Kia ora Koutou, and welcome to KiwiPilot.
My name is Dean Rainey, and I created KiwiPilot to help people who are learning to fly, whether you’re doing it for the sheer enjoyment of flying, or you’re taking those first steps towards an aviation career.
I’ve been around aviation on and off for a while, and I’ve recently had the rather exciting (and slightly terrifying) privilege of going solo in a taildragger. So yes, I suppose that means I’m officially allowed to call myself a pilot now…
What I have been doing for a very long time is education. I’ve spent more than 20 years teaching, leading, learning and generally finding ways to explain things so they seem less complicated than they really are.
And that’s where KiwiPilot came from. Keeping things simple, contextualised and putting principles into practice.
I’ve spent a lot of my career learning about how people learn, how we retain information, and how we can make learning more effective. I thought it was about time I put some of that experience to work for something I’m genuinely passionate about.
KiwiPilot is my attempt to bring those two worlds together: aviation and education.
The website is very much a work in progress. I’m currently working my way through my own theory exams, so rather than pretending to be an aviation guru sitting on a mountain dispensing wisdom, I’m building this as I learn.
I’ve completed roughly half of my theory papers so far, and my plan is to continue developing the site alongside my own training; adding resources, activities, quizzes and a little bit of gamification to help make some of those important concepts stick.
My aim is to complement the excellent Waypoints resources rather than reinvent the wheel. KiwiPilot is about taking some of that knowledge and giving you more opportunities to practise it, revisit it, and turn it into something that becomes habitual.
Because here’s the thing:
When the Hobbs meter is running, learning can get expensive.
When you’re sitting in an aircraft with an instructor beside you, there is a lot happening. You’re trying to fly the aircraft, listen to the radio, remember what you’re supposed to say, work out what the instructor just asked you to do, and occasionally wondering whether that noise is supposed to be there.
If we can practise some of that knowledge on the ground, in our own time, without an instructor sitting beside us and without the Hobbs meter quietly eating our money, then we can spend more of our valuable flying time actually flying.
That’s the idea behind KiwiPilot.
It’s designed by a learner, an educator and someone who is still very much figuring this flying thing out, which means I’m building it for people like me.
Hopefully you’ll find something here too that helps you on your own journey towards your PPL, whether you’re just thinking about learning to fly or you’re already well into your training.
And if you spot something I’ve missed, something that doesn’t make sense, or you’ve got an idea that would make KiwiPilot better, please get in touch. I’m always keen to hear from other pilots and aspiring pilots.
Safe flying, blue skies and tailwinds.
And remember: the best time to learn something can actually be before you’re sitting in an aeroplane trying to remember it. 😉
Best wishes,
Dean Rainey
Where the information comes from
The light gun signals follow the New Zealand AIP table of visual signals from aerodrome control to aircraft. The radio scenarios use published frequencies, runways and circuit directions for each field, and the licensing summary follows Civil Aviation Rules Part 61 and the CAA’s advisory circulars.
All of it is a plain-English summary written for study, and none of it is a source of truth. Before you fly, the AIP and your instructor are the authority.
Training aid, not an authority
KiwiPilot is a study tool for use on the ground. It is not a CAA-approved course and it is not a substitute for your instructor, the Civil Aviation Rules, or the AIP New Zealand. Always check current rules, frequencies and procedures against the official publications before you fly.