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If flight training is too expensive in your country or the skies are too congested, you might like to consider having a 3 week visit to Australia to obtain your Recreational Pilot Certificate (RPC). Some students attend our school just to train until they take their first solo, in order to be eligible to apply to an airline back home.
An RPC is the first step to take on the journey to become a Private Pilot or Commercial Pilot. Flying in a light sport plane for as much of your flight training as possible, will save you thousands of dollars on your training.
Most students obtain their Recreational Pilot Certificate within 28-30 hours of flying, or in approximately 2.6 weeks. (We recommend allowing 3 weeks in case of bad weather and we do not recommend flying on all 7 days of the week.)
Students will receive:
Sample three week schedule:
Full-time students usually do two x 60 min flying lessons per day on 6 days of the week (can be Mon-Sat or Sunday – Thursday). There is a 2-day contingency for bad weather. Your schedule might look like this:
Monday – Saturday repeated x 3 weeks:
7.30-9am: pre-flight briefing and first flying lesson
9.00-9.30am: coffee/toilet break
9.30-11.30: second briefing and second flying lesson
11.30am onwards: leisure and study time. We provide online video briefings, theory books and practice quizzes for you to study for your multiple choice exams. You can have access to this material before you arrive, so you can get a head start on understanding the concepts.
The price for training is $365/hr AUD (all theory briefing videos, exams and landing fees are included in the price). Each lesson is made up of one hour of flying and one hour on the ground (preflight and fuel the plane before flying then debrief and write notes, and pay after flying). Lessons can be taken either in the morning or in the afternoon on any day of the week. Once the student is training with GoFly, they can pay for their lessons at the end of each day’s training, by cash, debit or credit card (or they can deposit a bulk amount into our account or have us invoice them). Our Recreational Pilot Certificate syllabus can be found here.
To confirm your enrolment at GoFly Aviation we will require a non-refundable deposit equivalent to 2 x $365 lessons ($730) to confirm your place. The deposit will be paid directly to GoFly Aviation. Bank details can be provided upon request. We will then prepare a 3 week schedule of training for you and begin to prepare for your arrival. If you complete all your training, the $730 will be used to pay for your last two lessons. If you arrive and begin your training then withdraw before completing your course, and cancel all your future bookings, you will forfeit your deposit. Overseas students are not eligible to purchase our Intro Package unless they intend to complete their entire RPC training with us.
After the 3rd flying lesson it is also compulsory to join Recreational Aviation Australia (RAAus), at a cost of around $300. The maximum number of overseas students that we can manage to training simultaneously is two. All training at GoFly is based on competency of the pilot and not on hours of tuition. A student will only receive their certificate or licence if they have passed all exams, flight tests and the CFI deems their flying to be satisfactory.
All travel, accommodation and food will be paid for by the student. Students should fly into Brisbane Airport and then travel north to Caloundra (until such time as international flights return to the Sunshine Coast Airport).
At the completion of your RPC, you can then choose to go on to do your cross country navigation endorsement for approximately $5,000. Syllabus information here. This takes 12 hours of dual training, 2 hrs of solo flying plus a 2 hr fight test.
Before or after your navigation training, you can do your passenger endorsement. You must have a minimum of 10 hours of solo command time (you will already have 5 as part of your RPC). It consists of watching a video, a passenger briefing with a senior instructor, and a minimum 30 min flight check. Syllabus here.
GoFly is not currently offering RPL/CPL training but may reintroduce it from 2025. Email us for further details.
We are located at 20 Pathfinder Drive, at Caloundra Airport. Our air-conditioned office has a classroom, a waiting room and toilets. Students can take advantage of our free wifi, tea/coffee and fridge and microwave in the air-conditioned kitchen. We have a vending machine with an assortment of cold drinks and snacks. A van delivers sandwiches and hot food to the maintenance facility next door at 10am each weekday. A short drive across the road there is also a service station with sandwiches and hot takeaway food.
Caloundra is on the eastern side of Australia in a part of Queensland called the Sunshine Coast. The Sunshine Coast is one of the most popular places for Australian tourists to holiday. There are spectacular and clean beaches to swim in all year round and islands and mountains to fly over. Caloundra has a wet season (from about November-March) and a dry season (from about April to October). From November to March (wet season), you should allow three weeks in which to do your 28-32 hours of flying to obtain your Recreational Pilot Certificate, as some lessons might need to be cancelled due to weather conditions.
Temperatures in the Sunshine Coast are generally warm year round with summer temperatures averaging 17 – 32 degrees Celsius from December to February and autumn temperatures falling to between 13 – 25 degrees Celsius from March to May. Winter temperatures range from 11 overnight to 20 degrees by day.
You should have a current passport before you contact us. GoFly Aviation does not provide help for you to obtain a passport or your Visa. You need to apply for the visa yourself and you should only book your international flight to Brisbane, Australia, and your flight lesson times with GoFly, AFTER you have obtained your Visa. New Zealand passport holders can apply for a visa upon arrival in the country. All other passport holders must apply for a visa before leaving their country.
1. Our graduate pilot, Jim, has 2 rooms (one with an ensuite, and another with access to its own dedicated bathroom) available for rent for $300/wk (or $42.80/day) each in his lovely Pelican Waters home. There is a separate entrance and your own kitchenette. Jim can provide a continental breakfast and an evening meal for an extra $20/day. The home is about 8km or 12 mins, in a fairly direct route, from the aerodrome. It is 500 metres from the Pelican Waters Resort which has a gym that can be used for $15/week. The resort has a sports bar and a restaurant that anyone can access. It also has a cafe, mini golf, pro-shop and driving range. The home is just 2.5kms from the Pelican Waters shopping Centre (Coles & Woolworths) and the Pelican Waters Tavern and Jim can provide you with a step-through bike with lock and front basket. There is wifi available for studying. Bookings can be made directly with Jim by email at jim455388 @ gmail.com after you have touched base with us and made sure we can fit you into our calendar.
Jim’s room with ensuite
Jim’s room with own bathroom
Jim’s rear deck
2. You could also email Leigh at leighjel @ outlook.com who rents out rooms in her home (3kms from the airport) with ensuites or shared bathrooms, for around $300/wk. You can see the brochure here: Leigh Lampitt rooms for rent short term.
3. If you are bringing your family or friends with you, this reasonably priced 3 bedroom house at Moffat Beach sleeps up to 7 people. There’s wifi, two TVs, Apple TV, Chromecast, blue tooth speakers and push bikes.
4. You could also search for Air B’n’B homes in the Caloundra area.
5. There is a Backpacker Hostel at 84 Omrah Avenue in Caloundra with shared air conditioned dorm rooms from $49/night (or $350/wk). Check online images and reviews before booking.
We can put together a package for students over 18 years of age, which includes:
You will need to look after your own international flight, your own transfer from Brisbane airport to your accommodation, and transport to and from Caloundra aerodrome each day for your flight training.
Uber – download and use the app to order an Uber drive.
Taxi – SunCoast cabs can be booked on 1300 008.
‘I loved everything about learning to fly with GoFly.’
Reuben from Singapore, September 2022
I chose GoFly because the aircraft are modern, safe and really easy to fly and because of the online resources, which meant I could save costs and was only paying for my flight hours; and lastly, because it had two runways and was easier for landing without cross winds.
Dominick from Singapore, September 2022
‘I travelled to Australia from Hong Kong in May 2018. I searched online for a flying school which could improve my flying skills in the shortest period of time. A few members of an online flying forum gave very positive feedback about the flying lessons they had taken with GoFly.
There are a few reasons leading to my decision to train at Gofly. 1. It was a tailor-made course. 2. They were not too pushy for newbies 3. The airstrip was surrounded by Class G airspace that saved me a lot of time 4. They had professional instructors and a friendly environment. 5. The cost of training cost was competitive. 6. Recreational Pilot Certificate training is easily accessible and extendable and it is possible to get my certificate during a couple of short vacations.
I applied online for a visitor visa. Hotels in Caloundra are a 20-30 min walk from the aerodrome. There are also AirBnB houses in suburbs nearby. I took a bus the first day but I found that I could walk there the next few days. I would like to accumulate my hours whenever I have vacations. My short term goal is to get a PPL.’
Alan, 2018
‘I took my first step towards my dream of flying at GoFly and it was superb to say the least. As a Singaporean, learning to fly in Singapore can be a hefty investment, however, GoFly offered a range of competitive pricing without compromising the quality of the school, its instructors and more importantly its Sling planes!
GoFly cultivates a learner-friendly environment and builds confidence in aspiring pilots who are chasing their dreams. I highly recommend GoFly and I look forward to returning to get my nav endorsement! 🙂
Mikhail, 2018
Leo from Hong Kong found out about our flight school in Australia while looking at Instagram. He was able to find out everything he needed to know about the best time of the year to visit, visas, the location, the cost of training and nearby accommodation on the GoFly Aviation website. He also used his time in Caloundra to visit a few places around the spectacular Sunshine Coast.
Judite from Hong Kong talks about the GoFly Online videos and her training with GoFly Aviation.
In this video Andy from Singapore talks about his training at GoFly and how much he loves flying the Sling planes.
I searched flying schools close to Brisbane and found GoFly. The location, the all-inclusive fee, the on-line video lessons provided and the new license category (RAAus) are the reasons I chose GoFly.
I just used a tourist visa. It was easy to obtain online through the Australian Immigration ETA service. I stayed in an AirBnB house and I rented a car to commute between Brisbane and Caloundra.
The GoFly Instructors are all superb. You can feel their passion for flying and teaching students. The Sling 2 is an excellent aircraft for beginners, better than a Cessna 152/172 in my own opinion. I’m back in Australia to finish working on my pilot certificate and I plan to continue on to get my PPL.
Cary, Hong Kong