According to Sporty’s, the partnership integrates Infinite Flight’s scenario-based training with Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course, which bridges the gap between online aviation training and advanced flight simulation.

When paired with Sporty’s online ground schools, Infinite Flight allows the users to practice concepts “in the virtual cockpit.” The scenarios presented are those used in the training environment. With the push of a button, users can transition from watching instructional videos to flying a maneuver in a virtual Cessna 172 Skyhawk.

The system includes an evaluation of the user’s performance and also offers feedback.

Infinite Flight allows users to virtually fly to and from thousands of airports around the world while integrating popular electronic flight bag apps like ForeFlight and Garmin Pilot just as they would in an actual aircraft. The platform also gives users the ability to experience varying weather scenarios and aircraft performance.

For the learner who is struggling to keep up in the cockpit, or who is apprehensive about getting lost during cross-country flights, Infinite Flight allows them to “practice” the flight before they get near an aircraft. 

The post New Sim Partnership Blends Virtual Ground School, Flight Training appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“I’m not paying for ground instruction,” he told me. 

This was not about doing hours of private pilot ground school. This was about any ground, including that which is done to satisfy FAR 91.103, which reads: “Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight.” This means learning how to access and interpret weather, calculate aircraft performance, use a checklist, and the lesson pre- and post-briefings. 

He just wanted to fly, he said.

I told him I am from the “teach it on the ground, practice it in the air” school of instruction, so I was not the right instructor for him. I figured he would find another pilot to take him up for rides. 

If the learner would rather do ground school on their own using one of the many fine online courses available such as Rod Machado’s, Sportys, ASA, etc., I am fine with that, as long as they invest the time to learn the material. Most of the online courses allow CFIs to be notified when their learners have taken a quiz or test. This makes it easy for us to see your soft spots, and the best CFIs can tailor a flight lesson to help you learn better. 

Ground school is much more than preparing for the knowledge test. Ground school—any ground training—gives the learner the information they need to make good aviation decisions. Topics typically covered include how to fly in certain types of weather, determining aircraft performance so you don’t run out of runway and options at the same time, or  knowing what creates lift or a rough running engine so that you can troubleshoot it.

If your instructor is reluctant to do a preflight briefing or tells you it is “too early” for ground school, find someone else to fly with, as they are short-changing you on your education. It may be that the CFI never had someone model the importance of ground school for them, or they trained at an accelerated program where the ideology was to pass the knowledge tests and frankly the checkride by memorization.

When a learner says they don’t want to do ground training—as in not even learning to use a checklist—it raises a red flag. This was one of the things flight school employees and CFIs were told to watch for after the 9/11 attacks. 

CFIs were instructed to be wary of persons who wanted to take shortcuts by going straight to flying a multiengine airplane or inquiring if the flight school had a jet to train in. We were told to pay attention to intro flight clients who made inquiries about the closest tall buildings, military establishments, or made jokes about security and hijackings or simply put us on edge.

Most of the time though, the impatient learners—especially those that don’t want to do ground instruction—don’t see the value in the training. This may come from a CFI they have worked with in the past. If the CFI doesn’t value ground instruction, the learner won’t either.

My first experience with this type of impatient flight student was a pre-solo learner who had been flying at another school. A review of his logbook revealed he had logged 10 hours in the past two months. There were takeoffs and landings, towered airport operations, and straight and level flight. No ground instruction was recorded. This is not surprising. At some flight schools, CFIs are only paid when the engine is running. As they do not get paid for providing ground instruction, many are reluctant to do much, if any.

Despite his hours, the learner had no idea how to obtain a weather briefing, calculate aircraft performance, or use the checklist to do the preflight inspection. I saw this as an opportunity to educate him. And I did, for a whopping 24 minutes total. I demonstrated a few things, talking him through others. “You use these skills on every flight,” I explained.

As we were Part 61 school the learner resented the idea of using a syllabus and the checklist, saying it was “too military” He was a “both hands on the yoke guy” for takeoff and needed coaching on rudder use. He refused to make radio calls and had to be reminded to make clearing turns.

The flight, all 1.3 hours of it, was climbs, descents, turns to a heading, and slow flight. Slow flight was new to him and made him nervous. He said he preferred straight and level, which gave him more of a chance to look around. We did a lot of that. We ended with a lap in the pattern. There was coaching on the landing.

After the flight there was the obligatory debrief, and I filled out and signed his logbook. When he was presented with the bill for 1.3 flight and 0.5 ground, he became upset, saying he refused to pay for the ground portion because, according to him, all I did was talk.

Before I could reply, my next learner, a CFI candidate who was sitting on the couch waiting for me, burst out with, “That’s called teaching!”

Lucky for me the office manager overheard the exchange and said she would take care of things, and I should get on with my next client.

It wasn’t until the end of the day that I caught up with the office manager, who rather smugly told me the previous learner’s bill had been adjusted. When the learner insisted he was only paying for flying around straight and level, she changed the flight rate from instructional to scenic, which was considerably more per hour. Basically, the bill was doubled.

“We will never see him again,” I said, stunned.

“That’s the idea,” she replied.

The post Don’t Skimp on Ground Instruction in Flight Training appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Maybe you’re unsure if you can hold a medical or don’t want to make flying a career. The sport pilot license offers an accessible entry into aviation at a lower price point and without requiring a medical.

As with any other type of pilot license, ground school is a great way to prepare for sport pilot flight training, exams, and real-world flying. We’ve rounded up six of the best programs to support your training journey.

Quick Look: 6 Top Sport Pilot Certification Courses

• Sport pilot-specific curriculum: King Schools Sport Pilot Airplane Ground School & Test Prep
• All-in-one bundle: Pilots HQ: Gleim Sport Pilot Online Ground School
• Tech resources: Sporty’s Learn To Fly Course
• Bonus content and resources: Rod Machado’s 40-hour Private Pilot eLearning Ground School
• Free ground school: Fly8MA Basic Private Pilot Ground School
• Live instructor access: Pilot Institute Private Pilot Made Easy

Best Sport Pilot License Ground Schools

The sport pilot license (SPL) is a beginner-level certificate similar to the better-known private pilot license (PPL).

The main differences are that sport pilots have more flying restrictions and must fulfill fewer training requirements. While sport pilots don’t need as many flight hours as a PPL, the written and practical exams are very similar. Because of this, many flight schools don’t offer sport pilot ground school and only offer PPL programs.

Taking a PPL ground program to get a sport pilot license may sound strange, but it’s not a bad idea.

PPL knowledge goes above and beyond the requirements for sport pilots. As a sport pilot going through a PPL course, you’ll learn a little more than is required. But in aviation, no knowledge is wasted. The more aeronautical information you can absorb, the better off you’ll be as a pilot.

King Schools

King Schools is a household name in flight training. It’s also one of the only ground schools to offer a program just for sport pilots. Its ground school and test prep companion apps are convenient for offline study. It also offers unlimited practice tests, lifetime course access, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Best feature: Sport pilot-specific curriculum

Website: King Schools

Course length: Self-paced modules totaling 7.5 hours of content

Subscription access: Lifetime access and automatic updates

What you’ll learn:

• Airspace
• Weather
• Aircraft performance
• Navigation
• Flying maneuvers
• Check ride and test prep

Price: $299

Gleim Pilots HQ

Pilot’s HQ is an online retailer offering pilot and aircraft supplies, educational resources, apparel, and more. It has a bundle of Gleim products specifically for sport pilots, and it’s an incredible value.

For under $200, the bundle includes online ground school and test prep, a stack of textbooks, and flight planning tools. The Gleim ground school alone is valued at $160 when purchased independently.

This is the only ground school program on this list that includes physical resources. It’s a great buy for anyone on a tight training budget.

Best feature: All-in-one bundle

Website: Pilots HQ

Course length: Average of 35 hours to complete

Subscription access: 12-month access to the program, with extension that can be purchased for 50 percent of the original price if you need more time

What you’ll learn:

• Airports
• Airspace
• Federal aviation regulations
• Aeromedical factors and Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM)
• Aviation weather
• Weather services
• Sectional charts and airspace
• Navigation and preflight preparation
• Airplanes and aerodynamics
• Airplane instruments
• Airplane engines and systems
• Airplane performance weight and balance

Price: $199

Sporty’s

The tech-savvy will most enjoy Sporty’s online ground school.

Its 3-D animations, interactive simulation exercises, and 15-plus hours of high-quality video make for a well-rounded ground school experience. Sporty’s has the most diverse compatibility options with learning apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, and Roku. They also have a strong money-back guarantee—pass both your written exam and check ride or receive a full refund.

Although the course is called “Private Pilot Ground School,” it is noted in the  information that sport pilot topics are covered.

Best feature: Tech resources

Website: Sporty’s

Course length: Approximately 23 hours of material

Subscription access: Lifetime access and updates

What you’ll learn:

• Your first few hours
• Practicing landings
• Your first solo
• Dual cross countries
• Private Pilot Test
• Supplemental training (optional)
• Interactive scenarios (optional)

Price: $299

Rod Machado

Rod Machado is known for his entertaining and memorable teaching style.

The module titles listed below give insight into his punny and clever ways of making dense topics easier to understand. This is one of the longer courses on the list with more than 40 hours of video content.

Try the course for free through the demo module linked on the sales page.

Best feature: Bonus content and resources

Website: Rod Machado

Course length: 40 hours of video content

Subscription access: Lifetime access with automatic updates

What you’ll learn:

• Aerodynamics: The Wing Is the Thing
• Engines: Knowledge of Engines Ist Power
• Electrical Systems: Knowing What’s Watt
• Flight Instruments: Clocks, Tops, and Toys
• Federal Aviation Regulations: How FAR Can We Go?
• Airport Operations: No Doctor Needed
• Radio Operations: Aviation Spoken Here
• Airspace: The Wild Blue, Green, and Red Yonder
• Aviation Maps: The Art of the Chart
• Radio Navigation: The Frequency Flyer Program
• Understanding Weather: Looking for Friendly Skies
• Weather Charts and Briefings: PIREPS, Progs, and METARS
• Flight Planning: Getting There From Here
• Airplane Performance Charts: Know Before You Go
• Weight and Balance: Let’s Wait and Balance
• Pilot Potpourri: Neat Aeronautical Information

Price: $279

Fly8MA

While many ground schools offer a demo module or two, hardly any offer an entire program for free.

Fly8MA provides generous access to its basic private pilot ground school. If you’re just beginning to look for a ground school and are overwhelmed by the choices, start here.

This course can supplement training you’re already doing or serve as a solid first step. There’s always the option to upgrade to a more advanced course and get an endorsement to take the written exam when you’re ready.

Best feature: Free ground school

Website: Fly8MA

Course length: 20 modules with 93 topics

Subscription access: Lifetime access to the free course, with monthly subscriptions available to a larger library of training materials

What you’ll learn:

• Your first flight
• Traffic pattern
• Understanding wind and turns
• AOA and stalls
• Maneuvers and landings
• FARs
• Airspace
• Performance calculations
• VFR charts and navigation
• Aeromedical factors
• Flying at night
• Flight planning
• Test prep

Price: Basic Ground School is free with the option to upgrade for $149 to get an endorsement to take the written exam. Monthly subscriptions to a larger library of training materials start at $79 per month.

Pilot Institute

One thing that many online programs neglect is real-life interaction between instructors and students. Pilot Institute bridges the gap between prerecorded and live instruction.

Its students have access to virtual study groups and a community Facebook group. They can also receive instructor support by online chat, phone, or email. Study with classmates and ask questions as they come up instead of slogging through difficult material alone.

Best feature: Live instructor access and community support

Website: Pilot Institute

Course length: 35 hours of video

Subscription access: Lifetime access

What you’ll learn:

• Introduction to flight training
• Aerodynamics
• Performance and limitations
• Regulations
• Aeronautical decision making
• Weather theory
• Airport operations
• Radio communications
• Airspace
• Charts
• Navigation

Price: $225

What Is a Sport Pilot License?

A sport pilot license is an entry-level type of pilot certificate. It is less expensive and has fewer training requirements than a private pilot license. It also has tighter limitations.

A sport pilot can only fly during the daytime and may only carry one passenger. They are also restricted to flying smaller aircraft and must fly below 10,000 feet MSL.

Sport pilots fly light sport aircraft (LSA), which are very small and lightweight. The typical LSA has no more than two seats and a maximum takeoff weight of 1,320 pounds.

Sport pilots may also be endorsed to fly other categories and classes of light aircraft, such as gliders and balloons.

FAA Sport Pilot License Requirements

Training requirements for sport pilots are much lower and more lenient than with other types of pilot licenses. Only 20 total flight hours are required to qualify for a sport pilot certificate.

Fifteen hours must be with a flight instructor, and five must be solo. Sport pilots can also legally fly without a medical certificate as long as they hold a valid U.S. driver’s license.

Get Your Sport Airplane License Training Off the Ground

A sport pilot certificate is an underrated entry point into the exciting world of aviation.

It’s typically much more affordable and accessible than a standard private pilot license. If you’ve ever thought flying was too expensive or otherwise out of reach, a sport pilot certificate may be your solution.

When choosing a ground school program, don’t overthink it. Getting hung up on this decision can hold you back from your ultimate goal—learning how to fly.

There are many incredible programs on the market. The best way forward is to choose one and dedicate time to completing it. Focus, study hard, and be excited to apply that knowledge to your new role as a licensed pilot.

FAQ

How much does a sport pilot license cost?

Light sport aircraft are usually cheaper to rent and more fuel-efficient than other training aircraft, and sport pilots only need to log 20 hours of training. Because of this, the average sport pilot license costs between $4,000-$6,000.

Is a sport pilot license worth it?

A sport pilot license is a great way to start your piloting journey, especially if you can’t qualify for a medical or just want to fly for fun. It’s much more affordable than other types of pilot certificates, and training takes less time to accomplish.

What can I fly with a sport pilot license?

Sport pilots usually train in light sport aircraft but can be endorsed to fly other light aircraft like gliders and balloons.

The post Best Sport Pilot License Ground Schools appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Although it is common for learners to imprint on their instructors, the fact of the matter is that the training connection is a business relationship. There needs to be communication about goals, how to achieve them, progress made, what has been accomplished, and what needs to be done. 

When you are a novice pilot, it can be a challenge to determine if progress is being made. When it becomes clear that it isn’t, it is time to make a change.

Flying Once a Week—Or Less

To make progress you need to fly on a consistent basis. This can be a challenge given limitations on instructor availability, airplane availability, learner availability, or finances.

There is no way anyone can make progress when you fly just once a week or a few times a month. You need a minimum of two lessons per week, three would be better, for learning to take place.

If you don’t have the money or time to fly at least twice a week, now may not be the time to pursue flight training. Save up the money and carve out the time to train. 

Flight Lessons Longer Than Two Hours

Just as flying too little hampers learning, so does flying too much.

Flying is fatiguing both mentally and physically. The cognitive demands, noise, and vibration of the aircraft can wear you out. Learning will not take place if you are tired.

It is not uncommon for pre-solo novice pilots to book five-hour lessons in the aircraft thinking they can knock out huge chunks of training in one lesson. This usually doesn’t work due to the fatigue factor.

You will need to build up endurance in the cockpit just like you do when learning to play a sport. For flights out to the practice area and back, two hours of flight time might be on the ragged edge.

While the FBOs gladly take your money and the CFIs will rack up the hours, you probably won’t get much out of it after about an hour in the air. Flying is too expensive to become self-loading ballast, so consider keeping the pre-solo flights to the practice area and in the pattern no longer than 1.3 hours. When your endurance increases, lengthen the lessons.

Too Early for Ground School?

It is never too early. Most of what you do in the airplane is best taught on the ground in a classroom than practiced in the air. The rules, regulations, and airspace are best taught on the ground as aircraft make terrible classrooms. 

If the CFI doesn’t recommend ground school, insists you self-study, and/or doesn’t make time to review what you have learned, ask why they are reluctant. If you’re not sure about a concept or an aircraft system or how to use a piece of equipment like ForeFlight or the E6-B, and your CFI can’t show you, find someone else to work with.

The CFI Doesn’t Use a Syllabus

A syllabus is the best way to keep a learner on track as it lists the tasks to be performed for certification and the order the tasks are to be learned.

Flight instructors train their clients as they were trained, and sadly many CFIs don’t use a syllabus because the person who trained them didn’t. “No one here uses one,” is a tepid excuse and unprofessional.

Minimal Preflight and Post-Flight Briefings 

“Did you check the weather?” and “See you next week,” are not pre- and post-flight briefings.

The preflight briefing consists of what the planned lesson is, how it will be conducted, and completion standards. The post-flight briefing consists of how you performed on the flight, ways to improve if required, and what will be done on the next flight.

Reluctance to Teach Basic Navigation

If your CFI is all about GPS, and says that no one uses the VORs, magnetic compass, pilotage or ded reckoning anymore, know that this is not accurate.

The basic method of navigation is using outside visual references. You also need to be able to determine time, speed and distance calculations using the E6-B—either analog or electronic—rather than relying on an app to do the work. 

For your check ride, you will need to know how to perform a divert in midair, and it is likely the examiner will disable the electronic devices to test your skills.

Reluctance to Use Paper Charts

While the electronic flight bag is a marvelous tool and reduces cockpit clutter, it can overheat, run out of power, or disappear from your flight bag or airplane.

Learn to use paper as backup. Also, you may find it more expedient to use paper for certain operations, such as looking up an airport tower frequency.

Instead of tapping on multiple tabs, a quick glance at paper gives you the information you seek.

No Introduction to the FAR/AIM

The Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Information Manual (FAR/AIM) spells out the knowledge and experience required for every certificate and rating. Your CFI should tell you about this book on day one of your training and demonstrate how to use it. 

The FAR/AIM is a tool to be used to “trust but verify.” There are far too many learners going on flights that are more for the benefit of the CFI building their hours.

How many times have you heard about a low-time, pre-solo private pilot candidate doing an IFR flight or night cross counties at the insistence of their instructor? 

Remember this is your training, and it’s supposed to benefit you. If you ever feel like that has not happened, you are well within your rights to make a change.

The post When Flight Training Stalls appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

They will drop out of flight training when they run out of money or when life gets in the way. It can also happen with ground school—they miss a class here or there or don’t have time to study. More often than not, it is more of a slow goodbye when they become overwhelmed. 

It is a learning plateau of sorts, and a good CFI will be watching for this and be ready to reel the learner back in.

Instructor Attitude Sets the Tone

It starts with attitude. If the instructor doesn’t want to be there, neither will the learners.

To the CFIs: Ground school shouldn’t be treated like a chore or a necessary evil. 

To the learners: Yes, it will help you pass the knowledge test, but it is also there to prepare you for your time in the air. Put some effort into it, and with the help of your instructor, do flight lessons that help you better understand the concepts you learn about in class.

To the flight schools: Find a CFI who excels at and enjoys teaching ground school. Nothing turns off a learner quicker than a lazy CFI who reads slides off a screen or passages out of a book and tries to call that teaching. They need to be engaged in the delivery—and that needs to be memorable for learning to take place.

Some flight schools pay their CFIs to create and teach a 10-week course with the caveat that the participants who miss a class can drop in on that particular class in the next 10-week course for free. Give the participants a six-month window to do these makeup classes.

This works best when the ground schools are run several times a year, provided they have enough learners to make it economically feasible for the flight school. I have taught classes with as few as five and as many as 12 learners.

The pace of the class should be to accommodate the slowest learner. It will take the CFI about two weeks to determine who that is.

To the CFI: Be ready to give that person extra assistance (privately) if needed, as there are fewer worse feelings than being left behind academically. Understand that talking is not teaching any more than throwing food at someone is getting them to eat.

Ask questions of the learners to see if the message delivered is the one received. If it isn’t, be ready to rephrase

Train the trainers 

It can be beneficial for CFI candidates to shadow the lead CFI, and open this opportunity to the inexperienced CFIs or even a commercial soon-to-be CFI candidate.

The CFI who is leading the course assigns the student-teacher a topic—for example, weight and balance or hazardous weather. The leading CFI is still in charge and will oversee the lesson to make sure all the elements are addressed, but it is a great opportunity for an up-and-comer to gain teaching experience.

Take the Initiative to Teach Ground

If your flight school does not have an established face-to-face ground school class, perhaps you can take the initiative and create one?

You don’t have to hold a CFI certificate to do this. You can become a ground instructor by passing the advanced ground instructor (AGI) knowledge test.

There is a basic ground instructor certificate, but if you want to pursue Gold Seal certification (the FAA’s way of saying you know your stuff), you will need to have an AGI, so why not get it now? The material on these tests is similar to that required of the private pilot and commercial pilot candidates. Once you pass the AGI exam, you can begin teaching ground school.

This nugget of knowledge comes from Greg Brown’s The Savvy Flight Instructor. Brown was flight instructor of the year in 2000 and inducted into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame in 2021.

Brown became my mentor after I heard him speak at a convention. His book is required reading for all the CFI candidates I work with, because it provides guidance on how to achieve professionalism and to market and prepare yourself to be an aviation educator. If you are on the instructor track, read this book.

Initiative: Master Level

When you don’t have a CFI certificate or experience as a teacher, it can be difficult to find a location that will hire you as a ground instructor. Don’t let that stop you.

Have some business cards made and market yourself as a tutor for those in pursuit of their flight review. The ground portion can often be very daunting if it has been a few years since they were involved in aviation.

This is how I started my instructor career. I began tutoring a friend in a Starbucks on Saturday mornings. I carried a small whiteboard, a sectional, an E6-B, etc. Another customer who recognized the tools of the trade asked if I would tutor him for his flight review.

This continued, and soon I had a small ground school going in the corner on Saturday mornings. I would tip the baristas in advance, and everyone would order coffee for the two hours we were together. It helped pay for my CFI flying lessons and develop my teaching skills.

The post The Art of Ground School appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

We agreed there were times when compulsory education seemed tedious, and there was the added challenge of having transportation to get to school, wearing “the right clothes,” etc., which was often a distraction. We both could have done without a lot of that, and agreed the experience would have been better experience with the option for remote learning.

But this was a time when we still had telephone booths and blue mailboxes on corners. The digital age was not yet upon us, and the term “online” applied to fish.

That has all changed now, as online classes are as common as rocks on the beach. If you are considering taking ground school, and have a choice of face-to-face or online, consider this: The material presented will be the same, but the delivery and learner responsibilities are a bit different. It will come down to what works for you.

Face-to-Face

This time of year, ground school enrollment tends to increase as the good flying weather is just around the corner. Before you invest your money (and it will probably be  a few hundred dollars) and time, there are some things to think about.

Do you have the time to commute to a face-to-face class? Or will you be rushing from work to the airport? Will the class schedule interfere with already planned vacations or home projects?

Most face-to-face ground schools are 10 weeks long, consisting of about four hours of lecture and five to six hours of studying. You will definitely get more out of the class if you do the assigned reading before the lecture. If you cannot make this commitment, this may not be the right time for you to enroll. Keep in mind that many FBOs do not give refunds for ground school, even if you have to drop out due to an unforeseen circumstance, like an illness in the family.

Also, some face-to-face courses have minimum attendance rules. For example, if you miss more than X number of classes, you are not allowed to continue, or you may not get the endorsement at the end of the course that allows you to take the knowledge test. That endorsement, by the way, is only good for 60 days. Consider that when you make your plans.

Before you sign up, find out who is teaching the course and if they have experience as a ground instructor—not a flight instructor—beyond the pre-brief and post-brief. It is very discouraging to enroll in a ground school that turns out to be little more than a CFI reading out of a book or the slides off a computer screen. Ground school should be a lecture, discussion, hands-on experience, and if the CFI is good, memorable in a positive way.

To the learners, hear this: Teaching someone to fly an airplane is a lot easier than teaching in a classroom. You show the learner what to do, and they do it. There are many CFIs who avoid teaching ground school because they know it isn’t their skill set. There are others who think repeating something louder and slower is teaching. It really isn’t, but that may be the education model the CFI was trained under.

Online Courses Offer Control

The beauty of online courses is that the learner controls the pace and time of instruction. You could binge watch, doing five lessons in one night, or spread it out to two a week. Don’t try skipping ahead in these courses, however, as they have algorithms baked in to record how much time the learner spent in that lesson. A warning box will pop up telling you that you are going too fast. It also records if you skip something, so don’t even try it.

With online courses you can go back and watch a lesson if something doesn’t quite click. Many online courses provide a way for you to contact a CFI to clarify a concept.

If you are enrolled in a Part 141 program at an FBO or college, it may use a specific online course. It likely dovetails into the syllabus.

If you’re training under Part 61, you have more freedom, and you may want to test fly each course—most allow you to sample a few lessons for free—before you commit.

Some learners get the most out of mixing ground schools. One of my current learners is using Sporty’s Online Private Pilot course and Gold Seal at the same time. Both courses have the same material but are organized differently. This immersion seems to be working for her.

One of the bonuses of online ground school is that often you can revisit the lessons even after you have received your certificate. This refresher, while not required by the FAA, is often the mark of a good pilot. If it has been awhile since you did a soft field takeoff and you plan to fly to a grass strip, review that lesson to make sure no knowledge has been lost. Remember, pilot proficiency begins on the ground.

More Specialty Training

Many online education providers also have specialty courses, such as preparing for your flight review, tailwheel training, or backcountry flying. It’s also a way to sample a different kind of flying without getting anywhere near an airport.

If this is your first endeavor into ground school, trial and error is probably the best way to determine what works for you and what doesn’t. Good luck, and may learning take place.

The post How to Find Your Best Ground School Fit appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

I was using the weather computer at a flight school when I overheard a CFI say this to another CFI. They were talking about the private pilot knowledge test and the school policy of pushing the learners through by rote memorization. I turned to look at them. I tried not to have “warrior-princess-flight-instructor-mom face,” but I don’t think I succeeded because they both froze, then moved on. I wondered when “later” was for the learners, who had spent approximately $700 on class supplies and tuition to spend 40 hours in the classroom with the expectation they were learning what they needed to know to be private pilots—not just to pass a 60 question test.

Ground School Is Important

Sadly, ground school is often treated as a chore rather than a means of gaining knowledge. This attitude may come from the CFI, who may rush through the prebrief and direct their learners to online ground courses such as Gold Seal, Sporty’s, King Schools, ASA, etc. with the expectation that learning will take place. That depends on the learner’s attitude. If they rush through the course, guessing at answers at the end of subject quizzes, it is doubtful they will benefit from the course. If they pass all the quizzes and the final exam, they get the end-of-course certificate that can be used in lieu of an instructor’s endorsement required to take the $175 knowledge test. This certificate does not guarantee that they will pass the test. If they fail, it is often a surprise, especially when they don’t grasp the difference between guess clicking the answers and actually learning the material.

If you are using an online course, keep a notebook next to you and write down the topics that are confusing or challenging. If you have to guess at an answer, write down the question and find an instructor who excels at teaching ground school and have them explain it to you.

Failure to learn can also happen in a face-to-face class. One of the first remedial stage checks I performed was for a private pilot candidate who failed his checkride on the ground because his knowledge of systems was not to standard. He took private pilot ground school at the local community college passing the class and scoring a 72 on the knowledge test (70 is passing).

The recommending CFI was perplexed, as he knew the learner had taken ground school, but admitted he had not gone over the material with the learner prior to the check ride because he thought the college ground school would have prepared him well enough.

After a few minutes of quizzing, it was apparent that there were significant soft spots, and he did not know how to use the resources, such as the legend on the sectional and FAR/AIM to look things up. The learner said the structure of the college course was that the teacher of the ground school class supplied the learners with copies of the tests in advance, and they memorized the answers. When they all passed the class, the teacher—and the Part 141 program—looked good to the FAA.

Plan to Learn, Plan to Teach

Ground lessons, like flight lessons, need to be planned. Insist the instructor use a syllabus backed up with Airman Certification Standards (ACS). And, remember, the ACS is the minimum for certification, so aim to do better.

In my 20-plus years of instructing, I have found it very helpful to have the learner teach the topic back to me. Most of my learners are planning careers as professional pilots and will likely be working as flight instructors for a time. I encourage them to develop their skills as teachers of flight and never lose them, because after a few years of flying the line, they may be called upon to train their future coworkers. Keep those skills sharp, and plan on doing flight instructor refresher clinics so you won’t have to take a check ride to reinstate your CFI certificate—it’s a lot easier to keep it than have to reinstate it.

Figure Out What Works for Ground Learning

Learning on the ground takes some experimentation. If you are a kinetic learner, you may find that tossing a tennis ball back and forth during oral quizzing can facilitate the learning process. Some may build models using classroom supplies or even Legos.

Visual learners do well writing and drawing on whiteboards with multiple colors, especially when it comes to diagraming aircraft systems. During the systems presentations, work in system failures and troubleshooting techniques.

• READ MORE: Math 101 for Pilots

Airspace and aircraft performance are best taught by creating a VFR flight plan for a cross country. And I mean using a paper navlog and a mechanical E6-B flight computer—which I stress has the instructions for problem-solving printed on it. Navigation can be fun to learn and teach, especially when you make a stack of plans for those “bucket list” flights. This is also a good time to practice diverting skills. I often time my learners to see how quickly they can do the calculations.

Teaching weather can also be a challenge, especially for the learner who argues they will only fly on “good days.”

“Weather is something we can’t control that can kill you,” I told a particularly recalcitrant learner, then had him do a search on the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) website for accidents in the local area that had a weather component. The Pacific Northwest had seen its share of CFIT events caused by clouds, fog, pilot disorientation, and “get-there-itis.”

His attitude changed after that, and he showed me so on a day we were flying a VFR-only aircraft on a winter afternoon. You could feel the temperature dropping. He pulled up the AWOS, noted the converging temperature and dew point, then turned the aircraft to look at the valley next to the airport. You could see fog starting to form. He announced we were going to return for landing before it got worse because he didn’t want to end up a statistic.

Some Questions Best Answered in the Air

Some of the concepts that confuse a person on the ground can best be explained in the air or the AATD, if one is available.

A good example of this is the “why can’t you stretch a glide with back pressure?” question. If you are in the air, get to an altitude that will allow for recovery from a power-off stall, then have the learner attempt to stretch the glide. When the aircraft stalls and the nose drops, talk the learner through recovery, noting altitude loss. Then take the aircraft back up to altitude and repeat the process, except instead of adding back pressure to stretch the glide, experiment with adding power and changing pitch to maintain best glide speed. Learning will take place.

The post Making the Most of a Ground Lesson appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Answer: Teaching a lesson under the guidance of an experienced CFI is how most instructor candidates learn how to teach. You were given an opportunity to develop and exercise those skills. 

• READ MORE: Can You Select a DPE for Your Check Ride?

The weight and balance lesson isn’t so much aviation but basic math. The chief CFI was correct that the ground instructor is still in charge of the class. However, if you really don’t want to be a CFI, please consider finding another way to build your hours, since poor attitudes lead to poor instruction given.

• READ MORE: What Impact Does Time Change Have on Aviation?

Do you have a question about aviation that’s been bugging you? Ask us anything you’ve ever wanted to know about aviation. Our experts in general aviation, flight training, aircraft, avionics, and more may attempt to answer your question in a future article.

The post Can a CFI Applicant Teach Ground School? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The courses offered by the iconic general aviation outlet and service provider include a comprehensive training syllabus with a quick access feature to suggested study resources, like video segments and FAA manuals. FAA manuals—such as the federal aviation regulations —are continually updated every time pilots log in, so the course always shows the latest information. 

Learners can navigate their way through sections with a search box.

Each video section has also been upgraded, with a “Related Content” tab that links to helpful resources for pilots who want to explore a topic through additional videos, helpful websites, and FAA publications.

“We have made it much more than an online knowledge test prep,” says Bret Koebbe, Sporty’s senior vice president, noting the courses have been created to help pilots acquire practical skills, not just rote memorization to pass the knowledge test.

Improved Lifestyle Integration

According to Koebbe, the new digital courses can be viewed on Macbook, iMac or Mac Pro and are designed to work without an internet connection. The Mac app automatically saves test prep components for offline use and videos can be downloaded to the Mac’s hard drive.

“CarPlay integration has been added to the iOS version of the Pilot Training app, so if your vehicle has CarPlay, you can review for your flight lesson en route to the airport,” Koebbe said.

Sporty’s has been one of the leaders in remote ground schools starting in the 1980s with VHS tapes, then DVDs and eventually moving to online materials. 

Every time the courses are updated, Sporty’s adds new segments based upon its customers’ suggestions and requests. This time around, there are detailed lessons on completing a navlog using a paper sectional, plotter, and E6B (both mechanical and electronic), preflight weather briefing tips, and an introduction to glass cockpits.

Improved CFI Integration

With this update, flight instructors enjoy free access to a suite of tools on Sporty’s Pilot Training platform, including a document library and templates for common endorsements. CFIs can also monitor the progress of their students in the Sporty’s courses, including video segments and test prep sessions. Detailed reporting makes it easy to review missed questions during a ground lesson, and CFIs can also watch the entire course to stay in sync on key topics. 

CFIs can get free access to the course by registering their CFI certificate number. This also gives the CFI access to the Sporty’s Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic every two years.

“The COVID-19 pandemic taught many flight students and instructors that remote ground school lessons are now a possibility,” Koebbe said. “Sporty’s 2023 courses are taking this idea to the next level, with support for Apple’s unique SharePlay feature. [SharePlay supports training on the] iPhone and iPad, which allows two students, or a CFI and a student, to watch a training video together on a FaceTime call from the app, or share their screen to review or study other parts of the app, like test prep questions or the flight maneuvers guide. It’s a great way for CFIs to prepare for or debrief a lesson with a student when away from the airport.”

The app syncs video playback and controls, so both people see the same thing at the same time. Smart volume means a student and instructor can talk while the video is playing, making it possible to discuss complicated concepts or their application in the flight training environment.

Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course [E1753A], Instrument Rating Course [E4200A], and Commercial Pilot Course [E249A] may be purchased for $279 each at sportys.com or by calling 1-800-SPORTYS. Free lifetime updates are included with each course.

The post Sporty’s Unveils New Pilot Training Courses for 2023 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Sadly, many pilots in training see private pilot ground school as a means to pass the knowledge exam (it hasn’t been a written test since the 1990s—it is completed on a computer) and that’s it. Some student pilots have a “just get it over with” mentality for the knowledge test, with the idea that 70 percent is the minimum passing grade, and anything higher than that is overkill. 

There was a time when memorizing the questions and answers was done on a regular basis and even encouraged by some—but the FAA threw that out the window when they started changing up the questions on a semi-regular basis, as digital publishing made it easier to do.

The Knowledge Test Dictates the Check Ride

In the last few years, the applicant’s knowledge test score has taken on a greater significance, impacting the structure of the private pilot check ride. It used to be that the designated pilot examiner wouldn’t see the applicant’s knowledge exam results until the day of the check ride. The DPE would note the areas where the applicant was found deficient—meaning where you had wrong answers—and would start asking questions in that area. These days, the DPE receives the applicant’s test results in advance. DPEs can get creative when creating a scenario testing the applicant’s knowledge of “areas found deficient.” If there are a lot of deficient areas, then it’s going to be a mighty long oral exam.

If you fail the knowledge exam, you are required to get additional training, an endorsement from the instructor stating that you had the required additional instruction and are now capable of passing the test. Be advised, the knowledge exam now costs $175 a shot. You want to pass the first time and with a good score. This can be achieved by applying yourself during ground school.

Options for Ground School

Ground school can be accomplished face to face, online, or through self-study. Since the pandemic, hybrid classes done F2F and via Zoom have also become more popular. It doesn’t matter if you intend to train under Part 141 or Part 61—the knowledge requirements are the same. You will learn about flight instruments and parts of an airplane, aircraft systems, aerodynamics, airspace, weather, flight operations, cross-country flight planning, regulations, sectional charts, aircraft performance, human factors, electronic navigation, and weight and balance. 

Expect to use a textbook, either virtual or hardcopy, such as the FAA’s Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, the Airplane Flying Handbook, and a current FAR/AIM. These can also be purchased through a third-party provider such as Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA), or Jeppesen. You should be taking notes during class.

For people who do best with a face-to-face class held in a brick-and-mortar classroom, check with the local FBOs or colleges. If you take this route, expect to spend 4 to 5 hours a week in class for eight to 10 weeks. Expect to take quizzes at the end of each subject area, as well as a test at the end of each section, and at least one final exam—more often, two versions that are drawn from the actual question bank used on the FAA’s knowledge exam. 

When you pass the final in class or online (in most cases), you will get a certificate of completion and an endorsement that gives you 60 days to take the knowledge test at an FAA- approved testing center. Flight schools usually have a list of locations where you can take the test. It comprises 60 multiple choice questions.

The scores you get on quizzes and stage tests in ground school are not reported to the FAA. The important thing is that you learn the material—and remember, there is something about getting a question wrong on a test, and then learning what the correct answer is that makes you remember the correct answer that much more.

Online Ground School

If you would like to learn on your own schedule and at your own pace, an online course might work best for you. Online courses require you to have access to a reliable internet connection. 

Gold Seal, King Schools, and Sporty’s Pilot Shop are among the online courses most recommended by instructors. 

Many online courses allow you to sample a few classes for free. If the videos are too long, or you can’t stand the sound of the presenter’s voice, or they have a distracting habit, like rocking back and forth or squirreling off on tangents, move on. You’re going to spend at least 40 hours with this person, and if you feel like you can’t bear this thought, find another course.

When doing ground school online, pace yourself. Binge-watching ground school lessons usually doesn’t work well for retention. Don’t even think about skipping ahead to the quizzes or end-of-course exam as many courses have built-in software to prevent you from doing that.

Pro-tip: Find an online ground school that allows you to automatically share your quiz results with your CFI via email. When you take a quiz, the CFI gets an email telling them how you did on it. This helps the CFI tailor your flight lessons to address any soft spots revealed by the quizzes. For example, if you have difficulty with an aerodynamics quiz, a good CFI can demonstrate the concepts using slow flight, stalls, and steep turns.

Self-Study—Do It on Your Own

In order to be eligible for the knowledge test, the applicant needs to have an endorsement stating that they are ready to take the test, per sections FAR 61.35(a)(1) and 61.105.

You can do this with books too. If you choose this route, a CFI or advanced ground instructor (AGI) must review your course supplies and evaluate your retention of the material—and then sign you off for the knowledge test. 

Hands-On Learning Takes Repetition

Some private pilot concepts—such as cross-country flight planning and filling out a navlog—need to be reviewed more than once, and are often best done face to face with a CFI. It is one of those skills that is often best taught by the “instructor tells, student does” model, starting with a paper sectional, paper navlog, and plotter—and the E6B flight computer, often called the “flight confuser” by some learners.

I wish I had a dollar for every time a learner described the E6B as “the bane of their existence”—I could buy pizza for the entire Cal Poly Humboldt marching band—the E6B can be your friend if you have the patience to learn how to use it. This can be done in a one-on-one session with a flight instructor. But here is the scary part: There are lots of CFIs who never learned to use an E6B or don’t remember how to because they have an app on their smartphone. 

That’s all well and good until the learner goes to take the knowledge test and their phone is taken away because electronic devices are not allowed—the learner is handed a manual E6B that belongs to the testing center and hijinks ensue. Save yourself some heartache and learn to use the mechanical E6B.

Another pro tip: The instructions for how to solve the equations for time/speed/distance, density altitude, etc., are printed on the E6B. What a glorious day it was when the instructor of my private pilot ground school allowed us to remove the painter’s tape he’d used to cover this information on our E6Bs—he was old school and insisted we learn the formulas. We spent so much time with the E6B we were instructed to give them names. I still have a 30-plus-year-old one that I named Wilbur. It’s made of metal and some of its numbers have rubbed off because of heavy use. One edge is sharpened because I turned it into a knife and a shovel during a survival drill, and it’s missing a screw on the wind side. It resides in a place of honor on the bookshelf in my office.

• READ MORE: FAA Updates Bank of Sample Knowledge Test Questions

Practice Tests are a Good Idea

The purpose of practice and drill is to help you develop your skills. This is one of those tests you want to practice. Sporty’s has practice tests that you can take online for free. You can customize them to an extent to address your soft spots—for example, if FARs are not your strong suit, you can create an exam that is all FARs. You may find it helpful to take shorter quizzes of no more than 10 questions at a time, then work your way up to the 60 question practice test. Keep notes on what areas you had difficulty with.

Another pro-tip: Do not take the official knowledge test until you have scored at least 90 percent on three 60-question practice tests in a row during the same week. I offer this advice as someone who has been teaching ground school for 20 years: There is something about walking into that testing center that makes most people lose 10 points—or more—off their score. 

Tips for Taking the Knowledge Test

1) For the cross-country distance questions, use the scale on the figures referred to in the testing booklet—do not use your plotter or the scale on the manual E6B, because the scale will be wrong. Instead, create a plotter that matches the scale printed on the figure in the test booklet. Use the piece of scratch paper that is issued to you in the testing center to do this.

2) Read the questions twice, silently to yourself moving your lips. This makes your brain slow down to really take a look at what is being asked.

3) Put your test results in a safe place—I am a big believer in photocopying them as a precaution and carrying the photocopy in the logbook because your instructor will be going over the test results with you; the codes for what was missed are printed on the test results. Your CFI will give you more instruction in those areas.

4) Make sure an instructor goes over the test results with you, and then signs off that you have received remedial training in that subject area. You will need this for your check ride.

Remember, the purpose of private pilot ground school is not just to pass the knowledge test, it’s to learn the skills and knowledge required for safe flying—apply yourself and reap the rewards.

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