Month: September 2019

Does this sound like you? You decided to learn to fly and you were enjoying your flying lessons.  At first flying didn’t seem that hard… but then… you started circuit training.

Now you are learning the art of landing and taking off and completing circuit after circuit but something is wrong, and you feel as if you are not progressing. Your brain feels like it’s melting with too much information. You feel that riding a unicycle on a tightrope while juggling ten swords looks like an easier option.

While you may have landed once or twice in a lesson by yourself you just can’t manage to land consistently  safely for the other seven landings in the lesson without the instructor reaching for the controls to save the both of you.

You start to feel frustrated and thoughts such as ‘maybe I’m not cut out to be a pilot’ and ‘why isn’t my Instructor teaching me the right way?’ enter your mind. You start blaming yourself or your instructor or the weather for why you have not mastered this damn landing phase of your flight training (the really important bit!)

A very ironic fact that all students MUST know before they learn how to fly, is that landing an aircraft is not really that hard once you know how! However, learning to land an aircraft can be challenging and difficult.

A lot of potentially great pilots give up during this phase of their flight training. If only they had stuck with it a little bit longer and got through the learning wall – as I like to call it – they would be able to master the landing and realise that once you ‘get it’, you ‘get it’ for life!

Your instructor will be the one who guides you on what controls and inputs to use, the correct procedures, airspeed and radio calls. This will take time and patience.

Below I have outlined nine important tips on getting through this period of your training with the least amount of fuss possible.

1. Go easy on yourself and try not to get frustrated and blame anyone else

One of the easiest ways to delay mastering your landings is to be constantly frustrated with your progress and blaming everyone else for your lack of progress.

Humans are not born with wings, so it stands to reason that learning how to land is not something that comes naturally to us. Learning to land a plane feels like you’re making progress during one lesson and then going backwards. You will have lessons where your flying was at a worse standard than your previous lessons. I had difficulty with learning to land when I first started learning to fly but I am so glad I didn’t give up.

As soon as frustration sets in, your ability to learn diminishes rapidly. When you are frustrated, you also tend to blame the weather or the instructor or the bad night’s sleep you had the night before. The best thing you can do is to expect that it will be difficult at times and to realise that it is just part of the process.

2. Be patient – you will go solo when the instructor tells you you’re safe to go solo

‘My best friend went solo in just over 10 hours years ago in an old Cessna’. I have so many students who tell me this or a similar story and it sets up a false expectation that if their friend went solo in ten hours they  should also be able to. The student feels that if they don’t go solo in close to 10 hours, there must be something wrong with them.

I always tell my students that there is no logic to this type of thinking. How do they even know their friend is telling the truth? And also what sort of training standards did the school have at which he or she learnt to fly? The reality is that everyone learns at different rates: while some students may master the landings fairly quickly, that same student might take longer to reach ‘flight test standard’ later on during their training.

Going solo in minimum time is not an indicator that you are going to be a good pilot. Also, very importantly, you do not want to go solo too early (before you are ready). If you don’t feel confident and you do a hard landing it will really shake your confidence. To go solo you must also be able to handle all emergencies that may happen when flying by yourself – it’s not just about landing the plane.

You must be patient with yourself and your instructor; your instructor wants you to be able to land the aircraft safely and they want you to be the best pilot you can be. One of my friends who works  as a pilot for Virgin airlines took 22 hours to go solo. Obviously Virgin didn’t seem to care about this and neither should you!

3. Mental rehearsal – practice and rehearse your procedures at home in a chair or on a home simulator

I always tell students they should be practicing their procedures at least an hour when they are learning to fly. For instance, if you have a one hour lesson, you should be practicing at home the procedures for that lesson for at least an hour.

All these procedures can be practiced over and over at home. I always suggest sitting down in a chair and visualising that you are flying the circuit. The only way to learn something so it becomes automatic is to repeat, repeat, repeat. Repetition might be boring but it works. I will say it again: the only way to learn something so that it becomes automatic, is to repeat, repeat, repeat (ok, you get the idea).

If you do not do this, you end up spending the majority of your flying lesson trying to remember what comes next as far as procedures, checks and radio calls and  it actually distract you from learning to fly the plane. If you can learn to do these automatically on the ground, it will free up a huge amount of mental space to focus on the landing. If you already have your driving licence, you will know how it becomes automatic after a while, to put on your seat belt, check mirrors, take off the handbrake and ensure you are in the right gear. Sometimes we can drive all the way home from work without even remembering anything about the trip, because we are on ‘autopilot’.

OK, here is my shameless plug: we have created online videos to help teach students their procedures on the GoFly Online website. The videos really help with the students’ muscle memory for procedures and radio calls. If you have a simulator at home you can fly this while practicing your procedures.

4. The right approach – a good scan and getting the approach right every time

You may have heard that a good landing is a direct result of a good final approach. I have found this to be true time and time again with my students. The more stable the approach, the easier it is to get the landing right.

You need to make sure you give your approach the same attention as your landing. You need to be constantly asking yourself: Is my approach profile correct? Am I  too high or too low? How is my airspeed, height and approach profile?

One of the biggest mistakes I see students make is getting tunnel vision; they either start focusing on the airspeed or just the runway. Once you focus on only the airspeed, you tend to lose the approach profile. I always recommend a good scan of your attitude, airspeed then runway. This way you are keeping an eye on everything and not just one element.  If you’re not happy with the approach then I suggest you adopt my number 6 tip!

5. Your eyes land the plane

While it is your hands and feet that really control how the plane lands, you will never be able to land well unless your eyes are in the correct position. This means that as soon as you flare (or some instructors suggest even before this moment) your eyes should move from the threshold to the end of the runway/horizon. The reason is simple: if you are not looking towards the end of the runway you will get a ground rush and most likely pull back on the controls too quickly.

The other issue is that you have to have good depth perception to know how far you are off the ground at this height. If your eyes are looking forward you will be able to notice when the aircraft is sinking to the ground and this is your prompt to gently start pulling back on the controls.

This will only happen if your eyes are focused on the end of the runway/horizon. If one of my students has been doing great landings then suddenly one of their landings is terrible, nine times out of ten it’s because their eyes have not moved to the end of the runway. So remind yourself as soon as you start to flare: eyes FORWARD!

6. Every landing is a failed missed approach

This one is big. I will send a student solo sooner if their landings are safe (but are not necessarily always perfect) and if they know WHEN to go around and conduct a missed approach when things go wrong OVER a student who does perfect landings but is SLOW to go around (missed approach) when things go wrong.

The ability to initiate a missed approach when you balloon or bounce or when your airspeed is low or you are not lined up straight with the runway just prior to landing, is a sign that you’re getting close to going solo stage. I always tell my students that ‘every landing is a failed missed approach’. What this means is that you should be ready to go around at any time. Also it’s perfectly OK to go around if you’re not comfortable with any part of the landing. This is a sign of good airmanship.

If you’re confident about doing a missed approach and understand that it is a normal aspect of every approach then you will not feel so anxious about the landing if things go wrong.

7. Get your instructor to demonstrate regularly what the landing should look like

A lot of instructors think that the only way for a student to learn how to land is to keep the student on the controls until they get it right. While this obviously works (we learn by doing) the issue here is that over time if the student keeps practicing and practicing and they are not successfully landing correctly, they may have actually forgotten what a good safe landing looks like. The Instructor may have demonstrated how to land two lessons ago and the student may have had a week or more break between their flying lessons and may have actually forgotten what it looks like to land.

I always like to start off with every circuit lesson, no matter how many lessons that student has done, by demonstrating what a good circuit, approach and landing looks like so it is clear in their mind. Often if the student is having difficulty, then I might get them to come on the controls and we do the landing together so they can feel and see how a correct landing is done. Do not be afraid to speak up to your flight instructor and ask them to demonstrate a landing again if you are feeling frustrated with your progress. It will give you a break and allow you to watch and learn without the pressure of actually flying it yourself.

8. DO NOT LOOK through the propellor

Most students have issues with landing straight. You cannot land smoothly or anticipate the sink correctly if your aircraft is not landing straight.  With most single engine aircraft with side by side seating, there is a tendency for the student pilot to look through the propellor spinner (in the middle of the aircraft) when they are looking forward to the end of the runway during the flare.

This is because the student is not sitting in the middle of the aircraft so the student tries to align the propellor with the centre of the runway. Due to parallax error the student always lands with the aircraft yawing left during the landing.

To stop this I always recommend imagining your seat is a magic seat flying through the air, ignore the prop and look directly ahead of the aircraft. You can also practice this while taxiing on the taxiway or runway to get the straight visualisation alignment correct.

9. Do not be in a hurry to land

My last tip is a simple one: never be in a rush to land, even when your bladder is bursting. When you rush the landing, you stuff the landing.

When we teach a student pilot to land we are not actually teaching them to land. We are actually teaching them to fly the aircraft as long as possible just above the runway until the aircraft settles itself gently onto the ground. We firstly fly level with the runway after the flare, then once the aircraft starts to sink, we ease back on the control column until the aircraft gently touches the ground (that’s the plan anyway).

The main problems during landing are not landing straight (not using enough or too much rudder), pulling back too much during the hold-off sinking phase and ballooning into the air, or, not easing back on the controls enough and then landing flat and hard.

I have discovered over the last 10 years of teaching landings that when I tell the students not to rush their landing, and to keep the aircraft flying as long as possible, the landings will improve dramatically. When you rush you are trying to get the aircraft on the ground more quickly and this can only end in a very bad landing or even worse, a damaged aircraft.

A lot of rushed landings happen when a student lands too far down the runway and they think they are running out of available runway to land. This is why it is vital to ‘go around’ if your approach is not correct.

I hope some of these tips have helped you. Remember, it doesn’t matter whether you go solo in 15 hours or in 25 hours – once you ‘get it’, I promise you it will just become easier and easier with time. The great news is that once you have mastered landing, the feeling of accomplishment is something you will never forget.  I still remember my first solo – 30 years ago! – like it was yesterday. It is a memory and a feeling that no one can ever take from you. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it and it would not be so fulfilling and rewarding.

Happy and safe flying!

Damien Wills

CEO GoFly Group

Pilot training at large flight schools starts with a Private Pilot Licence but you can also start with (and save money on) your Recreational Pilot Certificate.

Step 1: Recreational Pilot Certificate

The first thing you will do is sign up for temporary membership of Recreational Aviation Australia (RA Aus), which covers you for your first 3 hours of flight training. The RA Aus syllabus consists of the following lessons:

Lesson 1: Trial Introductory Flight

An introduction into the basics of flight training.

Lesson 2: Effects of Control

Teaches you the primary and secondary effects of the controls and how they affect the aircraft.

Lesson 3: Straight and Level

Teaches you how to fly the aircraft straight and level and at varying air speeds.

Lesson 4: Climbing and Descending

Teaches you how to climb and descend the aircraft at varying speeds and varying rates of climb and rates of descent

Lesson 5: Turning

Teaches you how to turn the aircraft at varying angles of bank at a constant height and climbing and descending turns

Lesson 6: Consolidation of all sequences learnt so far

this lesson is a summary that all you have learnt so far

Lesson 7: Stalls

Teaches you how to recognise the impending stall and to recover with a minimum loss of height

Lesson 8 to 14: circuits and circuit emergencies

Learn how to take off and land and fly a predetermined circuit in the sky. These lessons bring together everything you have already been taught us you will learn to use the radio and we will prepare you for your first solo flight

Lesson 10 to 18: Your first solo flight (estimate only)

Once you have demonstrated that you are capable and consistent, your instructor will allow you undertake one solo take-off and landing on your own. (You will never forget this flight lesson!)

Lesson 14 to 18: More solo circuits

You will fly a predetermined circuit in the sky, practicing all you have learnt.

Lesson 15: Cross-wind circuits

Learn to take off and land in gusty and cross-wind conditions

Lesson 16: Training area familiarisation and practice forced landings

Learn the procedures for departing and arriving at any aerodrome and how to handle an emergency in the training area.

Lesson 17 to 20: More solo practice

Lesson 18 to 19: Pre-flight test and revision

You will undertake your pre-flight test and revision of all sequences and advanced emergencies. This lesson is a revision of all you have learnt plus the addition of other emergencies you may encounter.

Lesson 20: More solo or Flight test

More solo or proceed to your Flight Test. If you pass your flight test you will obtain your recreational pilot certificate. If you fail (and many people do at the first attempt), you can redo the flight test whenever you are ready. All training is based on competency of the pilot and not on hours of tuition. A student will only receive their certificate or licence if they have passed all tests and the Instructor deems their flying to be satisfactory.

OBTAIN YOUR RECREATIONAL PILOT CERTIFICATE

Your Pilot Certificate allows you to fly a 2-seater recreational light sport aircraft within 25 nautical miles of the aerodrome in day VFR conditions.

Membership and materials for the RPC

During your RPC training you will need to do and buy the following things:

During Lessons 1 to 3: Apply online to RA Aus to obtain your Recreational Student Pilot Membership at a cost of around $268 for 12 months. To speed up your learning, you could consider purchasing a monthly subscription to  GoFly Online video lessons to assist with flight training and revision. You can watch the informative videos at any time, on any device and new lessons, blogs and videos are added each fortnight.

During Lessons 3 to 6: Purchase  your BAK book online. Purchase your logbook online or from our office.

During Lessons 4 to 8: Start studying: Rules of the Air, Aerodrome Markings from the Visual Flight Guide, Visual requirements for VFR Flight, Learn your Radio Calls for your area. Also study the requirements for the issuing of a Pilot Certificate at section 2.07 of the RA Aus Operations Manual.

At GoFly Online we recommend we recommend Pilot Practice Exams for getting ready for your exams.

Lesson 10: Around lesson 10 you will sit your Pre-solo exam and radio exam (multiple choice).

Lesson 14: Sit Air Legislation Exam. Start studying BAK and Human Factors book

Lesson 16: Sit BAK exam.

APPROXIMATE TIME: 3 weeks full-time or can be done part-time

APPROXIMATE COST THROUGH GOFLY AVIATION: $5,980-$7,500 (20-25 hours flying @$299/hr) plus $400 for materials and membership.

Step 2. Passenger Endorsement

A passenger endorsement enables you to fly with one passenger. You can watch the full Passenger Endorsement video at GoFly Online.

You must have:

• completed your Recreational Pilot Certificate
• a minimum total of 10 hours of solo command time (5 in addition to the 5 done during RPC)
• a briefing with a senior instructor and a 30 minute dual flight with an instructor to ensure sure you understand the privileges and limitations of flying with a passenger.

APPROXIMATE TIME: 5 hours of command time plus one hour for the check flight

Step 3. Cross Country Endorsement

A cross country endorsement enables the pilot to fly anywhere in Australia outside of controlled or restricted areas. You may like to purchase access to the Cross Country Endorsement videos on GoFly Online. Before you begin nav training you must have:

• 16 hours of dual flight training (8 x dual navigation lessons)
• 10 hours of instructor briefings

A navigation multiple choice exam will be completed before the first solo navigation lesson.

The lessons consist of:

NAV FLIGHT LESSON 1: WEATHER AND FLIGHT PLANNING

First navigation lesson includes a 2 hour theory lesson on obtaining weather, CTA, basic map reading skills plotting a line and measuring a heading and distance. Also look at aerodrome info and how to join. Student to learn how to read a compass, hold height and heading and join an unfamiliar aerodrome. Map reading technique to be introduced.

NAV FLIGHT LESSON 2: TIME AND DISTANCE

The student is to revise what has been learnt and briefing is to include accurate time keeping and estimates and completing an accurate flight plan. 60 minute nav to be completed in simulator as part of actual flight. Time and distance, Big picture, small picture and time will be the focus, as well as flying above 5000 ft,  rules and leaving SAR note and emergency locator transmitter (ELT).

NAV FLIGHT LESSON 3: FUEL AND REVISION OF GROUND SPEED (accurate fuel log keeping and ‘CLEAROFF’ checks)

Briefing to include fuel calculation and how to revise ground speed in the air with the use of way points and geographical features. 30 minute simulator session to practice.

NAV FLIGHT LESSON 5: BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

NAV FLIGHT LESSON 6: PRE-SOLO CHECK AND LOW LEVEL

Brief student on low level navigation and diversions. student should be able to divert within 2 minutes and estimate within 60 seconds. By this stage the student should be able to obtain weather, flight plan and lodge SAR time by themselves. Diversions should be given during flight and theory exam should be completed.

NAV FLIGHT LESSON 7: FIRST SOLO

Send solo in good weather conditions. 

NAV FLIGHT TEST: Be able to do accurate flight plan, lodge SAR time, depart and hold heading plus or minus 50 feet. Identify off track within 4 minutes. Estimates within 1 minute and diversion to be completed immediately if required. Good use of ‘CLEAROFF’  checks and airmanship to a high standard. Good situational awareness and able to maintain visual meteorological conditions at all times. Good use of fuel logs.

APPROXIMATE TIME: 2.5 weeks

The following supplies are ordered online from The Flight Store:

Bob Tait RA Aus Cross Country Theory $94.50. Plotter protractor for $19.95. Flight computer for $49.95.

VNC MAPS .  ERSA booklet $34.95

Step 4: Obtaining your Recreational Pilot Licence or Private Pilot Licence (with Controlled Airspace conversion)

A Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL) is the next step in your pilot training, after your RPC. You can upgrade from your Recreational Aviation (RPC) Licence to your Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL). Your RPL conversion enables you to fly a heavier aircraft with more than one passenger, providing you hold a class 2 medical.

An RPL is often the obvious choice when you either want to get a General Aviation licence or fly larger/heavier single-engine planes. Of course larger planes cost more to fly so it can be cheaper to do the bulk of your initial training in cheaper recreational planes and then converting to RPL planes. It’s an easy transition and more cost-effective than going direct to your Private Pilot Licence (PPL). It allows you to have both a Recreational and General Aviation licence and fly into Controlled airspace.

Every flight lesson will start with a classroom briefing on the techniques before they’re put into practice. You’ll need to pass some theory exams as well as complete practical flight training. With a Recreational Pilot Licence, you’ll be able to fly as a Pilot in Command of a single engine aircraft up to 1500 kgs.

You will be able to use your Recreational Pilot Certificate and Navigation Endorsement towards this conversion to save you time and money. You will need to apply for an ARN and an ASIC card before your training. Adding a Controlled Airspace Endorsement allows you to fly into controlled airspace. Adding a Constant Speed Endorsement allows you to fly any aircraft with a constant speed propellor. Adding a Retractable Endorsement allows you to fly any aircraft with retractable landing gear. We follow the Part 61 Syllabus outlined by CASA and extend this with helpful Videos & Books. We recommend Bob Tait Theory or the Aviation Theory Centre for study material.

As with most Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) licenses there are more stringent conditions including:

1. Have a current flight review for the aircraft being flown

2. Meet the medical requirements

3. Have conducted three take-offs and landings in the previous 90 days if you wish to carry passengers (All General Aviation training is conducted by Air QLD operated under AOC CASA.TAAOC.0734).

You must be at least 16 years of age, be proficient in English and have 25 command hours flight time. There will be 7-10 hour of dual instruction, 2 hours of circuit work and 2 hours of instrument flying and some ground briefing.

Lesson 1: Intro into the Cessna, understanding weight and balance and understanding constant speed operations and retractable landing gear. First flight consists of upper air work including stalls, practice forced landings and emergency procedures.

Lesson 2: Standard and circuit emergencies

Lesson 3: Standard and emergency circuits in the Cessna

Lesson 4: Basic Instrument flying.

Lesson 5: Controlled airspace briefing and radio practice and flight into Sunshine Coast Aerodrome (Class D airspace)

Lesson 6: Controlled airspace briefing and radio practice and flight into Archerfield (Class D Airport) Aerodrome and transit through Gold Coast controlled airspace (Class C Airspace)

Lesson 7: Revision of controlled airspace and pre-flight test review

Lesson 8: RPL Flight test

You can also add a constant speed propellor endorsement and a retractable landing gear endorsement.

To upgrade from RPL to PPL all that is required is for you to pass the PPL Theory exam. After your RPL/PPL you can go on to study for your Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL).

APPROXIMATE TIME: two weeks

Step 5: Private Pilot Licence

You can start your PPL on Recreational Aircraft to minimise your flight training costs. You do not have to choose between completing a Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL) or a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) as they are actually two milestones on the same journey. So it’s less about which licence you choose, but more about how far you want to go with your flight training. Each licence and endorsement you earn along the way will provide you with different skills and expand your freedom.

After completing your RPL, you can continue on to get your Private Pilot Licence (PPL). The PPL training focuses mainly on navigation and will enable you to fly all over Australia and indeed anywhere in the world. During the PPL training, you will learn how to navigate to and from different airports.

Similar to the RPL program, you will need to pass several theory exams as well as complete practical flight training.

Once you have received your Private Pilot Licence, you will be allowed to act as a Pilot in Command and be endorsed. You will be able to carry up to five passengers and fly all over Australia. The benefit is that you end up with a Private Pilot Licence plus GA licence and a recreational licence. It would be far more expensive to do this training from start to finish through a GA school. You can also obtain the following endorsements: Constant Speed Unit, Multi Engine, Night VFR, Under Carriage Rating, IFR Rating.

Step 6: Obtaining your Commercial Pilot Licence

There are lots of savings to be made by doing the first 85% of your Commercial Pilot training in light sport aircraft, saving you around $30,000 compared to other flight schools. To read about how to do this, go to this informative blog.

Requirements before training begins:

• Recreational Pilot Certificate with cross-country endorsement, or RPL with cross-country and navigation endorsement
• Minimum of 100 hours of command of an aircraft
• Completed all commercial theory subjects and passed the exams
• Completed 20 to 30 hours dual advanced commercial flight instruction course
• Minimum of 200 hours in total before completing the CPL flight test

APPROXIMATE TIME: from 0 hours through RPC to CPL would be 8-12 months

Optional Step: RA Aus Instructor Rating

Becoming a Certified Flight Instructor is a great way to share your passion for flying with others.

If you’ve got the right demeanor to teach, to enthuse, and to support learner fliers then you might like to consider broadening your flying skills, and helping others achieve their dream of flying. Not only is teaching a great way to to pass on your knowledge but your own flying skills will also skyrocket as you work through the best way to convey complex matters to novices.

Achieving your Instructor Rating opens new opportunities for you as an aviator.  Not only can you earn money in the aviation industry, but you get to fly more often and become a valuable part of a flying business.

At GoFly Online we have filmed all our board briefings and in-flight patter, for you to watch in the comfort of your own home (or listen to while driving to the hangar!) to help you get your Instructor Rating more efficiently.

Pre-requisites:

1. RA AUS Pilot Certificate & Class 2 Medical Certificate
2. Cross Country Endorsement
3. Passenger Endorsement
4. Minimum flying hours are 150 hundred hours total time RA Aus (including 100 hours total command – of which 25 hours must be in command of a recreational aircraft)

This is an edited version of an article on the GoFly Aviation website, which includes pricing and videos.

Congratulations (or commiserations) on having a child who wants to become a pilot. Most likely your child will say they want to become an airline pilot but it’s also possible they’d like to become a helicopter or military pilot. 

Let’s assume that you have decided that, as a loving parent, you want to support their dreams as best you can, while also being a bit nervous that your child is going to learn to fly. I get calls each week from parents who don’t know where to start when it comes to giving their child the best chance of obtaining employment as a pilot in the aviation industry.

To help those parents, I have outlined in this blog, seven critical points every parent should know, to help their child get started on their journey.

Does your child’s health meet the minimum required to be a commercial pilot?

There is no real point in getting a child’s hopes up for becoming an airline pilot if they do not meet the medical requirements for a class 01 commercial medical. If your child is healthy, not overweight and does not have any medical issues they would most likely pass a medical. Some of the health issues that may stop your child from becoming a commercial pilot, are: colour blindness, eyesight cannot be corrected properly with glasses, obesity and weight issues, diabetes, heart or respiratory issues. Also any history of mental illness or personality disorders may also preclude your child. 

If you are still concerned, I would suggest booking an appointment with your local doctor to see if there is any health issue that may preclude them from being a pilot. If you’re really concerned you can also book an appointment with an approved a designated aviation medical examiner (also known as a DAME). You can go onto the CASA website  You don’t have to book in a full medical for your child but you can book an appointment to discuss your concerns with your DAME. If there are any issues they can even provide possible solutions to improve the health issue before the child starts their flight training. 

Does your child have a realistic idea of what it is like to be a professional pilot?

There is a reason why schools run work experience programs: to give your child a good idea of what it would be like to work in a particular industry. Many younger children like the idea of flying but really have no idea if what is like to be a career pilot. A lot of young students have an unrealistic idea of that it is like to be a professional pilot.

In many instances they may have seen advertising showing how glamorous or adventurous it is being a professional pilot. While there is an element of truth to this, there is also a lot of other not so great things about being a pilot. For instance, becoming an airline pilot quite often involves a considerable amount of time away from home. This can be stressful, particularly if you have a partner or family. It is important that your child has a balanced view of their future career.  If they have a realistic idea of what is involved and still want to proceed with learning to fly, then you know that they really have a passion for flying and it’s not just a passing fad. 

Our own GoFly Online website has interviews with Airline Pilots and you can also search YouTube for interviews with military pilots and airline pilots, to get a better understanding of what it is like working in this type of profession. I always tell my own children to choose work they enjoy and which is meaningful to them. I also tell them that no job or career will be perfect and there will be aspects of the work that you will not like, however if you love what you do the upside more than compensates for any downside.

The younger they start, the easier it will be to eventually secure a job

One of the key items a future employer is looking for in a pilot is how committed and passionate that individual is about flying. The best way to prove this to a future employer is by starting to fly at an early age. It shows that the individual is disciplined, committed and passionate about flying. The other advantage is that airlines and the Air Force are looking for a good return on their “pilot” investments. It costs a lot of money for an airline or the Air Force to train a commercial pilot on their own aircraft. They would prefer to spend the money on a young pilot and keep that employee for 30 years than employ an older pilot and only employ them for ten years. A younger pilot means less turnover and reduces the costs of training.

 The other huge advantage to starting young is they are less likely to be in a steady relationship with kids and a mortgage. While you are  young and single, the cost of living is generally cheaper and you can focus all your time and energy on your career. You will also find it easy to relocate to get that first flying job if partners and kids are not involved. Generally the older you get, the more responsibilities and assets you have which make it harder to transition to a new career.

Book a trial introductory flight to make sure they still want to be a pilot

This one is a must. If your child shows a lot of interest in becoming a pilot then book them a trial flight with a reputable flight school near you. A trial flight is basically a casual introductory lesson that allows students to decide if they want to continue flight training. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to have a one-on one chat with a real flight instructor on the pros and cons of learning to fly and getting a job as a pilot. The instructor can also put a plan in place for the student getting their licence – whether that’s by full-time or part-time lessons.

Get them to do some flight lessons while at school

A lot of our flight school students start learning to fly with us around the age of 14. Many of them have achieved their Pilot Certificate at 15 or 16 before they can legally drive a car. The majority of these students are obsessed with flying and many of them actually pay for the flight training themselves by working part-time jobs.

 A lot of parents have the fear that if their child focuses too much on learning to fly, their school grades may be affected,  however I have discovered the opposite is true: most of them work harder at school so they can have the best grades they can when applying for a future airline or the Air Force. When your child has a clear idea of their future career, they find it easier to justify the study involved to get there. The other benefit of flight training is it teaches your child to be disciplined and focused.

Paying for it: self-funded, VET fee, military training or cadetship?

This is always one of the first questions I get from parents whose child wants to learn to fly. I suggest you read my other blog called ‘How to become an employed airline pilot, while working and without having rich parents.

As previously stated, many of our younger flying students pay for their own training with part time jobs. If they can save $100 per week they can do a lesson every two to three weeks.  I would always recommend students paying for their own training if possible, or at least some of their training, with their parents’ help. The other options are personal loans, VET fee or an Airline Cadetship. VET fee is a Government loan scheme that assists eligible students to pay their tuition fees for higher-level vocational education and training (VET) courses (at the diploma-level and above) undertaken at approved providers. The student will start paying off the loan once they start earning over a certain amount. The important thing to remember with VET fee is that it is still a debt and the average Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) VET fee amount has another $20,000 administration fee  on top of the cost of the flight training.

It is not uncommon for the student to be left with a VET fee debt of around $100,000 when they finish flight training. I employ instructors who will be paying off student loans for the next 10-12 years. While I am not totally against VET fee, I still think the best option is to just take longer to get your licence and pay for the training yourself. While this may take an extra three years to complete your training, you will have no debt at the end of your training.

The major airlines do offer ‘Cadetships’ from time to time, however most of these Cadetships still use the VET fee program and students will incur debt. I personally think this type of VET fee is justifiable because at least you are offered a job with a major airline at the end of your training. The airlines offering cadetships prefer you to have some initial flight training experience before you apply, so this is another great reason why doing some flight lessons while the student is still at school, is a great idea.

They can actually start learning about flying long before they begin their flight training

If your child is too young to learn to fly or cannot afford to start flight training yet, there are still things you can do NOW to prepare them. I would suggest they explore the rest of our new GoFly Online website. There are over 50 free videos about learning to fly and interviews about what is involved in becoming an airline pilot. These videos will greatly help your child decide if they want to become a commercial pilot and start learning to fly. There is also a Basic subscription option, which includes all the pre-flight briefings and in-flight lessons for the Recreational Pilot Certificate. These lessons will greatly assist with all the procedures that are required for a student to be a safe and competent pilot well before they begin their training. The videos will help them maintain their motivation – and the earlier you start fueling their passion the easier it will be later for them to stay motivated through their flight training.

The future for air travel is very bright with new technology such as VTOL (vertical take off and landing) and new electric aircraft technology. This is a very exciting time to be learning how to fly, and as a former 15 year old boy who scraped together his own money for flying – and as a parent of four children – I know how important it is to encourage your child to follow their dreams from as young an age as possible. 

Damien Wills

CEO, GOFly Group

To read more of Damien’s aviation blogs, click here.

How to compare apples with apples

It is no surprise that the second most visited page on the GoFly website is the ‘fleet and pricing’ page.

Price is important for most customers however the issue with pricing is that most flight schools do not disclose their full costs. For instance many flight schools show the hourly rate and briefing rate but not advise that there is landing charges. Most customers only look at the hourly flying rate but when you add on all the other items such as briefings and landing charges, this can increase each lesson costs by around 30 percent.

The other very important thing to ask is if they are quoting course costs based on the legal minimum hours to get your licence. For instance, we have competitors who often quote their Recreational Pilot Certificate course at around $5,600. This quote is based on the student getting their licence in the minimum 20 hours required. The issue with this is that it sets up a false expectation because very few individuals get their licence in the minimum legal amount of time – and if they do I would be questioning the quality of their training. If the school is honest and playing fair they should be listing an average price for their course based on an average student or giving an expected price range.  For instance, a good way of advertising this would be to say ‘Our Recreational Pilot Certificate takes 20 to 25 hours of flight training and costs between $5,980 to $7475, depending on individual competency’.

Ask the flight school  ‘What is the  cost per hour for your flying lessons including briefings?’ Then ask ‘How long is the average time a student takes to complete their training?’. You can then simply do the maths yourself and work out a rough realistic price. If the flight school can’t give you an answer or deflects the questions, I suggest you look for another flying school.

Another warning sign is if the school asks you to pay for the whole course upfront. You should be able to pay as you go.

Quality is more important than price

A cheaply-priced flight school does not always mean it is the best choice for you. It is the quality of training that is important. Obviously price is important, but if a cheaper school offers lower quality training you may have saved some money but is it worth the risk of not being the best pilot you can be? The biggest issue when you’re still researching a flight school is how to determine quality. Obviously every owner of every flight school thinks they offer the best quality of instruction, so taking the owner’s word for it is not the most reliable way of determining this.

The best way to determine quality is to do some simple research. Firstly, I believe that quality flows through everything a business does. For starters, what is the flight school’s website like? Has it had a lot of thought and energy and effort put into making it easy to navigate for the user? Or is the website just a big sales ad telling you how good the school is and how cheap their prices are? Is there valuable information on the website to streamline your decision making? Does the website show the facilities and aircraft and do they look well cared for? Does the website have a large focus on the customer and staff? Read the testimonials but remember that they will only put positive ones on the website.

Go to their Facebook and Instagram pages and look for reviews. Type the flight school name in the Google search window and look at all the reviews on Google. This is a good way to see both positive and negative reviews, to help you make your decision. Join some Pilot forums on Facebook or elsewhere and ask other student and graduates which schools they recommend in your area.

Sausage factory or personalised service?

There is no doubt that all flying schools are different. The most important question initially for yourself is whether you are wanting to fly for fun or for a career? Many of the bigger flight schools can afford better simulators, more expensive and newer aircraft and better facilities. I believe there is a cut-off point though, where some of the larger schools stop offering personalised service in favour of profit-making volume. Ask yourself, do I want to learn at a large corporate school that pushes through hundreds of commercial pilots a year, or a smaller school that is more flexible? If you want to fly just for fun then maybe a larger corporate school is not for you. Remember bigger is not always better. Within the industry, the larger schools that offer VET fee and train hundreds of overseas students are commonly known as sausage factories. They are designed to do a job and that job is to churn out as many Commercial pilots as possible to satisfy their overseas contracts or VET-fee obligations.

There is nothing wrong with this but do not expect individual attention or for them to remember your name. Likewise, some schools may be too small for you. They may only have one aircraft and one instructor. If you want variety of aircraft or instructors and more flexibility, this small school may not be the best. Work out what type of school you want to fly with and this will help reduce your search criteria when choosing a school.

Sometimes two schools are better than one

One of the biggest myths that flight schools try to promulgate is that you must complete all of your flight training up with them. What if you find a great recreational school that you love flying at but you’re not sure of their CPL program? Or what if you have just finished your flight training at your school and now want to do a tailwheel conversion or Aerobatics endorsement and the school you learnt at does not offer it?

The good news is that your flight hours and experience are transferable to any school.

It also doesn’t matter whether you start off flying a Recreational Aircraft or a General Aviation aircraft as they all count towards your CPL licence if you wish to continue. For instance, I started my training with the Australian Air League in Sydney in a small Cessna 152 many years ago. The school was run by volunteer instructors and the quality of training was fantastic but they only trained up to PPL level. I learnt to fly there up to PPL then finished my CPL training at a school in QLD. By doing it this way I saved myself around $15,000 in flight training and got to experience two great flight schools.

So if you are very happy with a school that can conduct your initial training but can’t fulfill your advance training (such as multi-engine rating) don’t let it preclude you from starting your training with that school.

You should visit their facilities and meet one of their instructors

This one is a must. There are two ways to do this. Firstly, you can ask the flight school if you can visit the school and talk to an instructor and see the aircraft. Do not feel bad about asking for this. Any quality flight school would be more than happy to spend 20 minutes talking to you and showing you around their facilities. Make sure you book in a time and stick to that time. If the school will not talk to you unless you book a flight with them, then choose another school. Secondly, you can take a Trial Introductory Flight. All schools offers them and they allow you to see if you actually like flying and to observe the quality of instruction and instructors before you commit. It is a real flight lesson and will count towards your first certificate.

If the flight school only offers meetings with a receptionist and not a flight instructor, then once again, I suggest you choose another school that will. When you meet the instructor you can then get a feel for how much they care for you as a future student and how professional and friendly they are. You can also observe the condition of the facilities and the condition of the aircraft. If the facilities are worn, old and run down this could be a sign that the owner does not care or the business is not doing too well. The same goes for the aircraft. While most flight schools won’t have brand new aircraft, do take a look at what condition are they in. Are they fairly clean? Does it appear the staff and business care about the condition of the aircraft.  The impression you get from your first visit will help you decide on whether to start training with that school. You might also like to ask to see the syllabus or whether it is online for you to view. And if you intend finishing your next level of training at another school, you might like to ask where they will keep your flight records, so that you know this school will be able to send them to the next school in a timely manner. You might like to see the room where their briefings are done and ask questions about which textbooks they use at their school.

And finally, ask them what I call the Kamikaze question, as you leave: ‘Why should I choose your flight school over all the other nearby flight schools?’ Their response may surprise or shock you, or it may be exactly what you want to hear and it will definitely help you decide.

All the best with your future flight training!

Damien Wills

CEO GoFly Group

You may also like to read this blog: Is is better to learn to fly at a controlled or non-controlled airport?

You may also like to read this blog: How to afford flight training and become an employed airline pilot while working and without having rich parents

Click on this link to read further blogs by Damien.