and is then entitled to the “member” rates shown in the table below. However, if the temporary member has not completed these 4 hours within 45 days, they must pay the annual membership fee in order to fly with the flying club, even if it is during the same year.