Flight Operations

March 17, 2023 2024-03-22 14:51

Flight Operations

Rocky Mountain College's flight training is conducted at nearby Billings Logan International Airport, less than two miles from campus. The heart of the fleet is seven Piper Archer III aircraft, four glass and three round dial. Last year we received a new Piper Pilot 100i providing us two Archers with G3X, two with G1000 and three with round dials. (We are expecting to receive two more Piper Pilot 100i’s this year to replace our older archers). We also have two Cessna 172’s with two G5’s and a G1000 Seminole for multi-engine training. We believe this gives students a strong and varied background by first training in a round dial and then transitioning to glass. Further training is conducted using state-of-the-art Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) flight management system simulation. Two simulators are used throughout flight training and includes both round dial and Garmin 1000 glass cockpit training. All aircraft and simulators are equipped with the Garmin 430 Global Positioning System.

All checkrides are completed in house with our own self examining authority and a DPE on staff. Our Check Airmen come from a variety of backgrounds, Aerial FireFighting, Airlines, Corporate and military aviation. Additionally our maintenance professionals who also come from a varied background keep our planes in exceptional condition. We are about professionalism, excellent classroom instruction, and safe, efficient flight training - all with solid personal relationships.

Future employers of our graduates will require skills learned in these advanced training aircraft. Our goal is to provide students with the training and education necessary to reach their goals in any airframe and be competitive in the marketplace.

All of our aircraft are completely owned by the College, and all the employees at Flight Operations work for the College. Our only focus is on training our own students.

Flying in Montana is a great experience. The weather is good year-round, as the climate is relatively mild with low precipitation. It does, of course, vary throughout the year, which makes our pilots even better. The terrain is also varied, which leads to good training, in addition to being a beautiful place to live.

The Billings airport is a modern “Class C” international airport with enough activity to be challenging and educational, but not so much as to be frustrating for student training. Minutes after takeoff, our pilots are in the wide-open spaces of our practice areas, which saves valuable time and money.

RMC is approved for Veteran’s Administration GI Bill™ education benefits. These benefits cannot be applied towards flight lab costs.