Take the controls. Find out if this is yours.
A real first lesson, not a sightseeing tour. A proper brief on the ground, then the left seat of the 172 Skyhawk over the Twin Ports and the Lake Superior shore, with your instructor beside you the whole way.
- Flight
- Discovery
- Aircraft
- N616SK · 172 Skyhawk
- Your seat
- Left · pilot
- Fare
- $125
- Logbook
- It counts
Superior Flying · the team and the fleet at KSUW Nobody forgets their first takeoff.
- Hold shortYour instructor runs the checklist out loud. Nothing is skipped.
- ThrottleThrottle forward, and the runway blurs.
- 55 knotsAround 55 knots, you pull back. Gently. That’s all it takes.
- LiftoffThe ground lets go of you.
- 500 feetMost people are grinning before 500 feet. You’ll see.
The left seat is the pilot’s seat. It’s yours.
Everyone’s nervous.
The first-timer in the parking lot right now is nervous. The airline captain was nervous on her first lesson too.
Your instructor’s hands are on the controls with yours — they never leave.
Nervous means you’re paying attention. Good. Pilots pay attention.
The pre‑takeoff checklist.
Every item self-checks. There is nothing to prepare and nothing to prove.
Discovery Flight · all items checked
- Experience None needed. That’s the point of this flight.
- Medical Not required for a discovery flight.
- Nerves Normal. Expected. Handled.
- Weather Your instructor’s call. If it’s not right, you reschedule.
- Camera Bring it. The view is yours to keep.
Your Discovery Flight, step by step
A Discovery Flight at Superior Flying Services is a real introductory lesson, not a sightseeing ride — you sit at the controls of one of our Cessna 172s with an FAA-certified flight instructor beside you the whole way. There is a moment a few minutes after takeoff when the instructor takes their hands off the yoke and the airplane is genuinely yours. It costs $125, the time you log counts toward your pilot license, and nothing about it commits you to anything after you land.
- 01
Before you fly
You meet your instructor, walk around the airplane with them and see what a preflight inspection actually involves, then sit down for a few minutes to talk about where you’d like to go and what you’ll do once you’re up.
- 02
In the air
You’re in the left seat. Your instructor works the radio and handles the takeoff, then hands you the controls — turns, climbs, descents, and whatever the Twin Ports and Lake Superior look like out the window that day. The airplane has dual controls, so your instructor can take over instantly at any point.
- 03
Back on the ramp
We land, shut down and log the flight — that time counts toward your license. Then we answer whatever you want to ask about cost, timeline and what a realistic next step looks like. There is no sales pitch waiting for you at the end of it.
Back on the ramp · Richard I. Bong Airport Superior Flying Services · Discovery Flight
$125
No experience needed · you take the controls
Richard I. Bong Airport (KSUW)
A real introduction, not a joyride
A Discovery Flight is designed to help you experience the aircraft, the instructor, and the training environment before committing to a larger plan. If you decide flying is for you, it’s also how you judge us: the airplane, the instructor, and whether our approach fits how you want to learn.
Adventure Flights
Not sure you want to sign up for flight training yet? Discovery and Adventure Flights are a way of testing the water — and the time counts toward your flight hours.
- A real flight over the Twin Ports and the Lake Superior shore
- A certified instructor in the right seat the whole way
- The time you log counts toward a pilot certificate
Superior Flying · above the cloud deckDiscovery Flight questions
Still unsure? Call 715-394-6444.
Do I need any previous experience to start?
No. Most people who walk in here have never touched an airplane, and nothing about a first lesson assumes you have. A Discovery Flight is built for exactly that: you take the controls with a certified flight instructor beside you the whole time.
What is a Discovery Flight?
A Discovery Flight is a real introductory lesson, not a scenic ride — you sit at the controls of one of our Cessna 172s with an FAA-certified flight instructor next to you. It is $125, and the time you log counts toward your pilot license.
Is it safe?
Training aircraft are built for exactly this. Our Cessna 172s and the Piper Seneca have dual controls, so your instructor can take over instantly at any moment, and every airplane is maintained in our own hangar here on the field rather than shipped out to a shop. We also cancel for weather without argument — a lesson is easy to move, and no instructor here will fly you into conditions they aren’t comfortable in.
How do I get started?
Call us at 715-394-6444, or send the form on this site and we will call you back. From there the first step is a Discovery Flight: $125, one flight, one instructor, and time that counts toward your license.
Can friends or family come and watch?
Yes — bring them. Family and friends are welcome to come along and wait inside, and most first-timers want somebody there for the landing. Let us know how many are coming, and check with us on arrival about where they can stand, since ramp access depends on what is happening on the field that day.
Superior Flying · Richard I. Bong Airport Your first flight is one call away.
Book online or call 715-394-6444. One flight, one instructor — nothing to commit to.
Serving Duluth · Hermantown · Cloquet · Ashland