A good way to start flying when you are young is to fly gliders. I didn’t know that when I was younger. I didn’t know that you can fly planes starting from the age of 13 or even before.
I flew a glider for the first time at the age of 15, thanks to a cousin of mine. He moved to the countryside and told me that there was a flying club next to his house, where young people learn to fly gliders.
Moreover, I chose to present the job of an airline pilot for my O-level oral exam, and I had the opportunity to interview a pilot working for Transavia. He told me that the best way to accumulate flight hours is flying gliders.
Consequently, I took a glider flight course, where I learned a lot about aviation and, more specifically, how to fly a glider. This type of course is very important because it allows you to meet people who work in the aviation industry. In fact, you get to meet retired pilots who worked for the army or for airlines as well as people who fly out of sheer passion.
Thanks to this course, I learned a lot of things about how to fly a glider, the various exams to pass to become an airplane pilot, and also how to maintain a glider.
I also learned the existence of the aviation exam called “Brevet d’initiation aéronautique”, which young people can take. So I took and passed this exam the following year.
This course is very exciting because we can learn many things about aviation, such as aviation history, meteorology, principles of flight, the various types of aircraft, as well as safety and airworthiness directives.
During the course that prepared me to the exam, I met a student who was doing the PPL, that is, the Pilot Private License. He was older than me. The PPL is also a brilliant way to start flying, but it is much more expensive than the glider course. You can start the Pilot Private License course at the age of 16. It is a very good way to accumulate flight hours and to start your aviation career.
