Cleared For Take-OffAcademy
The course

AI course for beginners

Cleared For Take-Off is a plain-English AI course for adults who have not started yet. Six modules, about six to eight hours, taken at your own pace. It costs $49 once, with lifetime access and no subscription. Module 1 is free and needs no payment details, so you can see how it teaches before you spend anything.

Every module is built around a real fear people bring to this, and leaves it behind. Not a features tour. The first one starts with "I don't even know where to start, and everyone seems to already know", because that is where most people actually are.

It works with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot. We do not sell a tool and we are not tied to one.

The six modules

  1. 1

    Pre-Flight Checks

    Free60 to 75 mins

    "I don't even know where to start, and everyone seems to already know."

    • What AI actually is, and what it isn't: three things it does well, three it does badly
    • Choosing your first tool: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot, side by side
    • Signing up safely, with a privacy walkthrough so it doesn't train on you
    • Your dashboard, your settings, your first hello
  2. 2

    Cleared For Taxi

    75 to 90 mins

    "I'm going to ask it the wrong thing and look stupid."

    • Prompting in plain English: AI is not Google
    • The four-line prompt: context, task, format, tone
    • How to ask AI to ask you better questions
    • The week-one mistakes everyone makes, and saving the prompts that work
  3. 3

    Cleared For Takeoff

    Six everyday paths

    "I'm worried I'll become lazy, or stop thinking for myself."

    • Writing emails, letters and complaints
    • Summarising long documents, and planning anything
    • Research that doesn't lie to you
    • Health information without panicking, and money admin including MyGov
  4. 4

    In The Air

    90 to 120 mins

    "Will I actually use this, or is it just a course I forget about?"

    • Track A, write something: a memoir, family history, eulogy, speech or letter to the editor
    • Track B, start something: a small business idea, side project or community group
    • Track C, sort something: retirement, a renovation, a trip, an estate
    • Track D, learn something: a hobby, a language, a skill, AI as tutor
  5. 5

    Holding Pattern

    75 mins

    "I've heard horror stories. What if I get scammed or burned?"

    • Hallucinations: confidently wrong versus quietly right
    • Scam awareness for Australians over 50: voice cloning, grandparent and romance scams, fake invoices, deepfakes
    • The Privacy Act in plain English, and what never to put into AI
    • Trust, verify, walk away
  6. 6

    Final Approach

    60 mins

    "Will I still be able to use this in six months when everything changes again?"

    • Your weekly routine: one page, one habit, one tool
    • When not to use AI
    • Staying current without anxiety, and which paid tools are worth it
    • Bringing someone along with you

What comes with it

What you can do at the end

Not "has watched six modules". Done.

What it costs

$49AUD, once

All six modules, everything in the kit bag, and lifetime access including the quarterly updates. Not a subscription.

Enrol now →

Or watch the first lesson free with no sign-up, and start Module 1 with no payment details.

Buying for a team, a library or a community group? Group and workshop options add a live facilitated session on top of course access for everyone.

Common questions

Do I need any experience with AI to start?

None. The course is built for people who have not started. Module 1 assumes no account, no device preference and no prior attempt, and gets you set up safely from scratch. You are not a beginner because you are slow. You are a beginner because the technology is new.

How long does it take?

About six to eight hours of video across six modules, and you go at your own pace. Individual modules run from 60 minutes to about two hours. Nothing expires, so a module a week is a perfectly normal way to do it.

Which AI tool do I need?

Whichever you like. The course works with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot, and Module 1 compares them side by side so you can choose. We do not sell a tool and we are not tied to one.

What do I actually get for $49?

Six video modules, captioned and with transcripts, screen-recorded walkthroughs for every tool action, a one-page cheat sheet per module, the Cleared To Try workbook, the Tool Hangar guide to the wider AI fleet, and lifetime access including tool walkthrough updates each quarter. One payment, not a subscription.

Is it really lifetime access, or does it expire?

Lifetime, and that includes the quarterly updates to the tool walkthroughs. The tools keep changing, which is exactly why access that expires would be worth less than it looks.

What if it is not right for me?

Start with Module 1, which is free and needs no payment details, so you can see how the course teaches before spending anything. If you do buy and it is not right, email within 14 days of purchase and we will refund you. That sits on top of your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, which nothing in our refund policy limits.

Can I do this on a phone or tablet?

Yes. Phone, tablet or laptop, whatever you already have. No assumed devices and no assumed accounts.

Can I buy this for a team or a group?

Yes. Group packages add a live facilitated session on top of full course access for everyone, and organisations, libraries and community groups are priced differently from workplaces. Tell us the group size and we will send a written quote.

Start with the free module

Module 1 costs nothing and asks for no payment details. If the course is not for you, you will know before you have spent a cent.

Start Module 1 free →