Learning to Fly

Training with Thomas

Thomas is qualified as a Recreational Aviation Australia (RA-Aus) instructor. This qualification means he can train you to achieve your Recreational Pilot Certificate, the start of your aviation qualifications journey (see the details below). He trains from Canberra Airport, as part of the Learn2Fly group.

Choose your Qualification Level

The quickest and lowest cost way to become a pilot is the Recreational Pilot Certificate (RPC), issued by RA-Aus. You can start training at 14 years old, and go solo at 15. Accreditation is competency-based, with a minimum of 20 hours flying time. All the hours you log with RA-Aus can be counted toward the further qualifications below.

You can find lots of information about achieving an RPC qualification from the RA-Aus Learn to Fly page. RA-Aus aircraft tend to be more modern than GA aircraft, and the later technology makes them less expensive to operate, so training costs less.

Qualification	Abbreviation	Requires	Privileges
Recreational Pilot Certificate	RPC	Driver's Licence medical standard 14-15+ years old 20+ flying hours	Fly an RA-Aus registered aircraft with one passenger, outside controlled airspace, up to 10,000 feet Only requires a flight review to upgrade to RPL Private only (cannot be paid to fly)
Recreational Pilot Licence	RPL	Recreational aviation medical practitioner's certificate or better 16+ years old 25+ flying hours, or RPC and flight review	Fly a CASA-registered aircraft with one passenger (or more with Class 2 Medical) Can upgrade to controlled airspace and controlled aerodrome Private only (cannot be paid to fly)
Private Pilot Licence	PPL	Class 1 or 2 aviation medical 17+ years old 35+ flying hours	Fly a CASA-registered aircraft with 6 passengers Can upgrade to controlled airspace and aerodrome Private only (cannot be paid to fly)
Commercial Pilot Licence	CPL	Class 1 or 2 aviation medical 18+ years old	Can be paid to fly chartered passengers or freight (not RPT)
Airline Transport Pilot Licence	ATPL	Class 1 aviation medical CPL or MPL 21+ years old 1500+ flying hours	Can fly Regular Public Transport (RPT) — anything from a small twin to an Airbus A380 super-Jumbo.

You can choose how far you go. Some people stop at the RPC, and can fly recreationally almost anywhere in Australia with one passenger. Some upgrade to RPL so they can fly in controlled airspace and go pretty much everywhere in Australia. Others go to CPL for a career in aviation. Some go all the way to ATPL and fly all over the world. The aviation journey is yours!