Learn To Fly

If you want to discover the pleasures of flying yourself and others around New Zealand, you’ll need to have a Private Pilot’s Licence or PPL.

If you have never flown before in a light aircraft, it’s a good idea to experience a taste of what to expect before committing to lessons.

The Wellington Aero Club offers a trial flight lasting for 20 or 40 minutes.

On the day you will be given a pre-flight talk on how the aeroplane works and how you will be able to control it. You’ll then go out to the aircraft with your instructor who will show you around the outside and inside of the aircraft, before starting up the aeroplane to taxi.

During your first lesson, the instructor will start to teach you how to fly, and you will be able to see if learning to fly is what you would like to do.

If, after the trial lesson, you catch the ‘flying bug’ then the training for your PPL will follow a structured progressive path. The course is made up of theoretical knowledge required (ground exams) and actual flight training. The good news here is that your trial lesson will count towards the course requirements and it will be the very first entry in your PPL logbook.

If you trained full time you could expect to obtain a PPL in 3-4 months. It’s more usual to fly once or twice a week, in which case it will take about six months to a year to achieve your licence. How fast you work towards your PPL is up to you, but, having lessons too infrequently makes learning difficult.

You will be at least 16 years old before you take your first SOLO flight and 17 before you can sit your PPL Flight Test.

Everyone who studies for their PPL finds the flight training part of the course the most exciting. You should be aware that you will need a great deal of determination, motivation and patience to complete your training, particularly in the early stages. But, it is definitely worth the effort!

Click Here To Learn More getting your PPL *

Having a PPL doesn’t allow you to make an income from flying, but is the first step towards getting a Commercial Pilot’s Licence or CPL which will allow you to make a career in aviation.

Click Here To Learn More about getting your CPL *

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