Why This Question Matters
If you’re a new pilot with limited flight experience, you’ve probably heard experienced pilots talking about SIV (Simulation d’Incident en Vol) courses.
These courses are designed to teach you how to handle unexpected situations like collapses, spins, or stalls in a controlled and safe environment.
But one question keeps coming up: “Should low-airtime pilots take an SIV course, or is it too early?”
The Sooner, the Better
There’s a lot of discussion online about when to take your first SIV course. At Flying Karlis, we see it quite simply: the sooner, the better.
Why?
Over the years, we’ve spent a lot of time helping pilots overcome learned fears and bad habits. Both are difficult to fix:
- Breaking habits takes time and persistence.
- Overcoming fear is even harder once it’s deeply rooted.
By starting early, you build the right reflexes and mindset from day one, which pays off for your entire flying career.
Are You Ready?
We believe that if you can take off independently and land independently, you’re ready for an SIV course—provided the course is tailored to your skill level.
Why an Early SIV Helps
A well-structured introductory SIV clinic focuses on low-energy maneuvers, where:
- If you do nothing, the wing recovers by itself.
- You safely learn how to control all axes of the wing—roll, pitch forward, and pitch back—using correct brake inputs.
This training is priceless because about 80% of real-world flying involves some form of rotation.
Thermal flying is essentially mastering wing control in roll and pitch while applying just the right amount of brake input at the right time.
Bottom Line
You don’t need years of experience to benefit from SIV.
As soon as you can launch and land independently, you can—and should—start learning these fundamental skills. They’ll build confidence, prevent bad habits, and make you a safer, more capable pilot from the very beginning.
