Many people, me included, are fascinated by flight.  For me, it's the feeling of freedom, the exhilaration of soaring above the landscape, viewing everything from a bird's perspective.  It's been entrenched in my system since I was about 5 or 6 years old, and one of my earliest memories of flying was on the trip to Australia from England in 1963 - Qantas Boeing 707 - and looking out of the window at all the 'little cars' on the ground.  I can also still visualise the snow covered peaks of the Himalayas, the clouds, and the excitement of every take-off and landing.  I still get that feeling today.

If you're thinking about learning to fly, the best thing you can do is call into your local flying school or aero club, and ask for a Trial Instructional Flight (TIF).  You'll have to be at least sixteen years old (in Australia), and you can expect to pay somewhere between $90 and $150 (depending on the length of the flight).  The TIF will be guided by a qualified instructor who will take you through a pre-flight briefing and inspection of the aircraft, around 25 to 30 minutes of flying - and you will probably do most of it - and a post-flight debrief and opportunity to ask questions.

Many flight training organisations will give you some credit for the flight if you decide to continue your training with them.  

The TIF is the best way to find out if you're ready to commit to a full program of flight training.  If the answer is 'Yes', then the next step is to decide whether you just want to fly for fun, or whether you want to go all the way to the airlines, flying the big jets.  Either way, there are some things you will need to do so that you can continue your training.  Click here to find out what you need to do now.