I was let loose with a plane on Saturday for a few hours on my own and actually did manage to get from Toronto to Muskoka and Peterbourough before heading back without hitting anyone, thing or busting someone else's airspace.

And yes if you did happen to be in the Peterborough vicinity of Saturday afternoon , the light aircraft you saw circling overhead could well have been me, desperately trying to figure out where you'd hidden the airport this week.

Luckily I did eventually manage to find it.

So that counts as the two stop 150 mile trip I have to do solo for my license and is 3 of the 5 hours of solo cross country that I need.

I don't think the sky is safe anymore !

Congratulations and well done. Only two to go.

Well done! Totes amazeballs and all that. I didn't see any small planes to waves at though.

Well done. The first is the most fun.

This one did not do so well
http://globalnews.ca/news/1267951/fl...-pitt-meadows/

he was only doing a touch and go!

Well done you!

Impressed!

Superb Zoe!

Well done, super impressive! Looking forward to hearing when you get your full license!

That's amazing. Have booked trial lesson for plane mad 16 year old next month. Could be the start of long ( and expensive!) process.

Well done, so when do you get loose on a bigger plane ?

size isn't everything you know

Said the actress to the bishop

Congrats, that's impressive!

I got one of those test gift flights years ago and loved it, I'd be very interested to know (if you don't mind me asking!) typical costs involved to get to your level?

To get a PPL (Private Pilot's License) typically takes between 50 and 70 hours. This includes duel and solo hours. It depends on where training is obtained and the student's ability. It would be between $8,000 to $10,000. This is from my club, The Truro Flying Club. It is pretty typical as far as costs go.
It's also a far cry from the $400 it cost me to get my ticket in 1970 !

Simon's post is fairly accurate. I've taken considerably more time and money for various reasons.

I've found you should take any quote from a flying school and add at least 50%

there are other costs like ground school, your medical, textbooks, equipment. You probably want your own headset.

you need charts, the Canadian Flight Supplement (you'll end up owning enough of this to construct a small fort) and other little bits and pieces

edited to add : you don't need to pay upfront (i'd recommend against it for many reasons.) I pay for my flying hours as I fly them. how quickly you progress can often depend on how long you leave it between flights. fly once a month and it is going to take you many many more hours than someone who flies 3 times a week

I've spent two days at a light aircraft airfield.

In those two days I saw one crash.

That one crash was... a student practicing touch and goes.

The 'touch' was fine, but the engine failed about fifty feet up when they 'goed', so they crashed in the field beyond the end of the runway. I'm guessing all that sudden revving up for the 'goes' doesn't do the engine much good.

(Oh, yeah, they were fine, but I think the plane had a bent prop after it tipped forward on landing)