Can I fly this thing?

Climbing into an aeroplane and lifting off into the skies is not as easy as it looks, but pretty cool.

I went for a demo flight lesson today and am considering getting my licence. No pics of me flying the plane though as I was concentrating heavily while I zoomed over Tala game reserve while clutching the flight controls.

First step is to investigate the costs... quite hectic and more than I imagined to get your licence. Next decision is what kind of licence? Certainly the cheaper option is to go for a sport/light plane licence which is generally half the price. But then if you do want to fly a bigger/heavier plane, this licence counts you out and one has to get a full Private Pilots licence. However the sport planes are cheaper to buy and more economical to run and service... so big decision. Cost comparison seems to be about R60 000 for the one type and R110 000,00 for the other and to buy a plane varies from R300 000,00 for a light plane to R1mil and upwards for an older bigger plane.

So before I sign up for lessons, I need to make sure this is what I want to do and that the kind of plane I am wanting to fly will be possible and affordable. It is one thing to always be dreaming about flying by just flapping my arms, but another to take to the skies where eagles dare for real.

This is the beginning!