A GTA San Andreas guide on Learning to Fly

At some point, every GTA San Andreas player must go through Learning to Fly.

When CJ starts to work for Mike Toreno in Tierra Robada, the latter requires him to fly. The basis of this mission is rather simple. GTA San Andreas players must complete all 10 courses at the Pilot School. They can access it via an abandoned airstip in Verdant Meadows.

Learning to Fly will likely require some practice, since many players struggle to use aircraft. The basic controls are vastly different from land vehicles. In any case, players only need to get bronze medals to qualify.

GTA San Andreas might even reward them with the School's Out achievement.

Here is a GTA San Andreas guide on the mission "Learning to Fly"

Learning to Fly is available after completing the mission Verdant Meadows. If the player doesn't bother going to Pilot School, Mike Toreno will pester them with some amusing phone calls. It's best to get this out of the way in GTA San Andreas.

There are ten Pilot School lessons

Learning to Fly can be completed when players finish Pilot School. Here are the ten different lessons they have to take:

Takeoff (Takeoff and fly into three coronas)
Land Plane (Fly into a corona, then lower the landing gear, followed by landing the plane)
Circle Airstrip (Gain altitude after taking off, then pass through a series of coronas)
Circle Airstip and Land (Same lesson as before, but this time players must land)
Helicopter Takeoff (Players must gain height, turn around, then fly into a corona)
Land Helicopter (Pass through another corona, then land)
Destroy Targets (Eliminate three stationary targets and two moving ones)
Loop-the-Loop (Pass through a corona, do a vertical loop, then pass another corona)
Barrel Roll (Similar to the last course, except players must do a spiral instead)
Parachute Onto Target (Skydive and land on a target with a parachute)

If a player is struggling, they can always take a break and come back later.

Basic flight controls

During each lesson, Learning to Fly will demonstrate which buttons to use. Below are the plane controls for GTA San Andreas:

	*PlayStation*	*Xbox*	PC
Accelerate	X	RT	W
Brake/Reverse	Square	LT	S
Rudder Left and Right	L2 and R2	LB and RB	Q and E
Roll Left and Right	Left stick left and right	Left stick left and right	A and D
Pitch Forward and Back	Left stick up and down	Left stick up and down	Up and down arrow keys
Landing Gear	R3	Right analog stick	2

Of course, players are also expected to use helicopters. Here are the helicopter controls for GTA San Andreas:

	*PlayStation*	*Xbox*	PC
Ascend	X	RT	W
Descend	Square	LT	S
Rudder Left and Right	L2 and R2	LB and RB	Q and E
Roll Left and Right	Left stick left and right	Left stick left and right	A and D
Pitch Forward and Back	Left stick up and down	Left stick up and down	Up and down arrow keys

Last but not least, players also have to learn how to fire. There is a course that requires this in Learning to Fly. GTA San Andreas uses the same controls for both planes and helicopters.

PlayStation players can fire their weapons with the L1 button. Meanwhile, Xbox players have to use the B button. Finally, PC players use the left mouse button.

Tips and tricks

GTA San Andreas players may have a difficult time with Pilot School. Here are some useful tips that can make it slightly easier:

Takeoff (Get the plane off the ground as fast as possible, but don't steer too much)
Land Plane (Hold the brakes after passing through the corona)
Circle Airstrip (Do not accelerate when turning)
Circle Airstip and Land (Angle the plane upwards before landing to prevent crashing)
Helicopter Takeoff (Simple be aware of the surroundings)
Land Helicopter (Before landing, stop in mid air and slowly descend)
Destroy Targets (Use the machine guns and stay just above the ground)
Loop-the-Loop (After passing through the corona, make a sharp turn upwards)
Barrel Roll (Whether the player moves left or right, make sure to firmly steer)
Parachute Onto Target (Dive forward, parachute, then lift upwards for a slow descent)

After all ten courses are completed, players will pass the mission. Mike Toreno will be proud of them, since Learning to Fly has finally been dealt with.

Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.