Whenever you are searching for information on learning to fly, you will find the standard items about theory and flight training, but nowhere to be seen is any of that other equally useful information that every person who wants to learn to fly, should know!   The following sections should prove useful in your quest to being fully prepared to tackle this new and exciting venture.

Will I get airsick?

Not necessarily!  It is however very common to feel some mild discomfort when you first get up in a light aircraft.  Don't be too concerned though, as the average person gets over this after about five hours of flying.  If you ARE worried about feeling airsick, then we suggest that you only eat something light before flying.  Chewing gum or sucking on a lolly whilst in the aircraft can be of assistance too.

Will I need to buy anything?

As with any activity you choose to pursue, there are certain items that come in handy when you are learning to fly.  Not all of these are mandatory to own, but you will find that most of these relatively inexpensive items will make your flying life much more comfortable.

Pilot Kit Outline:

  • Pilot's Log Book
  • Rotating Azimuth Plotter - (it's a bit like a ruler with a protractor)
  • Flight 'Computer' - (required for PPL studies and above - Jeppesen 'CR' Series Recommended)
  • Headset - (Dave Clark H10-13.4 most popular)
  • Clipboard
  • Pens, Pencils and Eraser
  • Paper notebook
  • Flight bag
  • Maps - VTC, VNC, WAC, ERC Low.  You can either buy them individually, or get a subscription from Airservices Australia.
  • Timer (Most handy is a chronograph function on a watch)
  • Theory books -  If you are attending Ground School, you will be advised the prescribed text.  If doing self study, we recommend the Aviation Theory Centre or Bob Tait books.
  • Small Torch (required for Night VFR - Torches that attach to your headset are very practical)

Your flight instructor will be more than happy to discuss which items on this list you must own.

The Phonetic Alphabet

Pilots use the Phonetic Alphabet when relaying aircraft call signs and other aspects of radio-telephony.  This is one of those things you will have to learn during your flight training. We've included it below to help.

A Alpha              N November
B Bravo              O Oscar
C Charlie            P Papa
D Delta              Q Quebec
E Echo               R Romeo
F Foxtrot            S Sierra
G Golf                 T Tango
H Hotel               U Uniform
I India               V Victor
J Juliet               W Whiskey
K Kilo                 X X-ray
L Lima                Y Yankee
M Mike                Z Zulu

Do I need to learn Radio Calls?

When you first start learning how to fly, your flight instructor will help you with your radio calls.  You will however eventually need to master them.  As with so many things, this is not as hard as it seems and practicing will certainly help. Your instructor will provide you with a radio call sheet to take flying with you, in order to help you start learning what to voice over the radio. As with all things, you will quickly get over any nerves of talking to the control tower, and will start to become fluent using the radio as a means of communication.

Moorabbin Airport Frequencies

ATIS 120.9
Ground 119.9
Tower (East) 118.1
Tower (West) 123.0

What runways does Moorabbin Airport have?

There are 5 main operational runways, four of which are in two sets of parallel configurations.

Runway 17L (East Tower)
Runway 17R (West Tower)

Runway 35L (West Tower)
Runway 35R (East Tower)

Runway 13L (East Tower)
Runway 13R (West Tower)

Runway 31L (West Tower)
Runway 31R (East Tower)

Runway 04 (West Tower)
Runway 22 (East Tower)

Note: The Tower only uses frequency 123.0 when it chooses to split operations.  If operations are NOT split, 118.1 is the operational frequency.  Obviously, you must listen to ATIS before selecting your runway and frequency.

For more information about Moorabbin Airport, click here.