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Getting ten silver medals will cause a Stuntplane to spawn in at the airfield next to the Rustler, while earning ten golds will unlock the Hunter helicopter as well. The latter, in particular, can be pretty useful, as using it for vigilante missions is one of the best ways to make money in the game. Those shooting for 100% completion in San Andreas’ stats screen don’t need to worry about getting every gold medal, however, as only bronze medals are required for this.
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Takeoff (Rustler)
The first challenge requires players to take off and then fly through three red coronas in the sky. Getting a bronze or a silver medal should be fairly straightforward, but to get a gold, players will need to pull up as soon as the plane’s tail rises and then retract the landing gear straight after. If it’s taking them more than 18 seconds to reach the first corona then they’ll struggle to complete the challenge in 30 seconds or less for the gold medal.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Takeoff Challenge
Land Plane (Rustler)
Land Plane is one of the easier flight school challenges due to players being given way more time than they actually need. There’s no need for any turning either, so all players really have to worry about is lowering the landing gear and getting the approach angle just right. After touching down, they’ll have a good ten seconds to taxi the plane to the center of the red circle for the gold medal.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Land Plane Challenge
Circle Airstrip (Rustler)
To complete the Circle Airstrip challenge, players will need to take off and then fly through eight red coronas in under a minute. As with the school’s first challenge, the biggest challenge comes from nailing the takeoff, with the circling part actually being relatively simple once players have gotten the hang of it.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Circle Airstrip Challenge
Circle and Land (Rustler)
Circle and Land is probably the toughest challenge at the flight school as it combines each of the elements from its three predecessors to form one very tricky and easy-to-fail challenge. The good news, however, is that the time given is once again somewhat lenient, meaning that players should have a good few seconds to line up their final position after landing.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Circle and Land Challenge
Helicopter Takeoff (Hunter)
For the Helicopter Takeoff challenge, players will need to raise their Hunter to a certain height, rotate it 180 degrees, and then fly through a red corona. What the game doesn’t tell you is that it’s possible to begin the rotation part before being prompted, which can help to shave a few seconds off the final time. Even without this time-saver though, players should have very little trouble achieving a gold medal time.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Helicopter Takeoff Challenge
Land Helicopter (Hunter)
For the Land Helicopter challenge, players simply need to fly their Hunter forward and then land in the red circle. The trickiest part will be landing right in the center of the circle, which is needed for a gold medal.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Land Helicopter Challenge
Destroy Targets (Hunter)
To complete the Destroy Targets mission, players will need to use the Hunter’s missiles to hit three trucks on the runway and then two Landstalkers that are driving around in circles by the nearby Snake Farm. After all five targets have been destroyed, players will need to fly back to the runway and land in the red circle. The first part is easy, as, even if they miss one or more of the trucks, players will be able to turn around and take another shot at it as they make their way over to the area with the Landstalkers. Flying low to the ground can help make hitting the targets a lot easier, though players should be sure to keep a sensible distance between themselves and the explosions for obvious reasons. Landing perfectly in the circle is probably the most difficult part of the challenge, though once they know what they’re doing, players should be able to take out the targets in about a minute, leaving plenty of time to make the perfect landing.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Destroy Targets Challenge
Loop-the-Loop (Stuntplane)
To perform a Loop-the-Loop, players simply need to pull down on the left analog stick and will need to do so the moment they pass through the first red corona to complete the challenge. For those having trouble finishing in 21 seconds or less, it can help to increase the plane’s altitude slightly at the beginning of the course and then descend through the first corona rather than flying straight.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Loop-the-Loop Challenge
Barrel Roll (Stuntplane)
To perform a barrel roll, players will need to pull either left or right on the left analog stick and will need to do so the moment they pass through the first red corona to complete the challenge. Providing they don’t take their finger off the throttle and return to flying straight once the roll has been completed, players should have no trouble matching the gold medal time.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Barrel Roll Challenge
Land on Target (Parachute)
To land in the center of the target, players should hold forward on the left analog stick for 20 seconds before opening the parachute. From here, they’ll simply need to tap back on the left stick a few times to ensure that they land perfectly in the center of the target. It can be a little hard to gauge CJ’s altitude as he approaches the target, but after a couple of attempts, players should have a fairly decent idea of what’s needed.
How to Get a Gold Medal for the Land on Target Challenge
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