Hour Building Program
Become a better pilot
Building your hours should prepare you for what comes after receiving your CPL, a professional career as a pilot. Independent of whether your aim is to become a commercial pilot or an airline pilot, what counts at the end of the day is your experience.
At Sky-Time we have worked out a training program that focuses on a single goal: to prepare you for your life as a pilot under real conditions.
The Training Program
The training is gradual and consist of 3 stages:
At all stages you will receive detailed briefing and guidance from our experienced flight instructors who will, especially on the regional and international flights, always be present, either in your cockpit or on a different aircraft. At the end of each day you will have the opportunity to discuss your experiences at an after-flight briefing with your instructor, where you will receive tips and tricks or just share a discussion on the beauty of flying.
Local Flying
The local flying will be part of your introduction to South African airspaces, rules and regulations and will mainly comprise of routes under the TMA of Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, the busiest hub in Africa.
In case you are a holder of a foreign pilot license, the practical flight test required for the validation of your license will be done at beginning of this part.
With Springs Airfield (FASI) as a base, you will be flying to large busy airports like Lanseria International Airport (FALA) and Grand Central Airport (FAGC) but also smaller airfields like Heidelberg (FAHG), Vereeniging (FAVV), Rhino Park or Kitty Hawk (FAKT). The local flying part will cover 20 flight hours within 5 days.
Regional Flying
The regional flying will get you out to the vast expanse of the South African country. For the first 25 flight hours, every day you will visit a different airport within a radius of 300 nm and return to base the same day, which will add up to 6 flight hours a day to your account.
Having familiarized yourself with flying in the country, you will go on a South Africa round-trip down to the South, alongside the stunning coast line of the Indian Ocean, visiting East London, Port Elisabeth and Mossel Bay before flying back to Johannesburg over the mountains and bushland of the South African interior. This trip will take 3 days and you will be able to clock another 15 hours.
The focus on this part will be flight planning, crossing airspaces, and improving your radio and navigation skills. Within 10 days time, you will have accomplished another 40 hours and be ready and prepared to start your international round trip, covering five countries.
International Flying
The highlight of your hour building program starts here, comprising of two round trips:
- Round Trip 1: South Africa – Namibia – Zimbabwe – Botswana – South Africa
- Round Trip 2: South Africa – Mozambique – South Africa
The focus of the International Flying will be cross-boarder flying and customs clearance procedures, flight planning, navigation and communication, formation flying, flying across open water, and, of course, having lots of fun.