Pilots are made one good lesson at a time.
The pathway from your first hour in the cockpit to a commercial licence is well-defined under CASA Part 61 — but the experience of walking it varies enormously between schools. We teach small numbers of students well, in well-maintained aircraft, with instructors who have flown the routes you'll fly.
Six waypoints. One licence at a time.
- TIFTrial flight1 hrs typicalWaypoint 1 of 6
- RPLRPL35 hrs typicalWaypoint 2 of 6
- PPLPPL55 hrs typicalWaypoint 3 of 6
- CPLCPL200 hrs typicalWaypoint 4 of 6
- IR/MEIR / Multi60 hrs typicalWaypoint 5 of 6
- ATPLATPL theorySelf-pacedWaypoint 6 of 6
- TIF
Trial flight
1 hrs typical · 1 hourOne hour. Hands on the controls. The first decision in the rest of a pilot's life.
- RPL
RPL
35 hrs typical · 3–6 monthsThe first licence. Local flying, day VFR, single-engine piston.
- PPL
PPL
55 hrs typical · 6–12 monthsThe licence most pilots actually use. Fly anywhere in Australia, day VFR.
- CPL
CPL
200 hrs typical · 12–24 monthsThe licence that turns flying into a career.
- IR/ME
IR / Multi
60 hrs typical · 3–6 monthsAll-weather flying. The step before airline.
- ATPL
ATPL theory
Self-pacedThe exams every airline pilot has to pass.
Brief. Walk-around. Sortie. Debrief.
A normal lesson runs about 90 minutes wall-clock, with around an hour of Hobbs time. The brief walks through the day's exercises, the weather, and the aircraft. The walk-around is your responsibility from the second flight onwards.
In the air you do most of the flying, with the instructor talking through each manoeuvre before, during, and after. The debrief is where the real learning happens — what went well, what didn't, what to work on before the next lesson.
- 0:00
Brief
Weather, exercises, aircraft, NOTAMs.
- 0:25
Walk-around
Pre-flight inspection. Once you've shown competence, you do it.
- 0:35
Engine start & taxi
Run-ups, taxi calls, taxiway awareness.
- 0:50
Sortie
The actual flying — circuits, training area, navigation.
- 1:50
Debrief
The bit students underestimate. The bit instructors care most about.
Our rates per Hobbs hour, before fees.
We publish per-hour rates because we think you should be able to compare flying schools the way you compare anything else. The total cost of a licence varies more with how often you fly than with the headline rate — students who fly weekly finish faster and cheaper than students who go fortnightly.
| Aircraft | Dual rate | Solo rate |
|---|---|---|
| VH-ORN — C172 | A$385/hr | A$305/hr |
| VH-ORI — PA-28 IFR | A$410/hr | A$325/hr |
| VH-ORA — Baron B58 | A$980/hr | Dual only |
| Theory bundle | A$890 — RPL/PPL pack | |