Instead, for one 16-year-old it ended in tragedy.
The teen had been completing a training circuit at Camden Airport southwest of Sydney when his Cessna 172 single-engine aircraft suddenly nose-dived, hurtling towards the ground.
Two years on, an inquest is being held to examine what happened with the hope of preventing similar fatal accidents in future.
Aviation was the enduring passion of the teen who dreamt of becoming a commercial airline pilot, counsel assisting Scott Perry told the Lidcombe Coroners Court on Monday.
"Flying is the one thing where I can leave everything behind," he told his mother.
The 16-year-old cannot be legally named or identified.
On January 24, 2024, he had completed six circuits around the airport with an instructor before being allowed to take off on his own.
Four minutes later, his plane entered a steep and rapid descent.
It collided with the ground on University of Sydney property at Brownlow Hill, the court heard.
"The impact destroyed the aircraft and the injuries (the teen) sustained were not survivable," Mr Perry said.
As a photograph of the crash site and wreckage was displayed on the screen, his mother sobbed as she sat next to her partner.
CCTV stills showed the plane angled at 60 degrees heading towards the ground moments before impact.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation concluded the crash was caused by the aircraft's yoke being pushed forward in a sustained manner.
However, the bureau could not say why this had occurred, senior transport safety investigator Ellena Papadopoulos said on Monday.
Witnesses heard the plane's engine making a whirring noise like it was being over-revved as it descended, she said.
There were no signs of mechanical failure, the aircraft did not stall and there were no fuel issues, the bureau found.
The teen had no underlying mental health diagnoses or any life issues that contributed to the crash, Detective Senior Constable Lachlan Binskin, the officer-in-charge of a NSW Police investigation into the death, told coroner Derek Lee on Tuesday.
The coroner has been asked to recommend parents or guardians be requested for consent before pilots aged under 18 can fly alone.
The officer said this was common sense.
"If my child was to fly solo, I think I'd want to be informed," Det Sen Const Binskin said.
Barrister Ada Lim, representing the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, suggested the teen had only passed his aviation medical exam because he had not disclosed he suffered from migraines.
The 16-year-old was remembered as an inquisitive, thoughtful, analytical and well-behaved teen who excelled academically.
The inquest continues.
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