What's Involved in Learning To Fly
Learning to fly is both easy and inexpensive when you come to the Canterbury Recreational Aircraft Club, for between just $1000 and $3000 NZD (around $600 to $2000 USD) most people can learn to fly solo in our aircraft and with a bit of work achieve the RAANZ Advanced Microlight Pilot Certificate to allow them to fly all over the country.
The certificate structure for a “Microlight Pilot Certificate” is a bit like the New Zealand graduated driving license.
You will start out with a “Novice Certificate”, this allows you to
learn to fly with an instructor, and do your first solo flights around
the airfield circuit.
Once you have got the hang of the basics, you will sit some multiple-choice answer exams for which you will have studied our comprehensive training materials and been tutored on by your instructor. When you’ve passed the exams it’s time for a flight test – and when you pass that, you will be awarded your Intermediate Certificate.
Using your Intermediate Certificate you’ll be able to go flying around “the local area” (within 10 nautical miles of the airfield) on your own, that’s when you have some spare time in between doing your basic “Cross Country” training with your instructor, you will conduct several cross countries both with your instructor and on your own.
When you have to required hours under your belt, and
pass another flight test, you will be awarded an “Advanced Local
Certificate”, which allows you to fly solo up to 50 nautical miles from
your home base, and further if you get an instructor ‘s permission.
Most people use the Advanced Local to conduct “Long Cross
Country” training with thier Instructor and on thier own, and once you
have completed some more hours (by now your log book will have a few
pages filled out) you will be awarded with an “Advanced National
Certificate”, which allows you to fly from Cape Reinga to Bluff if you
want to do that!