Some careers have more to do with passion, and piloting is one. Many pilots will tell you that they have always found airplanes fascinating from an early age, and their passion pushed them to join the aviation industry. Besides being a prestigious job, pilots have attractive salaries and more perks than other careers. Although getting through flight school is expensive and challenging, it is more rewarding in the long run.

If you intend to join a flight academy, there are some things you can do to set yourself up for success before flying a plane for the first time. Let’s look at them.

Learn basic aerodynamics

Thanks to the internet, it is easy to access information online about any subject you want to learn. If you dream of becoming a pilot, basic aerodynamics is a good start. Try to understand the general things about planes and how they fly. The facts may not make sense now, but they will when you join flight school.

Use a flight simulator.

The more you practice with a flight simulator, the more you open up your mind in readiness for flight training. Practicing with a golf simulator boosts your hand-eye coordination skills. You can either use a desktop simulator or a simulator app on your phone. Using a flight simulator is one of the basic ways to expose yourself to aerodynamic and flight principles.

Educate yourself about the national airspace 

As a pilot enthusiast, you already know that the sky has multiple invisible boundaries, and each has a unique set of equipment and procedural requirements. Learning about them is a good start. Research the basics of the highways of the sky and the national airspace to learn everything you need to know. It may sound complex, but everything will make sense within no time.

Ride along on flight lessons

If you have already started the ground lessons, one of the best things you can do is request to ride along during flight lessons. Pay attention to how each lesson progresses and follow what the instructor and student do from start to finish, and keep a checklist.

Network with pilots

If you know some pilots, try your best to network with them. Ask your colleagues to refer you to their pilot friends and reach out to them. Thanks to social media, there are more ways to connect regardless of geographical boundaries. Join pilot groups and try to network more, taking every piece of advice you get along the way. You can even find a mentor to look up to throughout your career.

Memorize the flight alphabet

The language of captains is unique, and you would not understand it if you were not one of them. Take your time to master and memorize the ICAO aviation alphabet. Ensure you know each of the alphabets and the corresponding name or word. That way, you will be a step ahead when you join flight school.

Sum up

Start educating yourself early through internet resources and networking if you intend to join flight school soon. That makes things easier for you when you begin flight training.