Flying New Zealand has forty-four clubs located throughout New Zealand offering the highest professional standard of flight training and supervision.

Flying New Zealand aero clubs offer flight training for both private and professional licences, many including twin and instrument ratings.

Recreational Flying - sport flying, scenic and pleasure flying. Flight experience for young people between twelve and eighteen as Young Eagle members.

Competition flying where you may represent your Club, region or country.

Reciprocal member rights at Clubs throughout New Zealand.

The ability to fly yourself to any licensed airfield in New Zealand.

As a Flying NZ affiliated Club member, you will enjoy a wide range of aircraft types, certified and microlight and extensive Clubroom facilities

Your local Aero Club provides flight training from the first introductory flight, through to solo and on to your private or commercial pilot's licence. Whether your aim is recreational or professional, your Aero Club will train you to the highest standard with safety always foremost.

Can anybody learn to fly? You can learn to fly at any age but solo flight is not allowed until the age of 16. You will need a valid medical certificate from an approved medical examiner.

How much does it cost?Aircraft hire rates vary from Aero Club to Aero Club, due to varying factors such as aircraft type, location and facilities offered. You pay as you go and the costs can be spread over whatever time period suits you and your budget. Most Clubs offer you the opportunity to take an introductory flight to allow you to judge for yourself whether you are keen to continue with further training.

Learning to fly is totally different to any sport or recreational activity you have ever undertaken before. Its about learning how to safely manoeuvre an aircraft in a three dimensional space. This can be challenging but it is also immensely rewarding.

Your instructor will teach you how to make the aircraft climb, descend, turn and fly straight and level. You will also learn about basic stalling and how to recognise when the aircraft is flying too slowly. You will learn how to pre flight your aeroplane and how to handle the aircraft on the ground. Your instructor will then teach you the circuit. Here you will learn to take off and land your aircraft and put all the skills you previously learnt into practice.

When your instructor is satisfied you can take off, fly the circuit accurately and land safely every time, you will fly your first solo circuit.

After you have become proficient in the circuit, you will commence your advanced training. This is a very enjoyable stage in your training where you will learn all the additional skills necessary to gain your licence.

You can take as long as you like to learn to fly. If you are in a hurry you can get your GA Private Pilot's Licence in just a few weeks but learning to fly is an enjoyable and exhilarating experience, so why rush it. Most people will take between twelve months and two years. During this time you can mix with other club members in club activities and learn a lot more than just the practical side of being a pilot.

Depending upon the type of aircraft you learn in, the frequency that you take lessons and your speed at acquiring the new concepts and skills, it will take between about 50 and 75 hours of total experience for you to qualify for your full GA Private Pilot's Licence, allowing you to carry passengers cross country. But for some people just learning to the stage that they have flown solo is enough and this can usually be achieved in 12 to 15 hours of dual instruction.

The early pre solo lessons will usually take less than an hour each and some Flying NZ clubs offer training packages to first solo. If you spread your training over a reasonable period you should be able to get all the training you need for your Private Pilot's Licence for less than $150 to $250 per week.

To gain your Pilot's Licence you have to study Meteorology, Air navigation and Flight Planning, Aircraft Technical knowledge, Air law, Human factors and Flight Radio telephony and pass written (multi choice) examinations. While at first this requirement may sound daunting, you will find that as you get into your training you will be keen to gain knowledge in these areas and you will enjoy the learning experience. Some Flying NZ clubs run night classes and for others there are several very good books available to study at home.

After you have completed your basic aircraft handling training and can accurately and consistently fly and land your aeroplane in the circuit, providing you have passed your medical, your instructor will send you solo. This will usually be after about 10 to 15 hours of dual training. Your instructor will wait until weather conditions are ideal for this special occasion. If the weather is not suitable your instructor will probably carry on with some of your more advanced training so don't worry if your hours are greater than 15 when you go solo.Although you have flown solo, your further flying will be under the direct supervision of your instructor and you will remain in the circuit or in training areas close to your training airfield until you are well into your advanced training.You cannot carry any passengers, except for a qualified instructor until you are fully licensed.

The name microlight to some people conjures up the idea of an aircraft made of canvas and bamboo (or aluminium tube) where the pilot sits out in the open with a noisy motor behind and somehow defies the laws of gravity. While some pilots love this type of flying and some Microlight Clubs still fly them, the more recent metal and composite microlights look and fly like a GA light aircraft and often out perform them. Microlight aircraft are not subject to the same strict engineering and training restrictions as GA aircraft but most Flying NZ clubs who operate microlights usually adhere to the same high standard of maintenance as they do to their GA aircraft and use their GA qualified instructors to train in them. Microlights, as the name suggests, are lighter than GA aircraft and more fuel efficient but generally have much lower inertia making them less stable in fluctuating weather conditions resulting in less flyable days.

If you are happy to fly at a very economical cost around the vicinity of your home base, with the occasional cross country flight then a Microlight or LSA will do fine. Should you think that you may want to use your aircraft a bit more extensively or you may want to progress to a CPL later then it is better learn to fly in a GA aircraft.

Aero Clubs are usually Incorporated Societies run by an Executive of members for the benefit of all members. Members are the custodians of the club assets and the club makes those assets available to members at as low a cost as possible. Clubs have an annual membership fee, usually $200 or less of which $30 is paid to Flying NZ as an affiliation fee. Flying NZ, along with grants from industry and from Sport New Zealand, uses those funds to run competitions, both National and International and advance the standard of flying in the community by running safety and training seminars. Flying NZ also participates in rule making and makes representations to Government on behalf of industry. We also foster flying, as a Sport and Recreational pursuit, through initiatives such as the Young Eagles scheme and the Pilot proficiency scheme. Flying NZ also provides significant support to its member clubs. Flying schools, which are usually more focused on industry pilot training, are commercial organisations expected to provide a return for shareholders. Flying schools, except those run by aero clubs where the profits are returned to the parent club, do not benefit from the association with Flying NZ and their members cannot participate in the Flying NZ initiatives.

Your local Aero Club provides flight training from the first introductory flight, through to solo and on to your private or commercial pilot's licence. Whether your aim is recreational or professional, your Aero Club will train you to the highest standard with safety always foremost.

As well as providing flight training for members, most clubs offer type ratings, advanced training and Biannual Flight Reviews. Clubs also organise flyaways, competition days and other flying or social activities.The Chief Flying Instructor provides local area knowledge and weather briefings to all Flying NZ affiliated club members.Clubs also have a strong social environment and welcome members from other aero clubs.