A fly-in is an event where pilots fly to an airfield to meet other pilots, look at each other's aircraft and, very often, eat breakfast. Some are small: a farm strip, a dozen aircraft and a tea urn. Others are big weekends with hundreds of aircraft, trade stands and camping. They're one of the best reasons to fly somewhere new, and one of the friendliest ways to start flying further from home.
They're also busier than a normal day at an unfamiliar airfield, with more aircraft arriving at once, often flown by pilots who don't know the place either. This guide is general advice to help you prepare. It isn't flying instruction: if anything here is new to you, talk it through with an instructor before you go, and always follow the event's own briefing.
Pick your first one with care
For a first fly-in, choose an event that suits your experience and your aircraft:
- A runway you're comfortable with. Look at length, surface and slope, and compare them honestly with your aircraft's performance and your own recent practice. A short grass strip on a warm day is a very different proposition from your home tarmac.
- Within easy range, with fuel to spare and a sensible alternate nearby.
- A smaller event, if you can. Fewer arrivals make for a calmer circuit.
- Go with someone. Flying in company with a more experienced pilot, or taking one along as a passenger, is a good way to do your first.
On Events.Aero, fly-in listings show what the organiser has told us about flying in: PPR, radio, the runway, landing fees and any notes on the circuit or arrival.
Read the briefing
Most fly-ins publish some kind of pilot briefing, from a paragraph on the event page to a full briefing pack. Larger events may ask you to book an arrival slot in advance. The CAA's guidance for fly-in organisers (CAP 1988, published in May 2026) encourages detailed briefing material and set arrival and circuit procedures, so expect them, and read them properly.
Look for:
- PPR. Whether you need prior permission and how to get it. Our guide to PPR explains what that involves. If the event has its own registration, it may replace normal PPR for the day, but only if the briefing says so.
- Arrival procedure. The joining procedure, reporting points, frequencies, circuit direction and height, and any noise-sensitive areas to avoid.
- Non-radio arrivals, if you fly without a radio: whether they're accepted and how.
- Slot times and what to do if you're early or late.
- Parking. Where aircraft park and whether marshals will direct you.
- Fuel. Whether it's available, which type, and whether there will be a queue.
- Departure procedure, which may differ from normal.
- Landing fees, and how to pay.
Plan the flight as normal, then a bit more
Plan the route as for any other flight: NOTAMs, weather, airspace, fuel and alternates. Big events can bring temporary restrictions or extra NOTAMs with them, so check them close to departure, not just the night before.
Then think about the arrival. Have the airfield's layout in your head before you leave: where the runways are, which way the circuit goes, what the airfield looks like from the air, and any features that will help you find it. Write the frequencies and the joining procedure where you can see them in flight.
Have a plan B. If the circuit is too busy, the wind is wrong for the runway, or the weather isn't what was forecast, decide in advance where you'll go instead. Diverting is always an option, and nobody at a fly-in will think less of you for it.
The arrival
Expect more traffic than usual, and expect some of it not to be where you thought it would be.
- Listen before you call. Tune in early and build a picture of who's in the circuit and where.
- Keep calls short. The frequency will be busy.
- Look out. Not every aircraft will have a radio, and not every pilot will be where they said.
- Fly the published procedure, at the published heights.
- Go around if it doesn't feel right. An early go-around is far better than pressing on into a crowded final approach.
On the ground
Once you're down, slow down. Airfields are busy on fly-in days, with people walking near aircraft and a lot of taxiing traffic.
- Follow the marshals. They'll show you where to park. If there are no marshals, follow the briefing and park where you won't block anyone.
- Watch for people, especially near propellers and around the parking area.
- Shut down and secure the aircraft, and check whether you need to tie down if you're staying a while.
- Book in and pay. Find out where to sign in, and pay any landing fee. Fees are sometimes reduced or waived for a fly-in, but don't assume.
Then enjoy it. Walk round the aircraft, talk to the owners and have the breakfast. Most pilots at fly-ins are happy to talk about their aircraft and their route in.
Going home
Leave time for the return. Check the weather and NOTAMs again before you leave. The afternoon departure can be as busy as the morning arrival, as many aircraft leave at the same time. Brief the departure procedure, get fuel if you need it, and give yourself a comfortable margin before sunset.
Telling the organiser you're coming
Organisers plan parking, catering and marshals around how many aircraft they expect, so if a fly-in takes RSVPs, use them. On Events.Aero, pilots RSVPing to a fly-in can tell the organiser they're flying in, with their registration, aircraft type and where they're coming from. That's not the same as PPR: if the airfield needs prior permission, you still need to get it.
Sources and further reading
- UK Civil Aviation Authority, CAP 1988: Safety guidance for air rallies, fly-ins, air races/contests and charity events, version 1, 20 May 2026.
- UK Civil Aviation Authority, The Skyway Code (CAP 1535), version 4, 28 November 2023 (flight planning, NOTAMs and joining procedures).
- CAA Skywise, Publication of CAP1988, alert SW2026/159, 20 May 2026.
- FLYER, How to book a landing slot at the LAA Rally (an example of a large fly-in that uses arrival slots).