Boca Raton Airport · BCT
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Guide

What is a discovery flight?

Your first hour at the controls of a real aircraft, with an instructor beside you. The first step toward a pilot licence, or just the best hour of your week.

A discovery flight is a short introductory lesson at a flight school. You sit in the left seat of a training aircraft, a certificated instructor sits beside you, and you fly the aircraft yourself for most of the flight.

How it works

The lesson starts on the ground with a briefing: how the controls work, what you will see, and what the instructor will handle. Then you walk around the aircraft together for the pre-flight inspection.

In the air the instructor manages take-off and landing and hands you the controls at a safe altitude. Over the Florida coast that means turns, climbs and descents with the Atlantic on one side and the Everglades on the other.

The time counts. Under FAA rules a discovery flight with a certificated instructor is logged as dual instruction and credits toward the hours required for a private pilot certificate.

How to book in three steps

  1. 01

    Choose a slot

    Pick a school, aircraft and time. Most flights run forty to sixty minutes in the air, plus the briefing.

  2. 02

    Book it

    Send the request with the pilot's name and weight — balance matters in a small aircraft — and any passenger joining in the back.

  3. 03

    Fly it yourself

    Arrive thirty minutes early with photo ID. Bring sunglasses; leave the nerves.

Pros & cons

Why people love it

  • You really fly the aircraft — this is not a sightseeing flight.
  • Logged time toward a licence if you continue.
  • A memorable gift, and a realistic way to test whether training is for you.

Good to know

  • Weather can postpone a flight at short notice.
  • Weight and balance limits apply to the pilot seat and passengers.
  • A single flight will not make you a pilot; it is a first lesson.

Published flights

No discovery slots published right now

Flight schools release instructor slots week by week. Request a time and we arrange it directly.

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Questions & answers

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