In a four-part series, we will look at the various stages of the two-year pilot training programme at SWISS: from the first theory phase at the Lufthansa Aviation Training Center (LAT) in Opfikon, to the practical training with the DA40/42 light aircraft in Grenchen as well as in Goodyear, Arizona, simulator training and finally landing training in a commercial aircraft. Flight student Oliver Hartmann is the first to start.

"I always had toy airplanes, not toy cars," says Oliver Hartmann with a smile.  Born into an aviation family, the likeable young man from Zurich knew one thing from his first visit to a cockpit: "I want to be a pilot when I grow up". Now, in his first year of training, he has reached a major milestone: the first part of his theoretical training at the LAT Training Centre in Opfikon.

Watch our video to learn more about Oliver's experiences and to gain further insights into the theoretical training. In the next part of our series, we accompany student pilot Venisa to Grenchen and take a look at the practical phases on the single- and twin-engine DA40 and DA42 aircraft.