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Get your wings in the windy city
Port Elizabeth's flight schools
43 Air School aircraft over Port Alfred
© 43 Flight School
Did you know?
Port Elizabeth's climate is rated the 4th best of any coastal city in the world.
There are numerous flying schools in South Africa but perhaps none offer as pretty a training ground as the flight schools of Port Elizabeth and the Sunshine Coast of the Port Alfred region.
This Eastern Cape city is blessed with stunning beaches that roll out toward the Indian Ocean in one direction, and a green patchwork of fields looking landward. And it's over this landscape that you can take to the sky and learn to fly in some of the best flying conditions the country has to offer.
Algoa Flight Centre, based at Port Elizabeth Airport, is a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)-accredited Private Pilot Licence (PPL) test centre. It provides full PPL training that also covers more advanced subjects like Cockpit Resource Management, usually only included in airline training, as well as full PPL theory testing.
The PPL course includes a minimum of 45 hours of flying lessons, conducted by Algoa's qualified instructors, and 15 hours of solo flying. Lessons are undertaken in Cessna C152 aircraft and the school also provides a fully equipped flight simulator.
Good flying weather means the course can be completed within 5 weeks, either full time if you're in South Africa on an extended holiday, or here to learn to fly, or just interested in a part-time option. Most countries, including the United Kingdom, allow pilots to fly with valid South African-obtained PPLs. Algoa also offers a service in the UK to renew licences obtained at its school.
South Africa's leading flight school is 43 Air School in Port Alfred. Together with Bhisho (35 minutes away), they are the 2 largest private fully residential pilot training institutions on the African continent. 43 Air School has 69 full-time flying instructors and a fleet of more than 60 training aircraft. The training centre services the private, commercial and military sectors through a selection of CAA-approved training courses.
The flying landscape and conditions here are equally as good, with both towns offering excellent tourism infrastructure and attractions to keep you busy on your ground-based days.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Algoa Flight Centre
Tel: +27 (0) 41 581 3274
Email: info@algoafc.co.za
www.algoafc.co.za
43 Air School
Tel: +27 (0) 46 624 2433
Email: fly@43airschool.com
www.43airschool.com
How to get here
Fly direct from any of South Africa’s major cities to Port Elizabeth. If you’re driving from Johannesburg take the N1 south and then the N9 after Colesberg. Pick up the N10 at Middleburg to Port Elizabeth. From Cape Town and Durban, take the N2, east and west respectively, to Port Elizabeth.
Around the area
A day trip to Sibuya Game Reserve near Kenton-on-Sea, for a game drive and river cruise; a horse safari on the Fish River at Port Alfred; Jeffrey's Bay's Shell and Surf museums; and all the stunning beaches up and down the Sunshine Coast.
Get around
Hire a car or take a taxi to your flight school of preference. Some hotel shuttles will also be able to transport with prior arrangement.
What will it cost
Visit the flight school websites for a detailed breakdown of costs. Learning to fly is never cheap but costs in South Africa are very competitive.
Length of stay
Most basic flight courses take about 5 weeks to complete. There are also options to spread the course over a longer period.
Where to stay
Port Elizabeth and Port Alfred have a range of accommodation options, from cosy B&Bs to luxury hotels.
What to eat
Fresh seafood is a local speciality.
What's happening
Hotheads will not want to miss the Chilli Festival in February. There's also the 4-day Nelson Mandela Bay Splash Beach Festival in April and Fashion Week in September. The Billabong Pro surfing event takes place down the coast at Jeffrey's Bay in July.