Hogwarts Flying (Class)

> 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, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

**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.Template:Class

## History

> 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, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

 File:Flying lesson with Madam Hooch.jpg  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.

## 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, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

 File:Screenshot 1089.png
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, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

 File:Flying class practise GIF.gif  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.

## Known instructors

Unidentified 19th-century Flying Instructor.jpegChiyo KogawaProfile - Madam Rolanda Hooch.jpgRolanda Hooch
## Media

Harry Potter's First Flying LessonFlying Lesson

## Behind the scenes

* 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.

## Appearances

* Template:PS Template:1st
* *Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: Movie Magic* Template:Mention
* Template:PM
* Template:WW
* Template:TCG
* Template:HPV
* Template:HM
* Template:WU Template:Mention
* Template:MA Template:C

## Notes and references

Template:Reflist

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Template:PS (*New-Seeker*)
2. ↑ Template:See image
3. ↑ While Flying class is stated to be compulsory for first years in Template:WW, it does *not* say that it is not optional for later years.
4. ↑ *Pottermore* - What are the Harry Potter cast members favourite Hogwarts classes

Template:Hogwarts Educational Subjects