Learn to Fly a Plane

So you want to learn to fly a plane? Well you’re not the only one.

When I sit there watching films like James Bond and see him jump in an aircraft to get away from the villains, I often imagine myself doing the same and being able to understand what all the knobs and buttons do.

Is it hard…

It looks like a tricky thing to learn, but I guess you only have to take yourself back to your first driving lesson and the worry of not knowing what is going on, but it soon becomes second nature.

To start with why don’t you look at having a taster lesson, where you can go up safely with a fully qualified instructor, who will explain all of the controls and explain how everything works.

Once he’s happy he will let you take over the controls so you can get to feel the thrill of flying.

For an introduction then try out red letter days for a 30 minute light aircraft flight.

Get a Licence

If you’ve caught the bug and really can’t wait to go back up, then it’s time to look at getting your Private Pilots Licence (PPL).

This is effectively the aviation equivalent of a drivers licence, in that it entitles you to pilot an aircraft privately and with non-commercial passengers.

Unlike a driving licence you have to pass a medical examination, and you have to keep your rating current to maintain it (by flying a specified number of hours a year).

The Private Pilots Licence requires renewal after 5 years.

The PPL is more of an introduction to aviation, so more like a foundation for pilot training where you can gain experience and add additional flying privileges, like add IMC ratings to allow you to fly in more difficult weather conditions, or even aerobatics if flying alone is not enough of an adrenaline rush.

Check out the Civil Aviation Authority for more details on how to learn to fly a plane.