GTA 5 Flight School Rewards Explained: Here’s How Much You Get for a Gold Medal

gta flight school medals

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The Grand Theft Auto franchise is filled with amazing vehicles for players to enjoy, from stolen street cars to luxury vehicles and sports cars – and even some unique, heavy-duty vehicles like the infamous Terrorbyte. However, many fans have adored the fact that players can actually fly in-game, but many still wonder how much players get for earning Gold medals at the Flight School in GTA 5.

Gold medals grant a Flying skill gain of 3%-6%, Silver medals grant gains of 2%-4%, and Bronze medals grant gains of 1%-3%, depending on the specific GTA 5 Flight School lesson. In addition to unlocking the “Elitas” t-shirt, GTA Online players will receive between $8,000 and $12,000 as well as RP after each Gold medal they earn.

While attending the Flight School in GTA 5 can feel like a daunting challenge. It can be surprisingly easy to earn some Gold medals and amazing rewards. Stick around to learn everything there is to know about the Flight School in GTA 5 and GTA Online, as well as what fans will earn as rewards for each medal available.

Flight School in GTA 5 & GTA Online

The vast assortment of incredible vehicles has always been the main focus throughout the Grand Theft Auto series. There’s a perfect vehicle for just about every GTA 5 player, whether you’re looking for a powerful off-roader, a classic everyday car that can be used for heists and missions, or even a two-wheeled vehicle such as the amazing Western Nightblade.

gta flight school

However, despite the wide range of vehicles available to players, many fans have still been eager to explore the city’s beautiful skylines by flying planes in GTA. Although planes are not exactly available as in GTA 5 or GTA Online, players do still have the freedom to fly in some smaller aircraft types, such as helicopters.

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GTA 5’s esteemed Flight School is the perfect place for players to practice their pilot skills, available in GTA 5 and in GTA Online. The Flight School is located on Exceptionalists Way at the Los Santos International Airport in Los Santos, San Andreas.

The Flight School is classified as an activity for players to participate in, and there are different requirements for players who want to take on the challenge. The school will only become available after players complete the mission “Friends Reunited” in GTA 5, while it becomes available after the player downloads The San Andreas Flight School Update and is at least Rank 6 in GTA Online.

What is the Point of Flight School in GTA 5?

Although players may choose to skip out on the Flight School and the relative challenges, there are some benefits. The most obvious benefit is increasing Micheal and Franklin’s flying skills in GTA 5 Story Mode, as Trevor is already considered an expert pilot.

If the player chooses the Offshore method after the mission “Scouting the Port”, Trevor will inform Micheal that his flying skills are not high enough. While the player is not necessarily required to go to Flight School in order to initiate the heist, having some Flight School training and improved flying skills will definitely help the process.

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With that being said, one of the most convincing reasons for participating in Flight School concerns the cash rewards given to players who manage to complete various tasks. Players are given different medals depending on their performance throughout each of the Flight School lessons.

How to Get Gold Medals at Flight School in GTA 5

Like the Pilot School in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA: SA), the player will learn to fly airplanes and helicopters at the Flight School and be trained to perform skydiving stunts and maneuvers as well. The player will be awarded a different medal (either Gold, Silver, or Bronze) depending on how well the player performs in each lesson.

FlightSchool GTAV Medals

However, the specifics vary slightly between GTA 5 and GTA Online. There are 12 lessons in total in GTA 5, taught by Jackson, as seen below, alongside the specific requirements for achieving a Gold medal, Silver medal, or Bronze medal in each lesson (primarily time or distance-based requirements).

GTA 5 Flight School LessonDescriptionGiven VehicleGold MedalSilver MedalBronze Medal
Training Take OffTake off and pass through two checkpoints.Cuban 80000:3200:5001:00
Runway LandingLand safely on the runway.Cuban 80000:3500:5501:10
Inverted FlightPerform barrel rolls and fly upside down.Mallard01:4002:0002:20
Knife FlightFly sideways and maintain altitude with the rudder.Mallard00:5401:1501:40
Flat HattingFly a checkpoint course through the Port of Los Santos and the LSIA maintaining a low altitude.Mallard02:1502:3503:00
Touch DownLand a plane on a bridge in Lago Zancudo as close as the final checkpoint as possible.Mallard10 ft45 ftFinish
Loop the LoopPerform an inside loop.Mallard01:3501:4002:05
Helicopter CourseFly through checkpoints in a helicopter through Los Santos.Frogger02:4003:1503:45
Helicopter Speed RunFly through checkpoints in a helicopter through the Palomino Highlands and Los Santos as fast as possible.Frogger02:1003:0003:30
SkydivingSkydive and land on a stationary target.N/A3 ft10 ft20 ft
Drop ZoneSkydive and land on a moving target.N/A0 ft7 ft20 ft
Earn Your WingsCourse through the city performing stunts learned in the previous lessons. Green checkpoints are for knife flights and blue checkpoints are for inverted flights.Mallard02:5003:1503:40

The Flight School in GTA Online consists of 10 solo lessons that include combat maneuvering, low-flying challenges, formation flying, and much more, and JT Boyd teaches these lessons.

GTA Online Flight School LessonDescriptionGiven VehicleGold MedalSilver MedalBronze Medal
Outside LoopPerform an outside loop.P-996 Lazer00:5801:2002:00
Engine FailureLand the Miljet with an engine failure.Miljet10m30mFinish
Chase ParachuteCatch a parachute in midair and land safelyN/A2m4.50m7m
City LandingLand a plane in bad weather conditions.Titan10m30mFinish
Moving LandingLand a Swift on a flatbed trailer before it drives into the tunnel.Swift00:1900:2501:00
Formation FlightFly in formation.Besra600450300
Shooting RangeDestroy targets using a Buzzard.Buzzard Attack Chopper251510
Ground LevelFly through checkpoints, keeping as close to the ground as possible.Besra1m3m10m
Collect FlagsFly through 30 checkpoints in any order.Besra02:4003:00Finish
Follow LeaderFollow your instructor.P-996 Lazer02:2502:40Finish

Mission failure will occur if the player destroys an aircraft, is “wasted” during the lesson, strays too far away from the course, enters an out-of-bounds area, or takes too long. Unlike missions in the classic GTA storyline, however, these lessons, missions, and exercises do not have checkpoints or the skip option (even after the player fails the mission more than three times).

Flight School Rewards

Rewards for Flight School lessons depend on whether the player received a Gold medal, a Silver medal, or a Bronze medal, and they also differ between GTA 5 and GTA Online. In GTA 5 Story Mode, players must complete all of the available Flight School lessons to obtain 100% Completion.

GTA 5 Story Mode

One of the best reasons for getting Gold medals in Flight School involves the characters’ skills, as simply flying around will only earn the player a gain of 1% per 10 minutes in the air. Gold medals grant a Flying skill gain of between 3% and 6%, Silver medals grant gains of between 2% and 4%, and Bronze medals grant a gain of between 1% and 3% – depending on the specific Flight School lesson.

In GTA 5 Story Mode, several aircraft models will spawn after all lessons are complete, scattered throughout the State of San Andreas – usually in a shade of red. For example, a Duster can be found parked on the cul-de-sac of the western edge of Marina Drive, Grand Senora Desert, near the shore of the Alamo Sea.

GTA Online

Players who complete all GTA Online lessons have plenty of rewards on the table as well. They will unlock the “Elitas” t-shirt after completing all ten lessons with at least a Bronze medal and earn $18,600 if each lesson is completed with a Gold medal.

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Going for Gold medals is worthwhile for the potential cash, as players will earn between $8,000 and $12,000 after each Gold medal and can end up with around $100,000 after all ten lessons. To learn more about earning Flight School medals in GTA Online, check out the video below by MrBossFTW.

If the player’s first completion of each of the ten lessons earns a Gold medal, they will receive a combined maximum total of 13,950 RP and $232,500 – which makes the Flight School one of the best activities available in-game. However, since the Flight School is considered a normal contact mission, players must deposit their earnings manually.

That’s everything there is to know about the Flight School in GTA 5 and GTA Online, with images and stats thanks to the GTA Wiki. Although many players struggle with getting the hang of Flight School at first, earning Gold medals will definitely be worthwhile in the long run.

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