Goku didn't learn how to fly at that time. I think King Kai also taught him how to fly as well, but it was never explicitly stated. Because before King Kai's training, Goku was still using to the Nimbus to get around and travel for long distances and after King Kai's training he was suddenly able to fly and battle in the air effortlessly against Nappa and Vegeta. So King Kai must have taught Goku how to fly.
Wait a minute... didn't Goku fly over a few portions of Snake Way before getting tired? Or was that filler? Because if it ain't filler then, then I really don't know who taught Goku how to fly. Maybe... he taught himself? Because I know for sure after training with Kami, he still didn't know to fly, he could only jump really high.
Hmmm... there's another Dragon Ball mystery/theory for you guys... who the fuck taught Goku how to fly?
Might've been filler, he was flying for a bit and then tired out really quickly.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.In the manga, it's said that God would directly teach the humans, and Popo was the one who handled Goku's training earlier. So yes, Popo is a pretty crappy teacher and when God teaches it's much more effective.
Piccolo not learning the Kaio-ken is probably because only Goku mastered it, even Kaio himself couldn't. And while he taught Gohan how to master Super Saiyan and the Kamehameha, he didn't teach him any of the more complicated techniques like the Shunkan Ido, so he hasn't really shown the ability to teach others difficult things. The Super Saiyan thing was more about figuring out the best way for himself (which he's good at) and Gohan doing the same.
Yes, but he only used it at the very end of the battle with Piccolo.
That's because at that stage, though he knew how to fly, he wasn't very good with it. Piccolo even says his flight technique is superior to Goku's at the stage of the Saiyan arc, and that's how Pic can keep up with the Kinto'un. Goku's short bursts of flight on Snake Way show that he's not very good at it yet.
After training with Kaio, he masters it to the extent that he can fly all the way down Snake Way without trouble. However, it still uses quite a lot of energy, so he had to eat a Senzu bean immediately upon arriving on Earth and use the Kinto'un to reach the battle without wasting more energy.
edited 28th Aug '14 6:12:03 PM by Saiga
Well he was flying full speed ahead...energy waste is a given.
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.I assumed it was God because we see him flying in the manga on his way to Kaio's (I don't remember if he also floats during the fight with Piccolo) and he floats too before his fight with Raditz. I'm not sure if that last thing happens in the manga too, but I think so: it would have been weird if the anime had suddenly given him the ability to fly.
Right now my theory is that God taught him to float and fly, but he still couldn't use it for long periods, so he prefered Kinton (or Nimbus if you prefer). After his training, he became able to fly with ease.
Ten and Chaoz could fly by the time they're introduced, and I assume that God taught Krillin and Yamcha too during their training, and Piccolo taught Gohan.
You know, it's amazing how powerful the Red Ribbon Army is supposed to be, versus how completely Overshadowed by Awesome they are against Goku - to the point that a lot of their supposed terror and power winds up being Informed Ability because they just aren't given a chance to show what they can do outside of the impossibly powerful Saiyan child cutting a swath through their ranks.
While Goku's advancement on Namek was ridiculous by sheer numbers, that he grew at a disparate rate compared to the humans is just continuing the trend. It took just a few months' muscle training to take Goku from "vastly overshadowed by the incredible power of Master Roshi" to fighting evenly with him and nearly surpassing him in the Tenkaichi Budokai.
This little Saiyan child was like nothing the Earth was prepared to handle. I think, at this stage of his development, if he'd become the mighty Oozaru and not been countered by friends familiar enough with him to figure out how to neutralize the Oozaru, he probably could have completed Kakarot's mission and laid waste to the planet Earth.
EDIT: A lot of Goku's early interactions with other characters - Bulma's verbal abuse, Roshi's constant underestimating of his abilities and growth potential, Krillin and Yamcha each talking himself up like he's hot shit, etc. - are Hilarious in Hindsight. Like, most of these people would behave a lot differently if they knew Goku was a genocidal alien sent to kill them all.
edited 29th Aug '14 8:27:49 AM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.That is so bizarre when you think about it. For all intents and purposes, he is an obscenely short 13 year-old boy, and he gets into a fistfight with an army and wins.
My various fanfics."Sounds about right," said every Saiyan ever, with a smug, arrogant grin on his/her face.
Goku's performance against the Red Ribbon Army is an object demonstration of the horrors that the people of Planet Vegeta are capable of.
edited 29th Aug '14 8:31:19 AM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.It seriously throws me off when people use the Japanese names for characters, especially Kami. I mean, he's hardly a god come Z.
"It's liberating, realizing you never need to be competent." — Ultimatepheer
I guess he DID take Kami's job after all.
I guess it mostly throws me off because when I hear "God" as a proper name, I can't help but picture someone else. When people say "Kami", I know they're talking about the Namekian.
If it follows suit with other Super Saiyan forms, it has a multiplier, not a static power level. This is also supported by Godly Ki being considered its own separate thing rather than, say, a tier of fighter. So, like, Bardock becoming a Super Saiyan God would probably be VASTLY weaker than end-Z Goku was, and even though he has Godly Ki, might still get his ass kicked by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.How so?
Oh, you man because Gohan is technically stronger right?
Well, maybe they went with Goku because Gohan tends to botch things during Crunch time, and he himself decided his dad was the better choice.
One Strip! One Strip!
Well then fuck if I know. Maybe they all just thought he was the better choice for some reason.
One Strip! One Strip!

Levitation...Goku didn't really know how to use it that well, he must've learned it at some point. He rarely used it though, until after training with King Kai, before that he was still using the nimbus cloud.
edited 28th Aug '14 6:03:49 PM by randomness4
Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie. Check out my art if you notice.