ELEVATING YOUR FLIGHT TRAINING EXPERIENCE
GoFly Online Review
I sat my first RAAus exam roughly 13 years ago. To help me pass and absorb the content, I used an online portal that had practice exam questions. It was incredibly helpful and sped up the learning process but I still struggled with a few things. Aside from the online questionnaire, for me, studying consisted primarily of trudging through my textbooks and writing out notes/summaries which wasn’t exactly captivating. When it came to video content, there was very little to be found online and what was available was practically guaranteed to be US-centric, which usually just left me with more questions than answers.
Luckily for me, on the weekends my flight school would host learning sessions covering a specific topic like meteorology or navigation with a very small group of students. We would sit there and interpret various weather reports, trying to convert what felt like hieroglyphics into plain English or pass around a flight computer confused about which way was up. Until eventually we would have the ‘penny drop’ moment thanks to our very patient instructors and their sheer persistence. Although invaluable, the only downside to these in-person classes is that once I left that building there was no way to replay a moment if I had forgotten something or needed a refresher.
Fortunately, that is no longer the case. For quite some time I have seen GoFly Online ads and notices and had naively assumed it was similar to my online quiz that I did all those years ago, but boy was I wrong. I signed up for a free trial of the premium plan and took a deeper dive into what Damien and the team at GoFly have created and was blown away.
First off, let’s start with the courses. At the core of the platform is the ‘Ab Initio Course’ which includes 26 videos, covering 14 core lessons. Each lesson starts with a ‘pre-flight briefing’ which meets the legal requirements for both CASA MOS Part 61 and the RAAus Syllabus of Flight Training. From a student perspective, I think this is fantastic. There were many days when I would show up to lessons and sit through a flight briefing while simultaneously trying to learn a new concept and there was simply a lot to absorb. If I were able to watch this the night before, that would have really helped me. These videos are meant to complement and enhance the traditional preflight briefing, but the best part is that you can watch them as many times as you need.
There is then an inflight video for each lesson filmed in the cockpit from multiple angles walking you through the topic just as if you were in the plane with an instructor. In addition to this, each lesson includes a summary video covering the topic, again filmed from within the cockpit. Watching through, it is clear GoFly have done everything they can to give student pilotsthe cockpit experience while following along from their desk and it makes it so much easier to understand that application of the information taught.
It goes a lot further than just training videos though. GoFly have also created what they call “Easy Brief” which is a small text book chapter that is associated with each lesson. You just click the link and simply read the related course material. This makes the process of reading through the required material much more palatable as they are easy-to-digest blocks that are broken up into each appropriate step.
They also haven’t forgotten to include the quizzes, which are still front and centre. I gave some a go just to test out the system. Compared with alternative products available online today, I found it by far the simplest to use. The ones I was testing out are associated with each lesson in the Ab Initio Course but there is a whole separate practice exam area as well. For anyone preparing for their exams, I’d say a practice exam tool like this is a ‘must’ — even if it’s not officially required. It is all well and good to pass an exam but for me I have always wanted to be confident that I not only firmly understand the information, but that it will stick long term. From personal experience, it really helpedme find the gaps in my knowledge and made me a better pilot.
After digging through the Ab Initio Course, I naively expected that I must have covered most of the training material. In truth, I had only scratched the surface and the longer I spent in the online portal the more interesting things I found. In addition to the Ab Initio Course, GoFly also have courses on the following which is all part of the same subscription.
- RPL/PPL Training
- Navigation Training
- RAA Instructor
- Passenger Endorsement
- Aerobatics
- Electronic Flight Bag
- Performance Weight and Balance
Then there is the ‘Aerotainment’ section which is all listed on the public site free of charge. Included within this are eight separate areas covering a wide variety of topics. One of them, called ‘Flight School’, is filmed in the cockpit and follows the progress of students as they learn to fly. Another whole area offers full length aviation documentaries. I hadn’t anticipated spending quite as much time watching through so many videos but it’s hard not to get carried away when there is so much on offer. Personally, I really enjoyed the ‘GoFly Fix’ series, which includes 51 short learning videos, along with additional videos such as ‘How to Side Slip’. They are simply nice, short informative videos that cover interesting aviation topics that can help you become a better pilot.
At the time of writing, GoFly have been working tirelessly to update all of the material to match the new RAAus Syllabus of Flight Training which is due to be released imminently. Of course, this means that much of the video content has all had to be refreshed, as well as the practice exams, which are being updated to reflect the new exam set. And if that wasn’t enough, GoFly have also written a new textbook which will likely be the first textbook written to directly match the new training syllabus. Again, this is available as part of the online subscription and once finalised will also be available for purchase in print format.
Now for the price. GoFly currently offers two subscription plans: a Basic Plan for $9.99 per month, which gives you access to videos only, or the Premium Plan for $19.90 per month which gives you access to all resources, including the theory book, videos, exams, and more. For me, I am about to do my RPL conversion, so I signed up to the premium plan and I don’t regret it for a second. It is uncommon in aviation to come across anything that feels like a bargain, but I have already well and truly got my money’s worth. And if the price is still too high, at the very least go and make the most of the free content that GoFly post on their website.
