Hello to all real, wannabe, and other flyers out there. Here comes the next part of the “wannabe” pilot’s journal. Yes, we haven’t “spoken” since 2022, but for a good reason – a reason fully justified by flying! Although not much flying happened in the period since the last chapter, savings were made to ensure the journey continues. This chapter covers the AUPRT course – perhaps an odd choice for an inexperienced rookie pilot with not many hours in the logbook, but I promise to explain how and why I chose this training at this moment.
But before diving into the main topic, a quick digression. Keep track of your flight hours to ensure a smooth renewal process and avoid any unnecessary hassle. The PPL with SEP rating must be renewed every two years, and this can be done in one of three ways:
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In the last two years, you must prove you’ve flown at least 12 hours (6 of which are PIC), performed 12 or more landings, and flown at least one hour with an instructor. In that case, you only bring your license, medical certificate, and a copy of your logbook to the civil aviation agency.
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If you don’t have enough hours, the option is to fly a refresher flight(s) with an instructor – but only if you renew before the expiration date.
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If neither of the above works, you must fly a refresher programm with an instructor (for as many hours as they see fit) and then take a proficiency check flight with an examiner.
You guessed it – a mix of circumstances and a “we’ll sort it out later” attitude led me to the third option. But nothing is too hard or impossible, just a bit less comfortable.
The license is renewed, so let’s talk AUPRT. What even is that? AUPRT stands for Advanced Upset Prevention and Recovery Training. Although Croatian is a beautiful language, aviation terms and Croatian don’t always go hand in hand, so it’s referred to as advanced training for avoidance and recovery from unusual aircraft attitudes. Lovely, right?
Anyway, this course isn’t mandatory unless you want to add a type rating to your license. In fact, before 2019, it wasn’t even mandatory for that. Since then, however, it’s required when adding your first type rating, prompted by accident investigations that showed many incidents could have been avoided with just a bit more “airmanship.” Most pilots take this course just before starting type rating training. Private pilots typically don’t take it at all – only a few proactive ones do. Still, I decided to take it with just over 50 hours logged, long before any type rating was on the horizon. Why? A combination of reasons, part of which comes from my self-awareness and overly cautious mindset.
First, AUPRT gives you 3 flight hours in your logbook. Yay, stone by stone – a palace is built. Yes, they aren’t PIC hours, but they still count. Second, during PPL training and subsequent refreshers and checkrides, I felt uncomfortable with some maneuvers, such as stalls, spins, and similar. I wanted to build confidence and ease the discomfort I’d experienced in flight.
Step one was finding a school offering AUPRT. That’s tricky here, as most schools rely on Cessna 172s, which aren’t ideal for this type of training. Also, not all aircraft are certified for such maneuvers – some even have cockpit labels saying “Intentional spins prohibited!” After some recommendations and online research, a fellow pilot and I found a flight school in Celje – Academy4.
Before I talk about the school, I want to highlight the word recommendation. The pilot community here is small – build connections and friendships, ask for advice and experiences.
Now, Academy4. The training is done on the Pipistrel Virus SW121 – officially a CS-LSA (Light Sport Aircraft), but one with a type certificate, so all hours are counted toward future training. This aircraft is praised for AUPRT as it’s light, powerful for its size, made from carbon composites and Kevlar, and extremely responsive. The school has three of them, each fully equipped with Garmin avionics, well-maintained, hangared, and clearly well cared for.
My colleague and I signed up together because the course is €200 cheaper as a group (€1,250 vs €1,450). We were surprised by the professionalism from the first email and how quickly we got our training date. The first part is a 5-hour online CBT (computer-based training), which must be completed in at least two sessions and covers the theoretical base. The CBT is developed in-house by the instructors (not outsourced) and is thorough. It analyzes 13 real accidents caused by upsets, where incorrect recovery led to disaster. It includes cases like the Air France crash into the Atlantic due to a stall, Asiana landing short, Turkish Airlines in Amsterdam, and even seemingly trivial incidents – like the brand-new Airbus A340 that crashed into a wall in 2004 during a test run because the crew mishandled the brakes. The theoretical part is very visual – it shows the number of fatalities and how many could’ve been avoided. The message is clear: Fly right or go home.
After passing the online exams, it’s time for the practical part – two days of flying: one flight on day one, and two flights on day two, each one hour long. We arrived in Celje and were warmly welcomed by the instructors – very friendly and open. We soon learned they were highly experienced pilots with thousands of hours and commercial flying backgrounds. That was the first moment I felt confident – I knew I could learn from real professionals.
After a short introduction, we had our first and longest briefing. We reviewed the theory but focused on aircraft behavior and recovery procedures. They used aircraft models and videos to explain everything in detail. The most important part of the briefing was the care for us as trainees. They explained that unusual attitudes can cause discomfort and that’s totally normal – but we had to be self-aware and know when our body says “okay, time to take it easy.” They developed a self-assessment system with ratings:
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5 = Maverick, I feel great, let’s go again
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4.5 = Instructor steps in, slows down the aircraft, opens the window, diverts your attention to avoid nausea
They also taught us breathing exercises that help, and yes, there are barf bags in case of the worst. Pro tip: come with a full stomach – flying hungry increases the chance of motion sickness.
All set, time to fly. Since this course isn’t basic flight training, the instructor handles the pre-flight and radio comms. The rest – the flying – is on you. First surprise for a Cessna 172 cowboy like me: constant speed propeller. One extra lever in the cockpit (next to the throttle), and it’s blue. And there’s no red one for mixture. Ah, that Rotax. But a few YouTube videos and some instructor tips later, and I got it. Actually, after flying a more complex, modern aircraft, you realize the Cessna is kind of a tractor.
The constant speed prop is brilliant – depending on the engine setting, it adjusts the blade angle to maintain or reduce RPM for better efficiency. Think of the Cessna as a car stuck in third gear, and this aircraft as one with a 6-speed manual gearbox. There are a few rules to prevent engine detonation – basically, when increasing power, prop first; when decreasing, throttle first, then prop. I’m oversimplifying, but that’s the gist. It also has features the Cessna lacked, like air brakes, negative flaps, and autopilot. More on that soon – pinky promise.
Back to flying. The exercises are done relatively high – around 6,000–7,000 ft. The instructor demonstrates, you repeat. The first flight is simpler – stall recovery, nose-high and nose-low upsets. I was quite nervous beforehand, but this course is fantastic at showing what both you and the aircraft are capable of. A few exercises in, and you’re hooked. I wasn’t nauseous, but the instructor advised resting after each maneuver – just in case. Deep breaths and a short mental reset really help. Without giving away too much, the course is incredibly enjoyable and empowering. Many told me it’s the best part of flight training – and I think I agree. No strict checks, just flying and learning potentially life-saving skills. Pure joy.
On the second day, we flew two more sessions, including advanced maneuvers – steep turns, spins, stall variations. That’s when I told the instructor, “OK, I’m no longer Maverick, let’s take a break.” Steep turn one way, then the other, all after a spin – my head was a bit fuzzy. Nothing serious, but I wanted to pause. That second flight taught me what real upset and the startle effect feel like. The instructor secretly disabled the pitot tube – we were climbing, full throttle, nose up, from 4,000 to 6,000 ft. Suddenly, indicated airspeed dropped to zero, and the stall warning screamed. My instinct? Nose down – even though we had power and airspeed. It felt like we were accelerating, and the instructor revealed what he did – to make me feel and understand the startle effect. My reaction wasn’t technically wrong, but ideally, I would have realized nothing had changed with the engine or aircraft attitude. I’m really glad I experienced this – that hands-on learning helped me process things in the cockpit better.
The third and final flight was consolidation – applying what we’d learned, including using autopilot during upsets. The instructor also threw in some simulated engine failures and traffic patterns to make the most of our time. Looking back, I realize how valuable and fun this experience was. I feel more confident, I tested the limits of the aircraft, and experienced what happens when you push “the edge.” It was also fun to experience G-forces beyond the usual (in my case from -0.8 to 3.8 G).
In short – even if you’re not pursuing a CPL or type rating, I highly recommend this course. It’s extremely useful and I believe anyone who completes it becomes a better, safer pilot.
At the end, you receive a certificate of completion and an endorsement stamped in your logbook. AUPRT isn’t written in your license as such, but you’ll need to present the certificate and/or endorsement when applying for your first type rating.
If you’ve read this far – thank you! 🙂 Chapter 6 of the wannabe pilot journal is coming soon, covering time building. Below are links to previous chapters – I’ve even forgotten what I wrote in some of them.
Fly safe!
