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How and why we created the world’s first 360 degree online flight lessons

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Why we created GoFly Online
and how it can help your flight training

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In 2014 I decided to make the first Australian ‘Recreational Learn to Fly’ DVD series. The reason I created the DVDs was because I discovered students were not remembering everything they learned during their flight lessons and they wanted a way to both remember what they had learnt on that particular lesson as well as a way of preparing for the next lesson.

I advertised the DVDs in print magazines and posted them out when people ordered them. The DVDs sold very well and received excellent feedback from both students and instructors across Australia. About two years ago I considered upgrading the DVDs to an online version and also thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could also offer the inflight lessons in 360-degree video so it can be viewed on a VR headset?’.

The main issue at the time was internet speed and there were not many VR headsets available and they were very expensive. Added to this, the 360-degree cameras were also very expensive and editing the footage was labor intensive if I did it myself or very expensive if I got a production company to do it. As the flight school was very busy, I decided to put the upgrade project on hold.

I am a firm believer that if you are on the right track then the right people and circumstances will show up in your life to help make your dreams a reality.

In 2016, Stephen, the owner of a production company (Light Studios) rang me wanting to make an online reality tv show at GoFly, about his own journey from nervous flyer to potential pilot. We started making the show, called Taking Flight. We filmed Stephen’s flights and, coincidentally, his production company also created 360-degree videos.

Over the next 6 months, Jeremy (GoFly’s then General Manager), Stephen and I put our creative hats on and filmed the world’s first 360-degree learn to fly videos to be available on the Vimeo on Demand platform.

Creating the 360-video was not an easy process. Firstly we had to purchase an expensive VR camera that used two 4k cameras and two spherical lenses. We mounted the camera on a special tripod on the student’s seat so the camera was situated exactly where the student’s head would normally be.

Over the next six months I then filmed every Pilot Certificate lesson in detail pretending the camera was a real student. We had many retakes and the biggest bugbear was that the camera kept overheating in the hot Qld sun and so we had to shoot in 20 minute sessions, wait for the camera to cool down then shoot again! The other issue at the time was that the sound had to be recorded on a separate camera then synched to the 360 footage during the editing process.

When shooting footage there is generally six times as much footage as ends up in an episode, so the raw footage used an incredible amount of data storage to get it through the editing stage. After three months of editing, Stephen finished all the lessons in March 2017.

We filmed all the RAA pre-flight training lessons in standard-view and offered the inflight lessons in standard view as well as the innovative 360-degree footage.

We used the 360-videos as training aids at our GoFly Aviation school and the feedback was fantastic. The 360-video can be viewed through any mobile device in 360 format with a $25-$75 VR headset (prices have come down in the last few years). The benefit of watching the learn to fly lessons in the 360 format is that you are completely immersed in the cockpit and you can see exactly what the student pilot sees in 360-degree HD video.

Fast-forward to 2018 and by then we had shot all RPC ab initio lessons and now had over 22 episodes of Taking Flight on the Vimeo platform. Our students were using it at the flight school and were also able to use it at home online or offline.  But it was hard for other customers to find on Vimeo or via our own website and it just wasn’t selling as a stand alone product. I truly believed that these videos would reduce training time for students, enable them to save money and make them a better and safer pilot.  We needed to create a website just for the videos. 

I approached one of our existing students, Thomas Gregg,  who ran a web design/SEO company in Brisbane. He agreed to come on board and design the GoFly Online site, complete with categories for RPC, Cross Country, Resources, Interviews with Pilots, the free GoFly Fix videos and blogs. We put a plan in place for further videos and sought out a Commercial pilot to produce some GA videos. My reading led me to believe that having an online side to the business would help us survive any downturns in the economy. I also discovered a new suffix for websites,  so we changed from ‘.com.au’ to ‘.online’. We divided the content up into Free videos as well as, Basic and Premium content by subscription ($99 or $199). By now we had over 100 videos and 25 blogs.

At the GoFly Aviation flight schools on the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, all new students receive a free subscription (basic for the casual students and Premium for those flying more than 4 hours per week and continuing on to do nav training). The new website looks great and we can project it onto the wall or screen it on the work computers for those who haven’t watched the relevant lesson at home or need to watch it again. Some students say they listen to the audio as a refresher, as they drive to the school. Despite my partner’s best efforts at promoting it, it still wasn’t selling to anyone outside our own school. 

To eliminate price as a barrier to purchasing, we provided a monthly option ($9.90 or $19.90) and we included a 7-day money back guarantee. We attended aviation expos and demonstrated the product and gave out business cards containing the URL. We made more content. We released free content linked back to the URL. We placed ads in a couple of aviation magazines. Finally, some sales started trickling in from around Australia and gave us the motivation to keep at it and the confidence to buy some new equipment for filming..

In late 2019 our flight school leased a Cirrus and we partnered with a GA pilot to produce some Cirrus and GA content. We have also filmed interviews with a number of commercial pilots. We have plans to include a quiz at the end of each video so students can test their understanding of the lesson and, eventually, their instructor will also be able to access these results to see if the student understands.

We won’t give away any of our exciting future plans, but there are plenty. Our vision is for GoFly Online to create the largest collection of quality inspirational, educational and entertainment aviation videos on the planet. Our aim is to inspire individuals to fly and, once started on their journey, make the process as enjoyable as possible and help to create safer pilots!. 

We have made the first flight lesson in each category on the site free. Enjoy!

Damien Wills

CEO, GoFly Group

Click on this link to read further aviation blogs by Damien.

 

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The challenges of running a flight school while being followed around by a film crew

The challenges of running a flight school while being followed around by a film crew

Being a Chief Pilot can be both rewarding and challenging. If we add to that the complexities of operating a small business it can feel like at times you are juggling ten bowling balls while riding a unicycle on a tightrope. Maybe I have exaggerated a tad, but I think you get the picture, it can be very challenging.

Of course I would never give it up because I love what I do. Last June my operations Manager Jeremy suggested we create a reality tv show on what it was like to Learn to fly and operate a flight school. I thought it was a brilliant idea but we were so busy I just could not see how we could have the time to create such a series and make it look professional enough to make it worth our while.(an that others would want to watch)

Maybe it was synchronicity or serendipity, but just one week later I received a call from Stephen Limkin, the owner the production company Light Studios, to see if I was interested in making a reality tv show on flight training. Ten years ago I would have fallen off my chair, but after operating a business for the last seven years these coincidences have been happening on a regular basis.

I said “yes” of course and filming commenced two months later.

Being a Chief Pilot and business owner you have to deal with so many variables, weather, student motivation and maintenance in what is a highly competitive industry. Now the business had to deal with a film crew following them around all the time. Each of our aircraft was transformed into a flying movie studio.

Stephen as creative director is a perfectionist and we had to have four cameras with two microphone recording devices in each aircraft while flying. Did I also mention everything was shot with 4K cameras, that’s about four times better quality than normal high definition?

I thought our customers might be annoyed with camera crews following them around all day but the majority of customers loved it and were excited to be part of something special and unique.

Interestingly, I also got to see how each of the other GoFly Instructors interacted with real students in the air. When I do check flights with my Instructors, it is their CFI flying with them pretending to be a student, so of course they act differently with the CFI and owner.  It was refreshing and exciting to see the unrehearsed instructing for the first time, and fortunately,  I was very happy with what I witnessed.

What I love about the ‘Taking Flight’ series is that it reveals so much about what it is like to learn to fly; to be a flight instructor;and to operate a complex business such as a flying school. It also shows the human element, the fears and hopes and what it is like to stretch yourself mentally and emotionally.

The extra work involved creating this series has been well worth the effort and one of the biggest benefits of saying yes to assisting Light Studios with its creation, is getting to know Stephen the owner, Jared, the director of Photography  – and fostering these new friendships.

The first episode will be released on YouTube on Wednesday 15 March, with each subsequent episode released fortnightly. You can see the trailer here. There is also a website for Taking Flight where you can subscribe in order to be notified of each new episode; and a Facebook page.

My hope is that the Taking Flight series will inspire others to learn to fly;  or to start their own business; or to simply say YES to trying something different and exciting in their own lives.

Damien Wills, CFI

Click on this link to read further blogs by Damien.

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You can’t buy yourself a Pilot Licence (how flight training really works)

Pilot Licence

You can’t buy yourself a Pilot Licence
(how flight training really works)

Pilot Licence

As the Chief Pilot and owner of a busy flying school, one of my main roles is making sure our customer’s expectations are met. This comes down to clear communication on how the student’s flight training course will progress even before they complete their first lesson.

It also means giving honest feedback along the student’s flight training journey.

The good news is that 99% of students get it, and what I mean by that is they clearly understand what the flight school expectations and their own expectations are and what is required for them to pass their flight test to achieve their Pilot Certificates. (I am also not suggesting that all flight schools get it right all of the time – including myself – for instance, some students get along better with certain instructors than others and learn better with a certain personality type. This happens in all service-based businesses.) By all means if you have a legitimate complaint with your service or training then speak up, we want to hear from you. The 1% of students I am referring to are those who make flight training more difficult than it has to be for themselves and for the flight school.

Below I have outlined some of the typical behaviours of the one percent of students who don’t understand how flight training works (even though we have explained it to them numerous times) and who are always the first to complain when things do not go their way.

I just have to show up

That’s right, they think that just showing up and going for their flight lesson will get them across the line. They have forgotten that flight training is a 50/50 partnership with their flight instructors and they still have to put at least 50% of the effort in to get themselves across the line. This includes study and or practicing their flying procedures when they are not flying.

Money will get me across the line

They believe that because they are paying for lessons that they are owed a Pilot Certificate or licence. I explain to every customer when they start, that flying is competency-based. This means that you have to meet certain competent levels to pass certain milestones in your flight training. If you don’t meet these competency requirements we simply cannot send you solo or pass you during a flight test.

I will obtain my Pilot Certificate in the minimum legal time allowed

This one is related to money and many new customers see the minimum legal hours and think that everyone gets their licence within that time. It does not help that a lot of flight schools quote the minimums and do not explain to the customer that only a small percentage of their customers obtain their Pilot Certificate in the minimum time.

I clearly explain to every customer that the minimum is a starting point and that the Pilot Certificate is competency-based. If you are not at the standard required, we will not be handing you a Pilot Certificate after 20 hours.

I don’t take criticism too well

Flight training is two steps forward and one step back. Eventually you will get there but there are days when you will not perform very well. As an instructor, it is our job to identify weaknesses and communicate that to the student so they can improve. Some students do not like to receive any critical feedback and they see it as an attack on their ego.

My friend went solo after ten hours so why haven’t I gone solo yet?

This one is a common one. They compare and compete with a friend or family member who has done some flight training and think if they have not achieved the same result that the school is to blame for their shortcomings or they begin to question their own talent for flying. The truth is that no two students are the same. I have had students go solo in record time and others take twice as long; everyone learns at their own individual pace.

The blame game

Many students cannot own the fact that their performance, or attitude, or nerves are affecting their ability to pass or reach a certain level. These performance issues can be affected by a host of human factors issues such as age, health and stress or just different learning styles.They can also be affected by the varying and complex personality types that humans possess.  Many of these students will blame their instructor or the weather or any other external factor without accepting that the issue is actually themselves. The roadblock is something they need to work on within themselves.

I once failed a young student after he completed his flight test and his Dad was very angry at me for failing his son. He insisted, “But you said he was ready for a flight test”. I calmly explained that yes, he was ready for the flight test but today he was not ready to pass that test. The poor student did his best but did not perform on the day due to nerves. His dad clearly did not get it; his attitude was that you advised that my son was ready and I paid you, so you should pass him.

Flight Training is about self development

Your Flight Instructor is a skilled guide and motivator who creates a safe structure for you in which to learn how to fly and achieve your dream. However it is up to you to humbly take the constructive criticism, incorporate the feedback, do the study, improve and grow.

Your Flight Instructor cannot get YOU across the line, they can show you the way but only YOU can get yourself there.

Fortunately most students get it, they understand that flying is both challenging and rewarding. They understand it is competency-based and not time-based. They understand that money will not buy them a licence.

Your hard-earned money will allow you to hire a plane and an instructor but it’s actually YOU who determines how the flight training will progress and if you will eventually realise your dream of flight.

Damien Wills

CEO, GoFly Group

Click on this link to read further blogs by Damien.

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Five reasons why becoming a Flying Instructor might be a better option for you than being an Airline Pilot

Instructor

Five reasons why becoming a flying instructor
might be a better option for you than being an airline pilot

Instructor

Everyone wants to fly a big jet

For as long as I can remember I have always dreamt of learning to fly and becoming a pilot. When I was learning to fly, almost everyone who was learning with me dreamt of becoming an airline pilot. Part of the attraction was being able to fly a high-tech Jet Aircraft and also have the benefit of being paid a decent wage while doing something you love.

I totally understand why someone who spends a considerable amount of money and time on training to become a commercial pilot would want to have their investment pay off by joining an airline.

Instructing is usually viewed as a stepping stone to bigger and better things!

The current reality is that most new commercial pilots obtain their Instructor Rating so they can build up valuable flying hours while they are waiting to join an airline. Flying jobs in the major city centres of Australia can be limited when you first become a Commercial Pilot and Instructing will increase  your chances of gaining employment.

I don’t personally think there is anything wrong with this approach providing the instructor puts the necessary effort and care into each student while they are building up hours.

Sure I have never been an Airline Pilot, but I have been a Commercial Charter Pilot and plenty of my close friends are now working for major Airlines so I understand exactly what their work/life balance involves. I have also been a Chief Pilot for over five years and have a very good understanding of what it is like to be a full-time flight instructor.

We need more career flying instructors

When I was learning to fly there were two types of Instructors. The career instructor who loved flying and teaching and the Instructor who was simply building up hours towards joining an airline. Which instructor do you think I prefered to fly with?  If we could encourage more individuals to consider remaining as Instructors instead of joining airlines, I believe that the quality of Instruction would improve dramatically.

I am now going to list five reasons why becoming a long-term career Instructor may be a better choice than being an Airline Pilot

  1. It may be more rewarding

I’m not that saying being an Airline Pilot is not rewarding, I am only suggesting that being a Flight Instructor is a very different type of rewarding, as it allows you to help individuals fulfil their dreams of flying. There is something very satisfying about having a student walk in the door with no experience and  eventually sending them off on their first solo flight .

  1. Instructing is about motivating and caring

Firstly to be a good flight Instructor you have to be good at developing a positive professional relationship with your student and you have to be very good at motivating them – because let’s be honest, learning to fly can be a challenge at times and it’s easy for any student to lose motivation when things get tough. You really have to care about your student’s dream of learning to fly and care enough to get them through the tough training times (and there will be many ). This motivational and caring aspect of teaching can be both meaningful and very rewarding. If you consider yourself a good motivator and a caring person then instructing may be a perfect fit for you.

  1. You are home every night and usually one day on the weekend

For the many Airline Pilots I have known, being home rather than being absent frequently, is desirable. Are you ready to be away from home, family and friends for up to 12 nights per month? For some individuals this works well but for others it may put a huge strain on their family life.

With Instructing you are home every night, and I can assure you, my children and my partner appreciate this as much as I do.

  1. The pay is quite good – eventually

One of the main reasons a lot of individuals don’t even think about instructing as a long term career choice is because the pay is lower than being an Airline Pilot. Unless you own a flying school your pay may always be less than an airline pilot particularly when you first start instructing. However, once you have gained considerable instructing experience it is possible to earn anywhere from $60,000 to $85,000 a year as a fulltime professional flight instructor. This is still a good wage for doing something you love doing.  Regional airlines only offer $55,000 to $100,000 per year depending on experience and the larger national airlines only offer $75,000 to $140,000 and you have to be flying for the airline for a long time before you receive the upper pay scale. As you can see, the differences are not that great particularly for regional airlines.

  1. The future for flight training is incredibly exciting over the next 15 years

This one is huge. We at the beginning of a huge and innovative shift in flight training. The radical changes will include lower cost high-tech aircraft, advanced low-cost simulation and eventually electric propulsion. This is a very exciting time to be a flight instructor.

If you have always dreamt of becoming an Airline Pilot don’t give up the dream, butif you are curious about alternatives then maybe becoming a career instructor could be an exciting option for you.

I love flying and I love teaching. Helping students achieve their dream of flight is an incredible privilege.

Listen to your own voice

Don’t listen to others if they tell you that you have have to earn lots of money to enjoy life; that simply isn’t true. Working at something which is rewarding and meaningful to you is what is required for you to enjoy YOUR life. If the quiet voice inside your head is slightly excited about the idea of becoming a career flight instructor then listen to that voice; because there is a shortage of instructors and there is a future student somewhere right now who will be grateful that you did! 

Damien Wills

CEO, GoFly Group

Click on this link to read further blogs by Damien.

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How to afford flight training and become an employed Airline Pilot within four years (while working and without having rich parents!)

Commercial pilot

How to afford flight training and become an employed airline pilot,
while working and without having rich parents

Commercial pilot

Your future is in your hands

I hear a lot of individuals telling me that becoming an employed Airline Pilot is hard and that training is hard and getting a job is hard. I’m amazed that these individuals are able to actually get out of bed in the morning.

Yes, life can be hard, but what’s the alternative? If you believe everything is hard then you are more likely to give up before you begin.

Why do you want to be an Airline Pilot?

This is the first question you need to ask yourself before you begin your journey. A not so good reason for wanting to become a pilot might be because the pay is good and it will be cool.

A better reason might be because you have always been obsessed with aircraft, you just love flying and you can’t imagine doing anything else other than sitting in a high tech plane and being responsible for the lives of many individuals, helping them reach their loved ones safely.

If your reason ‘why’ is a good reason and you are passionate about flying and becoming a pilot, then I can honestly say the road to becoming an Airline Pilot will not be that hard. I believe that the future is very exciting if your goal is to become an airline pilot.

The news about the future pilot shortage is correct

Boeing and Airbus updated their forecast this year to conclude that around 600,000 new pilots will be required to be trained over the next 20 years to replace retiring airline staff and growing airline fleets. The Asia Pacific region will need around 250,000 new pilots in this time period.

I am a business owner and Entrepreneur and spend a considerable amount of time researching future growth markets. I believe the Asia Pacific forecast is spot on. In fact, one could compare the Asia Pacific region to America  post-World War II, when the Airline industry grew like crazy after the disposable income of the middle classes increased and the costs of airline travel decreased. The same rapid change is happening right now in Asia, however the population is about ten times that which the USA had in the fifties (that is right: ten times!!).

If you want to stay on the East Coast of Australia and don’t want to move to find work then you may find it harder to gain employment. All the airline pilots I know who secured a job shortly after their flight training, went overseas for work.

So will there be jobs, but you may have to travel to find that first airline job.

Yes, but…

I dislike ‘Yes, but’ people. Basically they are saying ‘Yes, I agree with you… but I have come up with a reason not to agree with you’.

So you have always dreamt of becoming an Airline Pilot and you have probably done a bit of internet searching and soon realised that the cost of training could be anywhere from $55,000 to $120,000.

Wow! Unless you have just received an inheritance, or your parents are rich, this is where your research into becoming an Airline Pilot probably ends. This is where the negative thinking can become so powerful.

Yes, but I don’t have the money

Yes, but I don’t have rich parents

Yes, but I might not get a job

Yes, but I might be no good

Yes, but I don’t want to move overseas

The list goes on and on and on…

I want you to get into the habit of changing ‘Yes but’ to… ‘Yes, I can!’

Yes I can!

Yes, I can find the money somehow.

Yes, I can become an Airline pilot if I work hard enough.

Yes, I can achieve my dreams if I just keep persisting.

Yes, I don’t mind living in Asia for five years if it means I can be an Airline Pilot earlier.

Ok you get the point..

You can always get what you want  – the only variable is the time it takes.

You’re most likely to have never seen more than $10,000 in your bank account so the thought of being able to afford $80,000 to complete your flight training seems like a pipe dream. I am about to show you that not only is it possible for anyone to be able to afford flight training but it is also possible for anyone who has the right attitude to secure a job as an Airline Pilot.

I am going to show you how you can obtain your Commercial Pilots licence with all the necessary endorsements within four years without the help of your parents, the government or the bank.

Think of your flight training as a University Degree

Most university degrees are around three to four years in duration. If the majority of the population accept that it’s going to take an individual four years to earn a degree then why would it be any different to learn to be an airline pilot? If you leave school at 18 you will still only be 22 years of age when you complete your flight training – the same as most other graduates.

Get a full-time job that pays at least $50,000 income and live in shared accommodation or move back home with your parents/relatives

It would be nice if you could just jump directly into full-time flight training straight away then land your dream job with an airline within one year. I would also like to own my own beachfront property with ocean views but I know it is not going to happen within 12 months (I have a ten year plan for that one.)

Why get a full-time job that earns $50,000?

The reason is simple, so you can still pay rent and food and bills and enjoy life a bit while you are training part time. By sharing accommodation and living at home you can reduce your weekly expenses. By earning $50,000 per year you should be able to put around $20,000 per year towards your flight training costs. Over four years that is around $80,000.

That’s right, even with a medium income job, within four years you can pay for your own flight training and have no debt at the end of it (unlike most uni students). What sort of job should you get? I would recommend some job where you can learn some skill that will assist you in aviation. Sales is a good choice because you will learn to sell yourself.

Another great idea is to get an admin or ground staff job with an airline or flying school or charter company. You might apply to be a flight attendant, ground baggage handler, refueller or front office admin. If you’re in the industry you can learn valuable inside information plus develop a network of key contacts for later when you are looking for a job. I know plenty of Airline Pilots who started off as ground crew for airlines.

Once you get a job that pays around $50,000, the plan is very simple:

Year 1

  1. Upgrade your computer if you need to and turn it into a simple Flight Simulator (use X Plane). By having your own makeshift flight sim, you will be able to practice manoeuvres, and eventually instrument flight, at home in your own time at no cost.
  2. Study for your Recreational theory exams and Private Pilot Licence exams in your own time and sit the exams.
  3. You may also find our online flight lessons helpful.  For less than half the cost of a one hour real lesson, you can watch the lessons in standard or in 360-degree video as man times as you need. The lessons cover everything you need to know for your RPC plus there are lots of bonus videos dealing with emergency procedures and flight tests etc Our students claim that the lessons have sped up their learning and saved them money on real flying lessons.

Year 2

  1. Find a reputable flight school which offers part-time Commercial Pilot Licence training and preferably has Recreational Aircraft that you can start your training in (to save hourly costs).
  2. Complete your training one day per week and fly between one to two hours each time. Pay for each lesson as you go.
  3. Complete your Recreational Pilot Certificate  (approx $5400 through GoFly) and Navigation endorsement (approx $4000 through GoFly) in a Recreational Aircraft to save on training costs.

Year 3

  1. Complete your RPL conversion and controlled Airspace endorsement on a four- seat aircraft like a Cessna 172
  2. Start studying at night for your CPL exams
  3. Start accumulating Solo command time in both a Recreational Aircraft and a four- seater aircraft.

Year 4

  1. Sit your CPL theory exams (and resit if required)
  2. Start studying for ATPL subjects
  3. Complete your CPL Flight Training with twin-engine instrument included
  4. Complete your Instructor rating Recreational and General Aviation
  5. Apply for airline jobs in Australia and Asia at the end of the year
  6. Keep $10,000 and offer to pay for Jet type endorsement if required by an Airline

If you put the work in, are smart with what school you choose and what aircraft type you learn to fly on, you can achieve all of this for around $80,000.

In addition

I would also recommend doing a part-time course in how to speak Chinese. Most jobs will be coming out of China over the next ten years. While it is not a requirement to speak Chinese in order to obtain a job in Asia, it will put you ahead of your competition and show your future employee that you have gone the extra mile.

A lot of my students say to me, ‘That’s great but I’m happy where I am, I don’t want to go overseas’. This is a real shame, as living in a different country will open their eyes to new cultures and experiences. Obviously their reason ‘why’ is not great enough. They may well get a job if they stay in Australia but options and opportunities are far greater if you’re willing to travel and relocate for a while.

Other options

The good news is that even if you do not want to go overseas, or if you miss out on a job initially, you can still look for a job a flight Instructor on the east coast of Australia. Most Airlines in Australia now prefer you to have an Instructor rating so that they can use you for check and training when you have been with the company for a while. By obtaining your Instructor rating during your course it allows you to obtain a job in general aviation while you are applying for airline jobs. It basically gives you more options and allows you to earn an income and fly. You might even love it and decide to stay being a professional Instructor.

Leave $10,000 aside for your ‘type rating’ training

As part of this plan I allow $10,000 at the end of  your training to allow you to pay for your own ‘type rating’. What is a type rating? It is specific training to allow you to fly a particular ‘type’ of complex aircraft such a Boeing 737. This can be done in a simulator for about $10,000.

When applying for an airline, some airlines require you to pay for your own type rating. If you succeed in getting through your initial interviews you will be in a better position as you already have your own funds to pay for your own type rating.

No more excuses

I hope by now you have come to the realisation that becoming an airline pilot is not only achievable for anyone, but is also a realistic career path if you have a big enough ‘why’.

I decided to open and run a Flight School instead of joining an airline, but I have worked with many charter pilots and instructors over the years who have gone on to secure jobs by following my simple plan above.

A lot of other flight schools will try to tell you that the above plan is not possible financially. The reason is simple:  their revenue model has been designed for them and not YOU! Do your research, go onto the CASA website and research hourly requirements. I know flight training costs can be almost halved if you do your research and chose the right school. I know it’s possible because I did the above plan myself (but left Charter flying and  decided to buy and run a flight school).

All it takes is belief in yourself, persistence and time.

Happy and safe flying,

Damien Wills

CEO, GoFly Group

P.S. If you are interested in obtaining your CPL through GoFly Aviation, we are currently offering a great value deal for approx $55,000. You can start any time. Request a copy of our pricing and syllabus by emailing us at goflyaviation@gmail.com or feel free to call me on 0426 282 226 if you have any questions. GoFly does not offer VET fee. For information about personal loans, visit GoFly Finance. For our current deals on Recreational Pilot Certificates, keep an eye on our Special Offer page.  Click here for information about the Bachelor of Aviation at USQ. Click here to view our Boeing 737 simulator.

Click on this link to read further blogs by Damien.