Flying

"*At three-thirty that afternoon, Harry, Ron, and the other Gryffindors hurried down the front steps onto the grounds for their first flying lesson. The Slytherins were already there, and so were twenty broomsticks lying in neat lines on the ground.* "
— Harry Potter's first Flying lesson in September 1991[src]

**Flying**, also known as **Broom Flight Class**, was a subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was taught by Madam Rolanda Hooch, the Hogwarts Flying Instructor and Quidditch referee. The subject taught students how to fly broomsticks.

## Contents

* 1History
* 2Class information
* 3Curriculum
	+ 3.1First year
	+ 3.2Second year
	+ 3.3Third year
	+ 3.4Fourth year
	+ 3.5Fifth year
	+ 3.6Sixth year
	+ 3.7Seventh year
* 4Known instructors
* 5Media
* 6See also
* 7Behind the scenes
* 8Appearances
* 9Notes and references

## History

The approach of this class was heavily anticipated by students, who often told exaggerated tales of past flying achievements. Ron Weasley told anybody who would listen how he hit a hanglider with Charlie's old broom.

During the 1988–1989 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during the outdoor celebration of magic, Madam Hooch and Professor Silvanus Kettleburn gave a combined Care of Magical Creatures and Flying class to fifth-year students on the Training Grounds about how to fly Griffins. Jacob's sibling was chosen to fly the Griffin present, and found the experience exhilarating.

"*Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle — three — two —*"
— Hooch teaching first-years in 1991[src]

During Harry Potter's first flying lesson, Madam Hooch had to leave the class unattended when Neville Longbottom crashed and fell from his broomstick. In her absence, Draco Malfoy discovered a Remembrall that Neville had dropped, and flew off with it when Harry demanded it back. Harry followed Malfoy on his broomstick, and although he had never flown before, he was able to control the broom with ease and managed to catch the Remembrall in a 50 foot dive when Malfoy threw it. Professor McGonagall witnessed the catch, and instead of punishing Harry for not staying on the ground as Madam Hooch had ordered, she offered him the place of Seeker in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Fred and George Weasley noted that the Hogwarts brooms were not very good. The brooms did odd things such as fly too far to the left, and vibrate slightly when they were flown too high.

During the 2017–2018 school year, when Madam Hooch was teaching first-years how to summon their brooms, students such as Yann Fredericks and Rose Granger-Weasley were highly successful with mastering broom summoning, however, Albus Potter, Harry Potter's son, failed to summon his broom, much to his humiliation.

## Class information

"*Madam Hooch then showed them how to mount their brooms without sliding off the end, and walked up and down the rows correcting their grips. Harry and Ron were delighted when she told Malfoy he’d been doing it wrong for years.*"
— Madam Hooch teaching first years how mount their brooms[src]

The course aimed of these lessons were largely aimed towards providing students with a basic understanding of the only the most elementary principles behind the study of broomology, which was to say, both how to handle a broom and progressively work on various techniques and manoeuvres performed while in flight, as well as receiving proper instructions on the subject of proper broom care and maintenance. During the tenure of Madam Rolanda Hooch, she would often warn her pupils against erratic flying, emphasising the importance of remaining focused, as the consequences of allowing oneself to become distracted or take unnecessary risks while in the air could, in the worst cases, cause the rider to slide off their broom and fall to their deaths.

In some lessons, the use of enchanted rings was used to guide flight.

## Curriculum

Forbidden from bringing their own brooms to the school in their first year, the students would each be supplied with a school broom, which were old and of poor quality, yet passable for the use of teaching pupils to fly.

### First year

"*Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up. Stick out your right hand over your broom, and say ‘Up!*"
— Madam Hooch commanding her first year students to summon their brooms[src]

While in the first year, it was required that every student took flying, so that they would learn the basics before the second year.

* **Summon broom**: Before any pupil was allowed to take off on a broomstick, they had to first familiarise themselves with the one handed to them, the first step of which involved summoning the broom without touching it. To this end, the students would have to position themselves on the left side of it, reach out with their right hand and say, "with feeling" the word "Up!". If successful, the broom would have jumped up to their hand.
* **Mount broom**: Once successfully summoning the brooms, the flying instructor would demonstrate how to mount one's brooms without sliding off the end, and would correct students on how their grips on the broom should be.
* **Liftoff and landing**: Once ready to endeavour on the basics of flying, a fundamental step for broom riding, was to show the capability of controlling the broom to the extent of getting up in the air and getting back down safely. Students would be instructed to kick off from the ground hard and rise a few feet in the air while keeping their brooms steady, and then proceed to come straight back down on the ground by leaning forward slightly.

### Second year

While no longer obligated to continue with the class, students who were interested in joining their House Quidditch teams or simply enjoyed flying may have chosen to continue with the subject to improve their skills, although it was not a requirement. During the second year, lessons were mainly spent honing their reflexes.

* **Fast Laps:** Once the flying instructor deemed the students having mastered the basics, the students would be expected to demonstrate both speed and agility while flying.
* **Weaving:** Making quick turns during the flight while also keeping the broom steady.

### Third year

Having spent the past year working on their speed, agility and precision, during the third year, lessons would mainly be spent advancing to a set of increasingly challenging manoeuvres to improve their technique, with some of them being useful on the Quidditch pitch.

* **Rolling:** Making a complete rotation while maintaining direction during the flight.
* **Loop-the-Loop:** Flying in a swift and precise 360 degree circle while maintaining direction.
* **Diving:** Flying in a quick, spiral-like motion.

### Fourth year

Having demonstrated sufficient skill and savvy with a broom to pull off a range of basic and not-so-basic techniques, during the fourth year, lessons would advance to trickier and more difficult manoeuvres, such as some of those used during Quidditch matches.

* **Formation flying:** A collaborated effort of several students, demonstrating sufficient skill and teamwork to manage coordinated flight of two or more brooms.
* **Sloth Grip Roll:** Executing a Quidditch tactic where the flier hangs upside down while maintaining a firm grip on their broom with their hands and legs.
* **Broom surfing:** Surfing across the sky by standing atop the broom mid-flight.
* **Extreme Dive and Pull Up:** Diving straight towards the ground, only to pull up at the last second. Accomplishing this without sustaining serious injury would be essential for any Quidditch player who want to employ the dangerous Seeker diversion, the Wronski Defensive Feint.

### Fifth year

Having proven themselves to be thoroughly proficient on a broom during the previous term, fifth-year students would advance to ever more difficult manoeuvres, some of which could be used during Quidditch matches.

* **Reversing**: Quickly flying in the opposite direction without losing balance.
* **Over and Under**: An agility course wherein the flier must make it successfully above and beneath obstacles without losing speed.
* **Starfish and Stick**: A Quidditch tactic where the Keeper only holds onto their broom with one hand and their foot, stretching out their body to cover all three goal posts at once.
* **Threading the needle**: A course that tested the flyer's agility by sending them through hoops while performing hair pin turns at the highest speed they could.
* **Advanced Weaving**: Students were taught advanced broom weaving methods used in games of Quidditch.
* **Switching Brooms**: Students were taught how to switch brooms mid-air in case of broom failure.

### Sixth year

Sixth-year students wanting to attend Flying lessons were taught advanced broom techniques for skilled flyers.

* **Wollongong Shimmy**: A Quidditch tactic in which players fly high speed in a zig-zag formation in order to confuse players of the opposing team.
* **Taking Passengers**: Students were taught how to fly correctly with passengers on their brooms.
* **Strong Braking**: Students were taught how to make a sudden stop on their brooms, with a firm grip.
* **Riding Facing Backwards**: Students were taught how to ride broomsticks backwards, in opposite direction.
* **Broom Casting**: A defensive technique which taught students how to cast offensive spells whilst in flight during combat.
* **Gripping Charm**: A charm to help riders gain a firmer hold of their broomsticks.
* **Bell Tailslide**: A rather difficult but useful flying technique, which involved flying one's broomstick up and when one's momentum was lost, flop back with the tail of the broom.
* **Talirek Twirl**: An advanced Quidditch tecnhnqiue in which players would roll their brooms more than once to avoid Bludgers.

### Seventh year

During the seventh year, students could continue to learn advanced flying techniques.

* **Surfing loop**: An impressive manoeuvre, the surfing loop, which required balance.
* **Surf Jump Through Hoop**: Students were taught how to surf jump through a hoop.
* **Split S**: An advanced defensive flying technique.

## Known instructors

Unidentified witch

Rolanda Hooch

## Media

Harry Potter's First Flying Lesson

Flying Lesson

## Behind the scenes

* Although this class appears to only be taught to first-year students in the books, as it is never referred to again after the first book in the series, older students were depicted taking the class in some video games. However, this could be because some students still had problems with flying on brooms.
* In 1991, Harry Potter can be the first student to discover a secret room on Training Grounds since 1867. However, this is only present in the PC version of the *Philosopher's Stone*.
* The first book implies that flying class happens weekly for the first-years. However, only Harry's first lesson is described, and the class is never mentioned again. This could be because he showed his adeptness for flight in the very first class.
* Flying is the favourite class of Harry Potter actor Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy.
* Flying is not known to be a subject of O.W.L. or N.E.W.T. exams.