You want to learn to fly. Simple enough.
Except there's a form. Then a doctor. Then a certificate nobody told you about. Then nine theory subjects. Then a checkride with an examiner who has seen everything and is not easily impressed.
The Bat Who Needed a License follows every step of the PPL in Austria — in order, honest, under five minutes per episode. Funny enough to enjoy. Accurate enough to learn from.
There's always one more thing. That's aviation. That's this series.
RSSVERIFY
The aircraft is smaller than you expected. The smell is specific. The headset goes on. And then the throttle goes forward — and the ground stops being relevant.
Episode 04 is about the first time you actually fly. Not in a simulator. Not as a passenger. The moment the instructor says "your controls" and means it. What happens next involves four seconds of perfection, a considerable amount of overcorrection, and the complete certainty that you are going to do this again.
The landing is done by the instructor. This is called a demonstration.
Follow Learn to Fly on Batty on Air — we cover everything that comes next. In order. Without skipping Meteorology.
18 Jul 2026
Learn to Fly: Picking a School
You need a school. Turns out there are two kinds. One has a structured syllabus, professional instructors, and a clear path to every licence you might ever want. The other has a Labrador.
Episode 03 covers the difference between a flying club and an approved training organisation, why the airfield location matters more than most people realise, what to look for in a flight instructor, and the one exam question you will definitely forget before you need it.
Also: Gerald. Gerald is a tree. Gerald is an important part of pilot training.
Learn to Fly — getting your PPL in Austria, one item at a time.
2 Jul 2026
Learn to Fly: Please Say Again
Before you fly, you need a radio certificate. Before the radio certificate, you need a different alphabet. And different numbers. Three is Tree. Nine is Niner. W is Whiskey — and yes, everyone remembers that one immediately.
This Episode covers the three Austrian radio certificates, why the AFZ is the obvious choice, and why "over and out" is something no pilot should ever say.
Learn to Fly — getting your PPL in Austria, one item at a time.
24 Jun 2026
Learn to fly: First, a Doctor
Before your first flight lesson. Before you book a trial flight. Before anything starts — a doctor needs to sign off on you.
Turns out there are two kinds of aviation medical. They are not the same. The choice between them is one of the most important decisions you'll make before spending a single hour in an aircraft — and almost nobody knows it exists before someone tells them.
Episode 01 covers what gets checked, how long the certificate lasts (spoiler: it depends on your age, and not in a flattering way), and why the Class 1 medical has a component that absolutely nobody mentions in the brochures.
There's also a psychology test. Nobody expects the psychology test.
The Bat Who Needed a License — a complete guide to getting your PPL in Austria. One item at a time.
22 Jun 2026
Learn to Fly: Welcome to the Circus
A bat. Fifty million years of flying experience. Zero paperwork.
Until now.
This is the series about everything that happens between "I want to learn to fly" and "I am now legally permitted to fly" — in Austria, in the correct order, with all the parts included that nobody tells you about in advance. There is a checklist. It has six items. Each item is hiding something.
Episode 00 explains what this series is, why it exists, and why a creature that navigates in complete darkness using onboard sensors that modern aviation is still trying to replicate had to demonstrate English language proficiency to pass a written exam.
The irony remains undefeated.
Batty on Air — The Bat Who Needed a License. A complete guide to getting your PPL in Austria. One item at a time.
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