For over 7 years, the Wilderness Education Association (WEA) and three universities have been using a systematic approach to leadership training in the outdoors: the experiential leadership education (ELE) method. The effectiveness of this approach was investigated by an aerospace expert interested in leadership training for isolated groups. A single-case time series design was used in which the researcher became a student trainee in a WEA program. The trainee kept a journal and completed the Expedition Leader Style Analysis (ELSA) before and after the 10-day course. A group dynamics questionnaire was completed by all students. The course--the WEA National Standard Program for professionals in the field--was expeditionary and used the ELE method to teach the "people skills" of outdoor leadership. ELE was found to offer theory-based information in an experiential manner, as well as using helpful tools for student feedback. ELE provided a structured program in which students learned new concepts of leadership and decision-making based on the situational leadership model, and applied the theories in a daily journal-keeping exercise. Use of the ELSA inventory gave students a chance to evaluate their own decision-making objectively and to identify their own dominant or preferred style. Implications of the training for leadership and safety issues in the aviation industry are discussed. (SV)