Flight Schools In South Africa

By Morton Meintjes


Choosing flight schools in South Africa can lead to a rewarding career and travel opportunities. It is important to consider all the options available to you. There are various aspects to consider when choosing a school. This is an investment in your future so try not to make any hasty decisions.

When looking for a school, you will want to be sure it is an approved Aviation Training Organization. This should be regulated by the South African Civil Aviation Authority. This means they make sure the students have a structured training curriculum and safety measures are in place.

Subjects and syllabus may vary by school but the basic fundamentals rarely changes. These fundamentals include aviation principles, flying regulation, meteorology, navigation, radio communications, aviation instruments, human factors and medical certification.

There are normally three main courses for you to choose from at a flying school. PPL stands for Private Pilot License. This is the same as receiving drivers license for a vehicle. It requires 45 hours of flying training with 15 hours of solo flying. The course syllabus includes upper air flying skills, circuits and landing, navigation and license testing. Ground school for one day is also required where you are taught things such as air laws and radio telephony.

CPL stands for Commercial Pilot License. This is the same as receiving a basic commercial license such as driving a truck. This license will allow you to pilot a commercial plane. It requires at least 200 flight hours as well as theoretical knowledge and practical training.

ATPL stands for Airline Transport Pilot License. It is the highest license you can get. You can captain an airline once you receive this license. You must be at least 23 years of age and have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours. You also need to pass an exam that contains 14 topics. If you fail one or more topics, you can retake the failed topics.

Once you get your license at one of the flight schools in South Africa, the sky is the limit for you. If you need more information, check out the internet for more resources.




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