Quickest Way to start flying is
Just book a Trial Flight / Introductory Mission and see how you go.
If required, we do offer a special price for your friend / moral supporter
Enjoy a Trial Flight. You are shown around the aircraft and then fly with an experienced instructor who shares his passion of flying with you. To Fly Solo� All it takes is somewhere around 10-15 hours of training to fly solo. Minimum age of 16, completed a medical with your doctor. Join Recreational Aircraft Association of New Zealand We help you pass your Radio Telephone Operator’s Licence. So you can take your friends flying� You need to fly for a minimum of 45 hours. Most people do a few more hours as it’s all about flying to a good standard and being confident in the aircraft. Have fun studying and learning about Aviation Law, Air Navigation, Meteorology, Aircraft Technical Knowledge and Human Factors. And when you are ready, a Flight Test. Fly anywhere around New Zealand�. Do the cross-country flying which involves High and Low Level, Mountain, Weather Diversion and flying in and out of Controlled Airspace.
In short Yes – the average person in average health. To be allowed to fly solo in an aircraft you do need a �Drivers Licence Medical�. A saying one old wise instructor said to me one day was �We can teach anyone to fly there is just a few of them that we probably shouldn�t have!�.
For around $95, a qualified Flying Instructor will firstly show you around the aircraft and explain what and how things work (very brief and simple explanations). The idea is that when you are up in the air, you will get the most out of the flight. The 20 minute flight is for you to enjoy the experience of flight and have a look around, as well as have the opportunity to fly the aeroplane yourself. Follow up with a debrief,where your Instructor will answer all of your questions.
No! As long as you can get into the aircraft, I�m happy to let you take me flying. To fly solo or take passengers you just need to keep passing your medical. There is a lady up in Northland somewhere who learnt to fly in her late seventies and now in her eighties is still enjoy flying herself around the skies.
If not, learning to fly could be just the activity for you! Learning to fly is a structured course with lots of stages that give plenty of challenges along the way. Call this your own personal adventure. From my own personal experience, when I had passed my Commerical Licence and thinking about ‘where to from here’, I realised that for me the biggest challenge in aviation I had completed. That is learning to fly. Working as an Instructor is what I decided to do. Now I get to fly and enjoy playing an active part in helping other people through their own “learning to fly” adventure.
Aircraft and Instructor hire is nowadays around $200 per hour. Most lessons are around the 45 minute average. For a full licence it is bit over 50 hours flying which equates to around $10,000. However this isn�t an up-front fee. If you start you can take a break. You only pay for the flying you do on the day. The up-shot is that for around $150-$200 a week you could have your own Pilot’s Licence in a year or so’s time.(Plus have a lot of fun along the way!).
In simple terms you get the freedom of the air. New Zealand is a great country to fly around with great scenery and just all of the controlled airspace can get approval to fly through. Like someone with a boat having the freedom of the seas and lakes, being a pilot gives you the same freedom of the sky. Some of the flying that the locals often do are… Breakfast at Pauanui or Raglan. Later on in the day an icecream or coffee is just as good a reason. The aircraft is available for hire, or you could buy your own aircraft. Flying clubs around have fly-ins and competions all in the name of good fun. Air Safaris:- they last from a an hour or two to a week or two. The last major Air Safari had around 80 aircraft that flew around just about every inch of New Zealand over a ten day period. You will never know what you are missing out until you join in!