Front Range flightseeing from Longmont

A yellow and white 1960 Cessna 182C Skylane sits on the tarmac at Vance Brand Airport awaiting passengers for a trip around the Front Range with Rugged Air Tours. Cam Benton, owner of Rugged Air Tours, calls the airborne tourism “flightseeing,” and promises a smooth flight to take in mountain views from a few thousand feet in the air.

Benton has been flying for 22 years, starting off learning in a single-seat ultralight plane. Flying was always an interest after he saw someone flying an ultralight plane and decided he was going to follow up on it, he said. 

“I tracked him down, knocked on his door and asked ‘Can you teach me to do this?’ and he said ‘No,’” Benton said.

Benton got use of the pilot’s dirt field though, starting a friendship with him and finding his own plane. The ultralight plane Benton bought sight unseen had been restored, starting a lifelong passion for flying.

“When I did it, it was cool, I fell in love with it,” Benton said. “I went a little crazy, got advanced training in all the aerobatic stuff.”

After a few years, he earned his private pilot’s license and picked up a Cessna Cardinal, flying business runs around the country. Since then, Benton has received numerous piloting endorsements, qualifications and ratings, including spins and aerobatics, off-airport landings and takeoffs, instrument flight and a variety of aircraft. Benton is also a three-time national champion air racer. 

Benton’s Rugged Air Tours is a family operation. Benton is the chief pilot, his son Wes is the mechanic and Benton’s partner Suzan Zimmerman handles logistics and support. Wes Benton is based out of Colorado Springs, where he works as a contract mechanic for the U.S. Air Force. Wes flies with Cam, though he doesn’t have his own pilot’s license, yet.

“Usually when (Wes) and I get together it’s a lot of wrenching and a little flying,” Benton said.

Rugged Air Tours started with Benton’s jeep tours at Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado, he said. Benton’s off-road tour company, Pathfinder 4X4, is the only authorized four-wheel-drive outfitter in the national park. Talking to the park’s chief ranger, they thought that aerial tours would be fun to package with the jeeps and Benton started putting the pieces into motion with the Federal Aviation Administration.

“I thought if I could get Rugged Air Tours off the ground and get all my approvals, then I would find the plane, but it found me,” Benton said. “It’s proven to be a perfect rig for the air tours.”

The Fly Rugged plane needed a lot of love, Benton said. The former owner used it for racing, but it had been collecting dust for almost 15 years. Benton and his son put a lot of work into restoring and upgrading the Cessna. Benton calls it a “real stable, real trustworthy” plane. The plane seats four including the pilot and the high wing design of the plane makes the aircraft ideal for flightseeing.

Rugged Air Tours go all year round, weather permitting of course. Benton spends most of the summer season near the Great Sand Dunes running jeep and air tours, but plans to winter in Longmont. The Front Range tour leaves from Longmont’s Vance Brand airport, heading north past Carter Lake and the Big Thompson River canyon, aerial views of the Cameron Peak burn area and views of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Estes Park Valley in 30 minutes.