Both Sides of the Radio
21 years as a flight instructor. A former air traffic controller at Denver ARTCC, now working in ATC automation. Everything on this site comes from having sat in both seats.
What brings you here?
Route guides for the mountain airports, plus instruction from someone who worked this airspace from the other side.
Start here →Checkride orals, ADM scenarios, flight review prep and ATC readbacks. On demand, no Colorado required, free demos.
See the tools →In-person instruction in Longmont, or guided trips into Aspen, Eagle, Steamboat and Telluride in your own airplane.
See services →Free Colorado Flying Guides
Local knowledge for the mountain airports, free and staying that way. Two libraries, split by how you fly.
Mountain Flying Guides
Route guides for Colorado’s mountain airports: which passes to use, which weather cameras and AWOS actually matter, where the precautionary stops are, and when the answer is “not today.”
Browse the guides →IFR · Turbine & High PerformanceHigh Country IFR
What ATC is actually going to assign you into and out of the mountain airports based on your direction of flight, why the arrivals are built the way they are, and how to get a clearance on the ground.
Browse the guides →Want someone in the right seat? Guided flights and pre-trip briefings for Aspen, Eagle, Steamboat and Telluride, at flat rates.
See Packages & PricingOnline Practice Tools
Built by a CFI and former controller, available to pilots anywhere. Every tool has a free demo, no payment needed to try it.
ADM Trainer
Decision-making scenarios in your own airplane
Pick your aircraft and something goes wrong: an engine, electrical, fuel or control problem, or sometimes nothing at all. Answer in your own words, turn by turn, and get an honest debrief on your decisions.
Best for: Any pilot who wants to rehearse the call before they ever have to make it.
Checkride Prep
Oral exam practice with an AI examiner
Practice your oral exam on demand with an AI examiner trained to think like a real DPE. Private, Instrument and Commercial. Voice-enabled. Available at 11pm the night before your checkride.
Best for: Student, instrument and commercial applicants getting ready for the oral.
Flight Review Prep
Brush up before your biennial
Practice the ground portion of your flight review with an AI CFI. Part 91 regulations, airspace, weather, emergency procedures and more. Available 24/7 before your actual review.
Best for: Certificated pilots coming up on a flight review who want the ground portion fresh.
ATC Trainer
Clearance readbacks and radio practice
AI-generated ATC scenarios for practicing ground control and IFR clearance readbacks. Built with authentic ATC knowledge, drawn from years working the controller position.
Best for: Pilots who want to sound sharper and stay ahead on the radio, especially IFR.
Prefer a real examiner? Mock Oral Checkrides
One-on-one oral exam simulation over FaceTime or Teams. I ask the questions a DPE asks, follow up on weak answers and give you direct feedback. $100 / hour, online.
Get Both AI Tools: ATC Trainer + Checkride Prep
One subscription. Full access to both products. Save $9/month vs. buying separately.
Fly With Me
In-person instruction based at KLMO, Longmont, Colorado. Prep with the online tools first and use our time in the airplane for the hard parts.
Mountain Flying & Destination Trips
Pre-trip briefings and guided flights into Aspen, Eagle, Steamboat, and Telluride, in your own airplane. Flat-rate packages, not an hourly clock.
Flight Review
Your required flight review from a CFI who covers what actually matters, not just the minimum requirements. We'll talk through any areas where you want to sharpen up, and I'll give you an honest debrief at the end.
Instrument Proficiency Check
An IPC from a CFII who works Rocky Mountain IFR airspace regularly. We'll cover the procedures you'll actually use in Colorado, not just the approaches at your home airport. If you're current on paper but not in practice, this is where to start.
Hi, I'm Joe
I've been a certificated flight instructor since 2005, over 21 years of teaching pilots to fly safely and confidently. I hold a Commercial certificate with single-engine land, single-engine sea, and multi-engine land ratings, plus CFI and CFII credentials. I'm based at Longmont Municipal Airport (KLMO), elevation 5,000 MSL, with the Front Range and Rocky Mountains immediately to the west.
I spent years as an air traffic controller at Denver ARTCC, the facility that manages IFR traffic over some of the most complex mountain terrain in the country. Today I work in ATC automation systems. When I talk about Colorado airspace, ATC expectations, or Rocky Mountain IFR operations, I'm not reading from a textbook. I'm drawing on what I saw from the other side of the scope.
That combination of CFI credentials and ARTCC experience is uncommon. Most instructors teach what ATC wants. I can show you exactly how controllers think, what they expect, and where pilots most often create problems for themselves in this airspace.
Flying in Colorado Is Different
Density altitude that robs performance before you leave the ground. Mountain weather that doesn't follow the textbook. ATC procedures shaped by terrain that most pilots never train for. Whether you're based here or flying in from out of state, this environment demands local knowledge.
Terrain and Density Altitude
KLMO sits at 5,000 MSL. On a warm summer afternoon, density altitude can push well above 8,000 feet before you've left the valley. Mountain airports like Eagle, Aspen, Telluride, and Steamboat add elevation, short runways, and one-way traffic patterns to the equation. I fly and instruct in this environment regularly. It's not a special occasion.
Rocky Mountain ATC: From the Inside
Denver ARTCC manages IFR traffic over and through some of the highest terrain in the lower 48. Complex sector boundaries, terrain-avoidance restrictions, military operating areas, and transition procedures that catch unfamiliar pilots off guard. I spent years working this airspace as a controller. I know what causes delays, what gets pilots busted, and what makes a pilot easy to work with.
Mountain Weather Decision-Making
Afternoon convective activity builds fast along the Front Range and over the Divide. Mountain wave can make a smooth 9,000-foot crossing into a handful in minutes. Valley winds, orographic lift, and rapid visibility changes are part of the routine. I'll teach you how to read what Colorado weather is telling you, and when it's telling you to stay on the ground.
Destination Pilots Flying into Colorado
You planned the trip, reserved the airplane or brought your own, and now you're flying into one of the most demanding environments in the country, probably for the first time. I offer pre-trip orientation, a local guide flight on arrival, or both. You'll leave knowing the terrain, the airspace, and exactly what ATC expects from you on that routing.
Footage from actual flights in the Colorado Rockies
Landing at Steamboat Springs (KSBS)
6,882 MSL
Steamboat Ski Area from the Air
Crossing Rollins Pass
Westbound · ~11,671 MSL
Crossing Rollins Pass
Eastbound · ~11,671 MSL
Monarch Pass · 11,312 MSL
Telluride Regional (KTEX) · 9,070 MSL
Flying into Colorado this season?
Let's connect before your trip. A one-hour conversation with someone who knows this airspace from both sides of the radio is worth more than any YouTube briefing.
Free Aviation Content on YouTube
I share what I know, for free. On my YouTube channel I cover tips for flying in the national airspace system, behind-the-scenes looks at how ATC works, Colorado flying topics, and honest advice for pilots at every level.
With over 1,800 subscribers and growing, it's become a place where pilots come to finally understand the controller's perspective and what it actually looks like to fly in Rocky Mountain airspace.
Get in Touch
Whether you're planning a Colorado trip, due for a flight review, or looking to sharpen your instrument skills, send me a message and I'll get back to you.