Do I need any experience to fly the plane?

None. Your instructor handles the radios, the checklists, and anything you're not ready for. You'll do as much of the flying as you're comfortable with — most people are surprised how much that turns out to be.

Is there an age limit?

Not for a discovery flight — we'll take up anyone who wants to fly, at any age. Training toward a certificate usually starts a little later: most students begin around 14 or 15, the FAA requires you to be 16 to fly solo, and you can earn a private pilot certificate at 17. Every lesson before those milestones still counts.

Can I bring family or friends?

Bring them along to the airport. They can watch your takeoff and landing, take photos, and be there when you climb out of the airplane.

What if the weather doesn't cooperate?

Then we don't fly that day — that's the same judgment every good pilot learns. We'll get you rescheduled for the next good window.

What happens after my discovery flight?

That's up to you. Your logbook entry already counts toward a pilot certificate, so if you loved it, Dan will walk you through what training looks like: the schedule, the cost, and a plan built around you. No pressure either way.

AirVenture ends. Flying doesn't.

Get behind the controls, $145 discovery flight

Spend 45 minutes at the controls of our 1961 Cessna 172B with a CFI at your side. No experience necessary, just curiosity. It's the best way to find out what flight training is really like before you commit to a certificate.

Book Your Discovery Flight Call (920) 358-0581

Lots of people call with a few questions before they book — that's exactly how we like to start. Prefer to type? Text Dan instead. No pressure to book anything.

Close-up of the instrument panel of N8208X, the 1961 Cessna 172B you'll fly, with the tail number stamped above the flight instruments. — The panel of N8208X, the 1961 Cessna 172B you'll fly.

What actually happens

01

You meet your instructor at the airport

Plan on about 90 minutes at Brennand Airport from the time you arrive to the time you leave. Bring family or friends along if you'd like — they can watch you take off and land, and be there when you climb out. Dress for the weather and bring sunglasses; everything else is here.
02

You walk around the airplane together

About 30 minutes of ground instruction: the preflight inspection, how an airplane actually flies, and what you'll do once you're in the air. Ask anything.
03

You fly it

Hands on the yoke from takeoff, roughly 45 minutes in the air. Your instructor is beside you with a full second set of controls the entire flight, so you can do as much or as little of the flying as you want.
04

You debrief on the ground

What you flew, what surprised you, and what training would look like from here — with no pressure to book anything.
05

You leave with your first logbook entry

You take home a logbook with that flight recorded in it. It's real flight time, and it counts toward a pilot certificate if you decide to keep going.

$145 covers all of it — the ground instruction, the flight, and the logbook. The only optional extra is video of your flight.

N8208X, the 1961 Cessna 172B you'll fly on your discovery flight, parked on the ramp.

Meet the airplane

You'll fly N8208X, a 1961 Cessna 172B that has been teaching people to fly for over sixty years. Simple, honest, and forgiving — the same qualities that made the 172 the most-built airplane in history.

Come a few minutes early and we'll walk you around it before you fly. Ask anything — we love talking about this airplane.

Add video for $90

Want to relive the experience? Choose the Discovery Flight + Video package ($235) and we'll capture GoPro footage of your flight, both outside the aircraft and of you at the controls. Just pick that option when you book.

Common questions

Where you'll fly from

Flights depart from Brennand Airport (79C), 3282 Breezewood Ln, Neenah, WI — an easy drive from Appleton, Oshkosh, and anywhere in the Fox Valley. Get directions

Ready to book?

Reserve your discovery flight online, choose the $145 flight or add GoPro video for $235. Once you book, we'll reach out to confirm your time.

Book Your Discovery Flight

Rather talk to a person first? Call (920) 358-0581 or send Dan a text. No pressure to book anything.

Have questions first?

Prefer to talk before you book? Send us a message and we'll help you pick the right option and find a time to fly.