The first flight in PPL(A) training is a moment most pilots remember for years. After ground school, getting to know the aircraft, inspecting it and practising on the ground, the time comes to see the airfield from the cockpit in flight.
In the PPL(A) syllabus, this is Exercise A/1 – Familiarisation flight.
But this is not simply a sightseeing flight. From the first minutes, the student begins to look at the aircraft and its surroundings as a future pilot.
Before the aircraft leaves the ground
The first flight does not begin when the power comes up for take-off.
Before boarding, the student learns about the airfield, its surroundings and the rules for flying in the local area. The instructor covers, among other things:
- take-off and landing directions,
- landmarks near the airfield,
- terrain obstacles,
- areas used for exercises,
- traffic organisation on the ground and in the air,
- the basics of looking out for other traffic.
This is also when we start teaching one of a pilot's most important skills: dividing attention effectively.
A pilot cannot look at the instruments all the time. They must also scan outside, check the aircraft's attitude against the horizon, keep track of their position and monitor basic flight and engine parameters.
The first taxi to the runway
Once the aircraft is ready and the engine is running, it is time to taxi.
At this stage, the instructor does most of the steering while the student watches how the aircraft is manoeuvred on the ground.
An aircraft handles very differently from a car while taxiing. The pilot must learn to use directional control, brakes and engine power appropriately.
This is the first time the student sees how flying an aircraft demands coordination of several tasks at once.
Take-off – a moment you do not forget
After lining up on the runway, the instructor begins the take-off.
Engine power increases, the aircraft accelerates, and moments later its wheels lift off the ground.
For many students, this is when it truly sinks in:
“I am learning to fly.”
During the initial climb, the instructor shows the correct aircraft attitude relative to the natural horizon and points out how the view ahead of the cockpit changes.
The student begins to see the relationship between the aircraft's nose attitude, airspeed, altitude and direction of flight.
How does a pilot find their way in the air?
A major aim of the first flight is to introduce the student to spatial and geographical orientation.
From several hundred metres up, the world looks quite different from the ground.
Roads, rivers, towns, bodies of water and distinctive buildings become landmarks.
The instructor points out the airfield and shows how to recognise its position while flying in the local area.
The student also starts to observe the compass and compare its reading with the actual direction of flight.
This is the beginning of a skill that will later matter greatly on solo navigation flights.
First hands-on experience with the controls
On a familiarisation flight, the student is not merely a passenger.
They hold the controls and observe how the aircraft responds.
The instructor demonstrates the primary flight controls and shows how moving them affects the flight.
The student discovers how the aircraft responds to:
- aileron movement,
- elevator movement,
- rudder input,
- changes in engine power,
- changes in aircraft configuration.
At the instructor's direction, they may also make their first attempts at controlling the aircraft.
This is often when one of the first flight's biggest surprises comes.
The aircraft does not require much force.
Control inputs should be smooth and precise. A small movement may be enough to start changing the aircraft's attitude.
The horizon – one of a pilot's most important “instruments”
From the first flight, we pay close attention to the natural horizon.
The student watches the aircraft's attitude relative to the horizon and begins to recognise:
- the pitch of the aircraft's nose,
- a bank to the left or right,
- a change in direction,
- the start of a climb or descent.
This is an important foundation for learning to fly.
Before students can hold a precise altitude or heading by reference to instruments, they must learn to see and feel the aircraft's attitude in space.
First turns
The instructor also shows how the aircraft behaves in a turn.
The student can see how the wings' position relative to the horizon changes and how the ground looks when the aircraft banks.
This is also a first chance to observe how the aircraft responds when several controls are used together.
At this stage, the goal is not a perfect turn.
What matters most is understanding:
what the aircraft is doing and why.
Precise turns will come in later exercises.
What happens in the cockpit on the first flight?
The student begins to learn a pilot's routine.
As well as scanning outside, they must monitor basic flight parameters and the aircraft's operation.
The instructor shows what to look for and how to divide attention between the view outside and the instruments.
The student observes, among other things:
- airspeed,
- altitude,
- direction of flight,
- engine parameters,
- the condition of the aircraft's basic systems.
Nobody expects the student to memorise every reading on the first flight.
The aim is to start building sound habits.
Returning to the airfield
After the exercises in the local area, the instructor guides the aircraft back towards the airfield.
The student watches the descent, the return to the airfield area and the preparation for landing.
The instructor demonstrates the approach and landing.
After touchdown, the aircraft leaves the runway and taxis to its parking position.
The first complete training flight is over.
But training has only just begun.
Will I fly the aircraft myself on my first flight?
Yes, if the instructor decides that conditions allow it.
The syllabus provides for the student to hold the controls, observe the aircraft's response and make their first attempts at controlling it under the instructor's direction.
That does not mean the instructor leaves the student on their own.
Training aircraft have dual controls. The instructor remains in control of the flight and can take over at any time.
Above all, the first flight helps the student discover how the aircraft behaves and become comfortable in the flying environment.
How high is the first flight?
Under the syllabus, a familiarisation flight is usually flown at around:
1,000–2,000 ft AGL, or approximately 300–600 metres above ground level.
The exact flight profile always depends on operational circumstances, the weather and the decision of the flight instructor (FI(A)).
What about turbulence?
The first flight should take place in conditions that let the student learn calmly how the aircraft behaves.
The natural horizon should be clearly visible, and turbulence should not prevent the student from observing the aircraft's response.
The aim is not to test the student's endurance.
It should above all be a lesson.
What should I know after the first flight?
Nobody expects a student to fly an aircraft alone after just one flight.
This is only the beginning.
After Exercise A/1, however, the student should begin to:
- maintain basic awareness of the airfield's location,
- notice changes in direction,
- recognise when the aircraft banks,
- notice changes in pitch,
- understand which control to use in response to a change in the aircraft's attitude.
These are the foundations on which later skills are built.
What comes after the familiarisation flight?
The next stage of PPL(A) training is Exercise A/2 – learning the basic elements of flight.
This is where systematic practice in flying the aircraft begins.
Among other things, the student will learn:
- straight and level flight,
- maintaining heading and altitude,
- climbing,
- descending,
- turning,
- changing the aircraft's configuration,
- dividing attention effectively.
With each successive flight, the instructor does less and the student takes on more.
The path leads to one of training's most important milestones: the first solo flight.
Your first PPL(A) flight at Akademia Pilotów
At Akademia Pilotów, we conduct practical PPL(A) training in PS-28 Cruiser aircraft from Zator Airfield.
The first flight introduces you to the aircraft, how it responds to the controls and the area around the airfield. Above all, it lets you see flying not as a passenger but as a future pilot.
From then on, each flight has a specific training objective.
Step by step, you learn to make decisions, control the aircraft, orient yourself, take off and land, navigate and fly independently.
And it all begins here.
Not sure whether PPL(A) training is for you?
You do not have to commit to the full course straight away.
You can first take an introductory flight with Akademia Pilotów, see Zator Airfield from above, get to know the PS-28 Cruiser and experience flying in a light aircraft.
Explore the introductory flight →
Training syllabus reference
This article describes Exercise A/1, “Familiarisation flight”, from the 2025 practical training syllabus for the PPL(A) licence used by DTO PTASISERWIS.PL. The exercise includes elements of Exercise 3 under AMC1 FCL.210.A.
The course of each flight and the tasks performed depend on the FI(A) instructor's decision, current weather, operational circumstances and the student pilot's progress.