EASA ATO/A

AVIALPES

ANNECY HAUTE-SAVOIE MONT BLANC AIRPORT, FRANCEEASA ATO · FR.ATO.0136

Instrument training over the Alps — INSTRUMENT TRAINING OVER THE ALPS

Approved Training Organisation FR.ATO.0136

Founded in 2012 and holding its ATO approval since May 2014, Avialpes is a private company rather than an aeroclub — open seven days a week so students set their own pace, and teaching every course in both French and English. In 2025 its professional courses returned a 100% pass rate across 62 trainees, and every student surveyed said they would recommend the school.

The airport sits 30 minutes from Geneva and 20 from Annemasse, in an environment that is demanding by design: mountain weather and terrain make for pilots who have been taught properly.

Aircraft are maintained by MECAVIALPES, the group's own approved workshop on the same airport, and are fuelled, cleaned and waiting on the tarmac before each lesson.

The Mont Blanc massif from the air — THE MONT BLANC MASSIF FROM THE AIR

Lake Annecy from the training area — LAKE ANNECY FROM THE TRAINING AREA

Ground school in the classroom — GROUND SCHOOL IN THE CLASSROOM

From a first licence to airline transport theory

The private licence takes roughly 100 hours of online study, 40 hours of ground school and about 55 hours of flying — three months on an intensive schedule, or up to a year and a half part time. Theory, simulator and flying alternate throughout, which is what keeps progress efficient.

ATPL theory restructured for flexibility: start on any date, ten days of class spread over five months, with an AviationExam partnership
CPL taught on modern aircraft, aligned to what large European operators expect
IR programme: 35 hours in the simulator, 15 hours on the Cessna C182T with Garmin G1000, and 40 hours of ground instruction
Competency-based CB-IR for pilots with existing instrument experience — an entry test tailors the programme and lightens the theory
IR/ME combines instrument flight with multi-engine operation; passing it also grants IR/SE privileges
Night rating in around 5 hours, and mountain site authorisations for Megève, Courchevel and Alpe d'Huez at 3 to 5 flight hours each

Student and instructor in the cockpit — STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR IN THE COCKPIT

The ALSIM AL250 simulator — THE ALSIM AL250 SIMULATOR

Simulator, aerobatics and instructor courses

Upset recovery is taught where it should be — in an aerobatic aircraft, by instructors who include former Patrouille de France pilots and aerobatic champions, alongside working airline pilots.

UPRT on the CAP 10 within the PPL and CPL; Advanced UPRT on the Extra 330 and CAP 10
Asymmetric stalls, spins, nose-high and nose-low upsets and recovery from inverted flight
FI(A) instructor course over five weeks — briefings, lesson construction, teaching psychology and flying
CRI and IRI courses of about seven days, on single- or multi-engine aircraft
FE, CRE and IRE examiner courses year round, plus RSFE standardisation days
Aviation English FCL.055 as a three-day intensive, with Cockpit English
Pinch hitter course for non-pilots who fly often as passengers, teaching them to land the aircraft if the pilot is incapacitated

Extra 330 used for Advanced UPRT — EXTRA 330 USED FOR ADVANCED UPRT

The training fleet in the hangar — THE TRAINING FLEET IN THE HANGAR

Training fleet and devices

AIRCRAFT	USED FOR
Cessna C182T with Garmin G1000	Instrument rating and advanced training
Tecnam P2008	Basic training and instructor courses
Robin DR400	Basic training and instructor courses
CAP 10	UPRT and Advanced UPRT
Extra 330	Advanced UPRT
ALSIM AL250 simulator	FAA- and EASA-certified device used across the IR and CPL programmes

Training flight above the mountains — TRAINING FLIGHT ABOVE THE MOUNTAINS

The full course catalogue

Courses offered

COURSE	DETAIL
PPL / LAPL	~100 h online, 40 h ground school, ~55 h flying
ATPL theory	10 days of class over 5 months, start on any date
CPL	Commercial licence, available in English
CB-IR / BIR	Competency-based instrument rating
IR	35 h simulator, 15 h flight, 40 h ground instruction
IR/ME	Instrument flight combined with multi-engine
SEP / MEP	Class rating issue, revalidation and renewal
FI / CRI / IRI	Instructor ratings — FI over 5 weeks, CRI and IRI about 7 days
FE / CRE / IRE	Examiner courses and RSFE standardisation
FCL.055	Aviation English, 3-day intensive
UPRT / Advanced UPRT	Upset prevention and recovery training
Night rating	About 5 hours
Mountain sites	Megève, Courchevel, Alpe d'Huez — 3–5 h per site

MECAVIALPES

ANNECY HAUTE-SAVOIE MONT BLANC AIRPORT, FRANCE

The workshop behind the school

An approved aeronautical maintenance workshop on the same airport, open all year round. Its team of aeronautical professionals handles repair and maintenance for the training fleet and for visiting owners — which is why students fly aircraft that are new, well kept and ready on the tarmac.