Lessons

Consistently greasers — understand the flare, throttle control, and sight picture that turn firm arrivals into smooth touchdowns.

Land confidently in a gusty crosswind using either the crab-and-kick or wing-low method — without porpoising or floating down the runway.

You will touch down on target within the first third of a short runway and stop before running out of pavement.

You will take off from and land on grass, dirt, and unprepared surfaces without bogging down or nosing over.

You will recognise an unstable approach early, execute a go-around smoothly, and set up for a second attempt without panic.

Fly a stable, hand-flown ILS from the FAF to touchdown — no autopilot, no autothrottle, just pitch and power.

You will fly an RNAV GPS approach from initial fix to minimums, manage the FMS lateral and vertical guidance, and go missed when required.

You will determine the correct entry, fly a precise holding pattern with proper timing and wind correction, and exit on clearance.

You will maintain controlled flight and fly an approach with failed primary instruments — no attitude indicator, no heading indicator, or both.

You will track to and from a VOR, intercept radials, and navigate a multi-leg VOR route without GPS — the skill that makes you a real instrument pilot.

You will program an FMC from a blank CDU — origin, destination, route, performance init, and departure — without SimBrief doing it for you.

You will manage a VNAV descent from cruise to the FAF — hitting crossing restrictions, managing speed, and intervening when VNAV does something unexpected.

You will load, verify, and fly SIDs and STARs correctly — matching the FMC to the chart, catching wrong transitions, and handling amended clearances.

You will start an airliner from a cold, dark cockpit and depart under your own power — every switch, every check, every callout.

Lift into a stable hover, hold it, and pedal-turn without drifting — the foundation every helicopter flight rests on.

Execute an autorotation from power failure to touchdown — the emergency every helicopter pilot drills and sim pilots rarely practise.

You will land on a slope, manage the rollover risk, and depart safely — the skill that opens up mountain and off-field landing sites.

You will fly into and out of confined areas — assessing obstacles, managing power margins, and choosing approach and departure paths that keep you safe.

You will hook, carry, and deliver a sling load — managing the pendulum effect, airspeed limits, and precision placement.

Fly your first VATSIM flight with a tutor on your side — handle clearance, ground, tower, departure, and approach comms without freezing on frequency.

You will request, copy, and read back an IFR clearance correctly, then fly the SID as cleared — the full departure flow that separates confident VATSIM pilots from nervous ones.

You will handle approach control communications confidently — accepting vectors, managing speed assignments, and transitioning to tower for landing.

You will have MSFS 2024 tuned for the best visual quality your hardware can deliver at a stable frame rate — no more stutters, no more guessing.

You will have DCS World running smoothly on your hardware — stable frames in multiplayer, clean visuals, and no VR reprojection if you fly in VR.

You will have your VR headset configured for flight simming with clear gauges, smooth head tracking, and no nausea-inducing reprojection.

You will have your HOTAS, pedals, and peripherals configured with sensible curves, deadzones, and bindings — no more twitchy controls or missing functions.

Win a 1-circle or 2-circle turning fight — understand energy management, lag/lead/pure pursuit, and gun tracking against a live opponent.

Manage a BVR engagement — use your radar, commit or abort intelligently, and defeat incoming missiles through proper notching, chaff, and terrain.

You will execute a 2v2 intercept using proper comm brevity, sort your target, and coordinate with your wingman from detection to kill.

You will use your radar effectively — manage scan volume, use TWS to track multiple targets, and transition to STT when needed without losing SA.

You will plan and execute a SEAD or DEAD mission — find the SAM, avoid the engagement zone, and employ HARMs or guided munitions to kill it.

You will employ Mavericks and JDAMs accurately — from target identification through weapon release to battle damage assessment.

You will copy a 9-line brief, find the target, and deliver ordnance on time and on target — the core skill of close air support.

You will navigate at low level using terrain masking, execute a pop-up attack on a defended target, and egress without getting shot down.

Plug a tanker — approach, stabilise in the pre-contact position, and make contact without bouncing off the basket or overrunning the boom.

Fly a Case I, II, or III recovery to an arrested landing — ball flying, meatball corrections, and power management on the groove.

You will hold fingertip and echelon formation through turns, climbs, and descents — the foundation for every multi-ship operation.

You will fly a complete sortie — cold start, taxi, takeoff, mission execution, RTB, and shutdown — with a tutor coaching every phase.