Where Do I Sign Up?

I hope that my blog posts have piqued the interest of readers so much that they would like to join the ranks of qualified pilots around the world.


If that is the case with you, then the first step is to make contact with your local flying school. A Google search will give you a pointer in the right direction. Give the flying school a call and book a trial lesson. This may be a cheaper option than booking a full lesson and will give you an immediate taste of what flying is all about.

Flying Around The World

As I live, train and fly in the United Kingdom my flight training diary entries, the syllabus and references are very much UK centric.

If you don't fly in the UK you will still find lots of useful information here - after all, aviation is a truly global industry and apart from a few minor local differences the principles and practice of learning to fly is the same throughout the world. Imagine going for your first ever flight with you at the controls and flying over familiar territory, you could even wave down to friends and neighbours.

If you decided to continue with your Private Pilot's License (PPL) training then the trial lesson will count towards your 45 hours of fixed wing flight training - but make sure that the flying school is aware that you are looking to learn to fly, rather than simply wanting to go on a pleasure flight to see your house from the air - although you could of course combine the two.

To get the most from your trial lesson it pays to be prepared. I had a copy of Trevor Thom's Flying Training book for two years before my first lesson - a constant reminder on the shelf that I really needed to take the first steps to learn to fly. The full title for this book is "The Air Pilot's Manual Volume 1 - Flying Training", but to everyone in the business it is simply known as Trevor Thom Book 1 - impress your instructor on your first flight by casually stating that you already own a copy of Trevor Thom Book 1 - you will be feeling like a true pilot before you know it.

I used the Trevor Thom series for my flying training and the books became a constant companion during my training. There are other books, which other student pilots swear by, such as the Jeremy Pratt series.