Learning to Fly Mission Guide: Pilot School All 10 Tests & Gold Medals

Learning to Fly is the primary progression bottleneck in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Situated at the abandoned Verdant Meadows airstrip in the bone-dry deserts of Bone County, this compulsory pilot training school requires Carl Johnson to master fixed-wing airplanes, military attack helicopters, and skydiving parachutes across ten demanding flight tests.

Many players ragequit during this chapter because airplane flight physics behave very differently from road vehicles. Stalling, over-correcting rudder yaw, and hard runway bounces result in instant mission failure. However, by understanding how to retract landing gear, level out banking turns, and feather the throttle, you can pass every test with ease.

Mission Briefing & Key Data

Storyline Context: Toreno's Ultimatum

After Carl purchases the dilapidated Verdant Meadows airstrip for $80,000, former government operative Mike Toreno contacts him through an intercom speaker in the control tower. Toreno promises to keep Sweet safe in high-security prison and arrange his release, but only if Carl proves his competence as a military-grade pilot capable of executing covert low-altitude drops and radar evasion missions.

Flight Physics & Essential Controls

Before attempting the tests, you must understand the four primary axes of aircraft movement:

Verdant Meadows Runway

• Throttle / Acceleration: (W on PC, Right Trigger on Gamepad, Accelerator pedal on Android). Hold continuously during takeoff and climbs. Release slightly during descents.
• Pitch (Elevators): (Down Arrow to pull up, Up Arrow to dive down). Never pull back on the stick aggressively, as steep angles cause aerodynamic stalling.
• Roll (Ailerons): (Left/Right arrow keys or Left Analog Stick). Tilts the airplane wings horizontally to bank into turns.
• Rudder (Yaw): (Q and E on PC, Left/Right Bumpers on Gamepad). Pivots the aircraft nose horizontally without tilting the wings. Essential for making minor runway alignment adjustments before touchdown.
• Retract Landing Gear: (2 on PC keyboard, R3 on Controller). Always retract gear immediately after wheels leave the ground! Extended wheels create drag that limits airspeed and prevents you from climbing through high markers.

Walkthrough of All 10 Flight School Tests

Test 1: Takeoff (Rustler)

• Objective: Accelerate down the runway, take off, retract landing gear, and fly through three red corona rings.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Hold throttle. When the tail lifts, gently pull back on the elevators. The moment the wheels clear the tarmac, hit the landing gear toggle to retract the wheels. Fly straight through the three rising rings without turning.

Test 2: Land Plane (Rustler)

• Objective: Approach the runway from the air, lower landing gear, touchdown smoothly, and stop inside the red target marker.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Release the throttle as soon as the test begins. Deploy landing gear. Line up with the center stripe of the asphalt. Glide downward at a shallow 10-degree angle. The moment the tires touch the ground, hold the reverse brake key (S on PC) and use rudder taps (Q/E) to keep straight until you stop inside the corona.

Test 3: Circle Airstrip (Rustler)

• Objective: Fly in a counter-clockwise loop around Verdant Meadows through a sequence of checkpoint rings.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Retract gear immediately upon clearing the runway. When approaching turn coronas, bank your wings at a 45-degree angle and gently pull back on the elevators to slice through the turn smoothly. Do not perform 90-degree knife-edge rolls, which bleed altitude.

Test 4: Circle Airstrip and Land

• Objective: Fly the complete perimeter circle and immediately land on the runway.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Complete the loop as in Test 3. After clearing the final high ring over the mountain, cut throttle immediately, deploy landing gear, and dive gently toward the start of the runway. Hit the wheel brakes the instant you touch down.

Test 5: Helicopter Takeoff (Hunter)

• Objective: Lift off in the military Hunter attack helicopter, rotate 180 degrees, and fly through a distant checkpoint.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Ascend vertically by holding climb. Once at altitude, use your rudder keys to spin 180 degrees so your nose points toward the marker. Push forward on pitch to gain forward velocity and fly through the ring.

Test 6: Land Helicopter (Hunter)

• Objective: Fly forward and land in the center of the helipad.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Pitch forward toward the helipad. As you arrive above the red marker, pull back gently on the cyclic to cancel forward momentum, level out your rotor disc, and hold descend to drop straight onto the bullseye.

Test 7: Destroy Targets (Hunter)

• Objective: Destroy three stationary military trucks at the end of the runway, then eliminate two moving cars on the desert road before landing.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Fly at medium altitude toward the runway trucks. Use the Hunter's nose-mounted machine gun or unguided rockets. Fire rockets in pairs. Once the trucks explode, bank right toward the road and lead your shots slightly ahead of the moving cars. Return to the helipad to touch down.

Test 8: Loop the Loop (Stuntplane)

• Objective: Perform a vertical 360-degree loop in the agile red-and-white Stuntplane.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Fly straight through the first corona ring. The instant you pass through, pull back firmly on the elevators to climb vertically. Keep pulling back as the plane turns upside down, loops over, and dives toward the ground. Level your wings and fly through the final recovery ring.

Test 9: Barrel Roll (Stuntplane)

• Objective: Perform a 360-degree horizontal roll to the left or right.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Fly through the entrance corona. Immediately push your roll control full left. Hold it steady as the plane performs a complete 360-degree spiral. Release the roll the exact millisecond your wings return to horizontal, and fly through the exit ring.

Test 10: Parachute onto Target

• Objective: Skydive from high altitude and land on the center target bullseye.
• Gold Medal Tactic: Freefall toward the desert floor while leaning forward to gain forward horizontal distance toward the target. Wait until Carl's altitude drops to roughly 200 feet before deploying your parachute. Pull down on the steering keys to flare your canopy right above the ground, gently walking onto the center of the red corona.

Video Walkthrough: Learning to Fly

Frequently Asked Questions