If you are thinking about becoming a pilot, you might imagine that a student pilot’s day follows a fairly predictable routine: arrive at the flight school, fly for a couple of hours, study some theory and go home.
The reality is quite different.
There is no such thing as a typical day for a student pilot at Moorabbin Aviation Services (MAS).
One day you might spend most of your time flying. The next might involve ground school and theory. Another day could involve flight planning and preparation for an upcoming navigation exercise. You might spend another day studying independently, or a planned flight may be postponed because of weather or aircraft availability.
This variety is one of the interesting aspects of learning to fly. Your activities change as you progress through your training, and every stage requires a combination of flying, preparation, study and developing your knowledge and decision-making skills.
So, what might a day at MAS actually look like?
Your Day Depends on Where You Are in Your Training
The first thing to understand is that your daily routine will change considerably throughout your training.
A student who has just started learning to fly will have a very different day from someone preparing for their Private Pilot Licence (PPL), and a PPL student progressing towards a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) will have different requirements again.
Early in your training, much of your time will be spent learning the fundamentals of flying:
- Understanding the aircraft and its controls
- Learning basic aircraft handling
- Straight and level flight
- Climbs and descents
- Turns
- Take-offs and landings
- Circuit procedures
- Radio procedures
- Basic aviation theory
- Pre-flight and post-flight procedures
Later, your training becomes progressively more sophisticated. You may spend more time on navigation, flight planning, emergency procedures, aircraft performance, aviation regulations and other aspects of professional flight training.
This means that your schedule naturally changes as your knowledge and flying skills develop.
A Day When You Are Flying
On a flying day, you will generally arrive at MAS with enough time to prepare properly for the flight.
Flight training is not simply a matter of getting into an aircraft and taking off.
Before the flight
Depending on the lesson, you may need to review the objectives of the flight with your instructor and prepare the aircraft.
This can include:
- Checking the weather
- Reviewing NOTAMs and other relevant information
- Planning the flight
- Checking aircraft performance
- Completing aircraft weight and balance calculations where required
- Reviewing the lesson objectives
- Conducting the aircraft pre-flight inspection
- Preparing the necessary documentation and equipment
For a straightforward early training flight, the preparation may be relatively simple.
For a navigation exercise, however, considerably more planning may be required.
As you progress, you will increasingly be expected to take responsibility for this preparation yourself.
The flight
The actual flight will depend on the lesson you are undertaking.
Early in your training, you may spend a flight practising basic aircraft control or circuits.
A typical lesson might involve practising:
- Take-offs
- Climbs
- Straight and level flight
- Turns
- Descents
- Circuit procedures
- Approaches and landings
Your instructor will normally demonstrate exercises before asking you to perform them yourself.
As your skills improve, the instructor gradually reduces the amount of assistance provided. Eventually, you will be expected to plan and conduct increasingly complex flights with much greater independence.
After the flight
The learning does not finish when the aircraft returns to the parking area.
Your instructor will normally conduct a post-flight briefing or debrief.
This is an important part of flight training.
You will discuss what went well, what needs improvement and what you should concentrate on during your next lesson.
Your instructor may also record your progress and identify the exercises that need to be completed or practised again.
This means a two-hour flying lesson can involve considerably more than two hours at the airport.
A Day Focused on Theory
Not every day at flight school involves flying.
Pilot training includes a significant amount of theoretical knowledge, and there will be times when your priority is studying rather than flying.
Depending on the stage of your training, this may involve subjects such as:
- Aviation law
- Meteorology
- Navigation
- Aerodynamics
- Aircraft systems
- Human factors
- Aircraft performance
- Flight planning
- Radio procedures
- Operations and procedures
Some of this learning may take place with an instructor or through structured training, while other study will be your responsibility.
Becoming a competent pilot requires more than learning to control an aircraft.
You need to understand why the aircraft behaves the way it does, how weather affects a flight, how to plan a safe flight, what the regulations require and how to make sound decisions when circumstances change.
For students progressing towards professional aviation, the amount and complexity of theoretical knowledge increases considerably.
A Day Spent Flight Planning
Flight planning becomes an increasingly important part of your training.
At the beginning of your course, your instructor will guide you through the process.
As you progress, you will be expected to do much more of it yourself.
A flight-planning session might involve:
- Studying the planned route
- Reviewing aeronautical charts
- Checking airspace
- Assessing weather conditions
- Calculating headings and distances
- Considering aircraft performance
- Working out fuel requirements
- Identifying suitable diversion options
- Reviewing NOTAMs
- Preparing navigation logs and other documentation
For a student pilot, this is where many of the theoretical concepts you have been studying start to make practical sense.
You are no longer simply learning facts for an examination. You are learning how those facts are applied to a real flight.
A Day of Self-Study
There will also be days when the most productive thing you can do is study.
Flight training requires students to take responsibility for their own learning.
You may spend several hours reviewing previous lessons, preparing for your next flight or working towards your theory examinations.
Self-study might include:
- Reviewing your flight notes
- Reading relevant training material
- Completing practice questions
- Revising aviation theory
- Preparing for an upcoming lesson
- Reviewing areas where you need more practice
- Studying navigation or flight planning
- Preparing for theory examinations
This is particularly important for students undertaking professional pilot training.
The best students are not necessarily those who simply spend the most time in the aircraft. They are students who prepare properly, understand their mistakes and actively work to improve between flights.
What Happens When the Weather Is Bad?
One of the biggest differences between flight training and many other forms of education is that you cannot control the weather.
You may arrive at MAS expecting to fly, only to find that the conditions are unsuitable.
Perhaps the cloud base is too low. Perhaps visibility is poor. Perhaps there is too much wind, or the wind direction is unsuitable for the planned exercise.
Sometimes conditions may initially look acceptable but deteriorate during the day.
A flight may therefore be delayed, changed or cancelled.
This is not wasted time.
If your planned flight cannot proceed, you may use the time for theory, flight planning, revision, instructor briefings or self-study.
Weather is an unavoidable part of aviation, and learning to assess weather and make sensible decisions about whether or not to fly is itself an important part of becoming a pilot.
A good pilot does not fly simply because a flight has been scheduled. A good pilot makes a decision based on the conditions and the requirements of the flight.
What If the Aircraft or Instructor Isn’t Available?
Aircraft are machines, and instructors are people. Both occasionally become unavailable.
An aircraft may require maintenance or an instructor may be unavailable due to illness, leave or other operational commitments.
Flight training therefore requires a degree of flexibility.
This is one reason we recommend that students do not think of their training as a rigid timetable where every flight must occur at exactly the same time every day.
At MAS, the aim is to keep students progressing as efficiently as practical, while recognising that aviation involves factors that cannot always be controlled.
If a flight cannot proceed, the day can often be used productively for other training activities.
Some Days You Will Do More Than One Thing
It is also quite common for a student to combine several different activities in the same day.
For example, you might:
8:00 am – Flight preparation
Review the weather, complete your flight planning and meet with your instructor.
9:00 am – Flying lesson
Complete the planned training exercise.
11:00 am – Debrief
Discuss the flight with your instructor and review areas for improvement.
12:00 pm – Lunch
Take a break before continuing your studies.
1:00 pm – Theory
Work through aviation theory or prepare for an upcoming examination.
3:00 pm – Self-study
Review your flight notes and prepare for the next lesson.
This is just an example.
On another day you might fly twice. On another, you might not fly at all.
There really is no standard student pilot timetable.
Your Routine Changes as You Progress
One of the interesting things about flight training is watching the nature of your day change as you become a more capable pilot.
Early training
At the beginning, your instructor will provide considerable guidance.
You are learning basic aircraft control and becoming familiar with the environment.
Your instructor will do much of the planning and decision-making while you concentrate on learning the fundamentals.
Working towards your PPL
As you progress, you take on more responsibility.
You will spend more time learning navigation and flight planning, and you will begin conducting flights with increasing independence.
You also become more responsible for your own preparation.
Progressing towards your CPL
Commercial pilot training introduces a much greater emphasis on professional standards.
You will need to develop a deeper understanding of:
- Aircraft performance
- Navigation
- Meteorology
- Flight planning
- Aviation regulations
- Human factors
- Emergency procedures
- Operational decision-making
- Professional cockpit procedures
Your flying also becomes more precise and demanding.
At this stage, a significant amount of learning takes place on the ground as well as in the aircraft.
You Will Have Days When Things Don’t Go to Plan
Flight training teaches an important lesson that extends well beyond flying:
You need to be adaptable.
Perhaps you planned to complete a particular flight but the weather deteriorates.
Perhaps your instructor decides that you need more practice with a particular exercise before moving on.
Perhaps an aircraft becomes unavailable.
Perhaps you have completed a flight earlier than expected and have time available for theory or revision.
The schedule may change.
This is normal.
In aviation, pilots constantly assess changing circumstances and adjust their plans accordingly. Learning to deal with changing plans during flight training is therefore part of developing the mindset required of a competent pilot.
How Much Time Should You Expect to Spend at Flight School?
There is no single answer because it depends on your course, stage of training and whether you are studying full-time or part-time.
A student undertaking a structured professional pilot program will generally spend considerably more time on their training than someone learning to fly recreationally.
And importantly, time at flight school is not the same as flying time.
A student might spend several hours at the airport but only fly for part of that time.
The remainder may involve:
- Briefings
- Debriefings
- Theory
- Flight planning
- Waiting for weather
- Preparing an aircraft
- Reviewing previous lessons
- Self-study
This is exactly what you should expect from serious pilot training.
Learning to Fly Is More Than Sitting in an Aircraft
One of the biggest misconceptions about pilot training is that most of the learning takes place while the aircraft is in the air.
In reality, becoming a competent pilot involves three interconnected areas:
1. Flying skills
You need to be able to safely and accurately control the aircraft.
2. Knowledge
You need to understand the principles, procedures, systems, regulations, weather and other knowledge required to operate safely.
3. Decision-making
You need to be able to assess information, recognise risks and make appropriate decisions.
The third element becomes increasingly important as you progress.
A pilot who can fly an aircraft well but cannot properly assess weather, fuel, aircraft performance or operational risks is not a complete pilot.
Flight training is therefore designed to develop much more than stick-and-rudder skills.
The Benefits of an Unpredictable Day
At first, the lack of a fixed routine can seem inconvenient.
But there is also a positive side.
Every flight is different.
Every lesson presents different challenges.
You will encounter different weather conditions, different traffic situations and different learning objectives.
As your experience grows, you become progressively more confident in dealing with situations that are not exactly the same as those you have encountered before.
That is an important part of becoming a pilot.
You are not simply learning a series of procedures. You are learning how to think and operate like a pilot.
What Makes a Good Student Pilot?
Students who make good progress tend to understand that their training is their responsibility.
The instructor is there to teach, guide and assess you, but you also need to take an active role in your development.
Good student pilots generally:
- Arrive prepared
- Study between flights
- Listen carefully to their instructors
- Ask questions
- Review their mistakes
- Take flight planning seriously
- Keep good records
- Maintain a regular training routine where possible
- Accept that some lessons take longer than others
- Understand that weather and operational factors can change the schedule
- Focus on becoming a safe and competent pilot rather than simply accumulating flying hours
Perhaps most importantly, they understand that learning to fly is a process rather than a race.
So, What Is a Typical Day at MAS?
The short answer is:
There isn’t one.
You might fly.
You might study theory.
You might spend the morning flying and the afternoon studying.
You might spend the day preparing for a navigation exercise.
You might complete a briefing and discover that the weather is unsuitable for the planned flight.
You might spend several hours studying independently.
And as you progress through your training, the balance between these activities will change.
Your day will depend on where you are in your training, what you need to learn next, the weather, aircraft availability, instructor availability and the progress you are making.
That is simply the reality of flight training.
And it is part of what makes becoming a pilot so different from many other forms of study.
Start Your Pilot Training at MAS
If you are considering learning to fly in Melbourne, Moorabbin Aviation Services can help you understand the different training options and develop a pathway that matches your goals.
Whether you are interested in learning to fly recreationally, obtaining a Private Pilot Licence or progressing towards professional pilot training, the best way to understand what is involved is to talk to an experienced flight instructor and experience flight training for yourself.
Your first day as a student pilot could be the beginning of a very different kind of education.
Contact MAS to discuss your goals, training options and how to get started.