Welcome to
PPL Flight Training.com

The fact is that great STICK and RUDDER SKILLS require the same basic training whether you learn to fly in Africa, Europe, the USA, South America, Asia, Australia, or anywhere else in the WORLD that may have missed a mention. And that is predominantly what this site is about.  The BASICS of flight. Followed by ADVANCED VFR.

Created by a passionate South African Flight Instructor, this site is of intended value not only to student(spl), private(ppl), future commercial(cpl) or airline pilots(atpl), but also for light sport aircraft pilots(lsa) and three axis microlight pilots(mcc).

PPL - Private Pilot License
CPL - Commercial Pilot License
ATPL- Airline Transport Pilot License (also ATP)

LSA - Light Sport Aircraft
MCC - Microlight Conventional Control

The difference between getting a Private Pilot License and a Light Sport Aircraft license is weight. Not yours, the aircraft's!

With a Private Pilot License you can fly an aircraft up to 5.7 ton (5700kg) aircraft.

With an LSA, you can fly one up to 600kg;

MCC, 450kg.

This means you are very limited regarding aircraft, passenger (no more than 1), and/or luggage with LSA or MCC licenses. So your license choice depends on your purpose for flying.

With a PPL, you can go up or down in weight category, and carry on to a CPL if you want your flying to become your career. A PPL license affords you more options.

If you already have your pilot license, this site is still for you. With reminders of things you might have forgotten, useful info for your license renewal, tips, tricks, and interesting articles that can help improve your skills and knowlege, and updates on the regular CAA and ICAO changes in a friendly, easily digestible format.

South Africa with its plentiful sunshine and stunning landscapes is the country of choice for local and international flying students. We are blessed with year round excellent flying conditions and high standards of training within our wide choice of approved flight schools around the country.

South Africa is an exciting destination for hour building and flying adventures.

If you have a Pilot License that is not South African, you can do a Foreign License Validation. This allows you to fly a South African registered aircraft for 5 years; as long as your initial license remains valid. We recommend you get a head start with your Validation, so you can maximise your holiday time.

Below is a pic of two of my students just after they got their Private Pilot Licenses (the little brown books in their hands).

Popular Pages:

• Step 1: people who want to fly, but don't know how to start;
• References and assistance in early training for student pilots;
• Private pilots - Maintenance of Competency requirements & every alternate year renewal flight tests;
• Ex-private pilots who want to get back behind the controls? Here's how...
• Flight instructors- Making your life a little easier with ground briefings for flight lessons. This is intended as a study aid for Student Pilots to allow for repetition and recapping of lessons, so that Flight Instructors will not need to repeat briefings, and can get down to the serious business of teaching flying, in the cockpit, where theory is put into practice.
  
• Recent changes you should be aware of.

• Assisting pilots with "foreign" licenses to validate your license for flying in South Africa.
  

• The Online Restricted Radio Course will prepare you for your online exam, and
• Ground School will inform you what books you need, where to get them and how long each exam is as well as online home studying options.
• You should find plenty of useful information on the SA Flying Schools page, where you will find a list of all the PPL Flying Schools in South Africa. Scroll down to see what the Flying Schools have to say about themselves, and comments from existing and previous students.
  
• The Aviation Careers page has information from pilots in different aviation careers, giving you inside information.
• Interesting articles in Plane Talk, and much more.
  

Other Pages on this Site:

Blog

Thoughts and advice on flight training.

Flight Instruction with Telani

Personal flight instruction with Telani Lithgow. Let Telani of the Lana Aire Flight Training Made Simple series teach you to fly.

PPL Requirements

Requirements for PPL - Private Pilot's License. The flying, the medical, the radio, the exams and English Proficiency.

Flight Training, Free Online Tuition

Get a head start with these actual PPL Flight Training Lessons and Briefings. Learn what to expect. Be prepared. Choose a flight school.

Private to Airline Flight Training - Pilot Careers

Airline flight training starts with a private pilot license, then commercial pilot license, then a fair amount of flight experience before earning an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL).

PPL Renewal for South Africans

South African Private Pilot holder? Not sure how or when to do your PPL renewal? Click this link to get the no-nonsense run down on what you need to do and know.

Bring your expired PPL back to life

Has your South African PPL expired? Want to know what you have to do to revive your PPL? This page will tell you exactly what you need to do.

Fly in South Africa

To fly in South Africa offers a freedom of movement not available in many countries in the world. There is so much diversity to explore.

Foreign License Conversion and Validation

This page tells you how to proceed with a foreign license conversion or validation so you may fly South African registered aircraft.

How to buy an aircraft A Guide for first time aircraft owners

When you buy an aircraft, it signifies a substantial investment. This guide will help you make the right choices and lead you to ask the right questions to help you make the best decision possible.

Flying Circuits : Take-off, Approach and Landing

In this exercise you will be shown in detail how to take-off, fly circuits and land. You will also learn about variations.

Circuit Training : Emergencies

Circuit training emergencies covered are the abandoned take-off, engine failure after take-off, (EFATO), and the go-around.

First Solo Flight - an unforgettable experience

Your first solo flight is a day you will remember always. The aircraft will behave just a little differently with you as the sole occupant.

Aircraft Controls : Ex 4 - Effects of Controls

Effects of Aircraft Controls: Exercise 4 of flight training - Overview of how aircraft fly and the effects of each control are discussed here

Chord Line etc

Definitions of the aerofoil section including the chord line, the mean camber line, relative airflow, angle of attack and angle of incidence.

Bernoulli Principle

The Bernoulli Principle, or the venturi effect, explains the mechanics of lift in respect of flight.

Angle of Incidence

The Angle of Incidence explained.

Choosing a Flight Training School

Important points to consider when choosing your Flight Training School

South African Flying Schools

Flying schools in South Africa, grouped by Province.

Plane Talk

Plane talk covers a variety of topics from how to fold a map, to calculating density altitude and challenging landings... loads of interesting articles for pilots, or add your own.

Advanced Pilot Training in Africa

I thought I could fly, until I went on CC's advanced pilot training VFR course. In two and a half days he taught me things about flying that I didn't know I didn't know. Here is my experience...

Notams

NOTAMS: what they are, where to find them, and how to read them.

Flight Training Blog

The PPL Flight Training Blog keeps you up-to-date with all additions and changes to the ppl-flight-training.com Web site. Subscribe here.

Thought for the day

Thought for the day from Lana Aire

Video of Exercise 3 : Air Experience - Pre-Flight Lesson Briefing

Air Experience is likely to be your first formal flight lesson. You will always have a ground briefing before a flight. The principles involved for the flight will be explained in this briefing.

Flying Solo

Age Restrictions on Solo Flight

Flight Training Course

Flight training course s available such as the Restricted Radio Telephony training course as well as Ab Initio PPL Instruction.

Jim Davis - Flight Tests

Review on Jim Davis' booklet "Flight Tests"

Pilot Training Books

Pilot training books recommended by expericenced flight instructor.

Recency and Maintenance of Competency

The difference between license Recency and Maintenance of Competency explained for South African Pilots

The PPL Flight Medical

Are you fit and healthy enough to pass a flight medical? Click here to find out.