If you are pursuing your Private Pilot's License, you will need to spend a considerable amount of time studying and learning on the ground. Many instructors and flight schools recommend taking a ground school course, which can be done through a variety of formats. Each format has its own pros and cons:
- In a classroom: Ground school classes taught in a classroom are usually held once or twice per week, at a predetermined date and time, and last a couple hours per session (example: Monday and Wednesday, 6-8pm). They will usually follow a syllabus and might be fairly rigid, so learning at your own pace may be difficult to do. You will be in a classroom with other students, and one-on-one help may be limited. This kind of course will usually start at $300, and the price may increase significantly if you attend the course through a college or University program. Thanks to Covid, the availability of these courses may be very limited, and if you do go, you may be unnecessarily putting yourself at risk.
- One-On-One with with a flight instructor: Working with a flight instructor can provide a great in-depth, one-on-one experience, but at $50-$75 per hour, this is going to get expensive FAST, and your instructor might have limited availability in their schedule to work with you so frequently.
- Book course: Some courses are offered through a set of books. This requires quite a bit of drive and motivation to power through some of the dry, boring bits and pieces (yes, aviation is very fun and fascinating, but there are aspects of it that put everyone to sleep!). Lack of visuals, animations, or interactive features can make this a difficult way of learning everything that one needs to know when studying to become a pilot. Because FAA regulations and FAA knowledge test question banks are always changing, books are out-of-date almost immediately upon publishing.
- Video/Online course: this is a great option for those of you with limited schedules, and those who prefer a visual style of learning. You can take this course on your own time, as quickly or as slowly as you'd like, using a DVD player, computer, tablet, or phone. Additionally, sometimes these courses, once purchased, are made available to you for life, allowing you to review the material as needed or when preparing for a biannual flight review. This is the kind of ground school course that we recommend because it is the most efficient, flexible, and effective method of learning.
There are so many choices when it comes to selecting a ground school course. After considering a number of different courses, we are proud to partner with Rod Machado - one of the most respected and well-known flight instructors in the world - to provide a Private Pilot Ground School eLearning Course.
This highly animated, interactive eLearning course is probably the most comprehensive private pilot ground training program on the market today. Its 26-course modules span 40-hours of highly educational, fun and interactive aviation ground training. The depth of material covered in this course is what you'd find in your traditional single-semester, college aviation ground school, at a fraction of the cost. No need to be intimidated: this course contains everything you need to prepare for the written test, and this course will guide you from start to finish
Included at the end of each lesson are FAA-like knowledge questions to reinforce what you've learned. Compared to nearly every course I have tried, this is the most fun and enjoyable course to study. No more reading dry, stale, study material when you can learn in an enjoyable, interactive manner. At the end of this course, you'll be provided with a graduation certificate and the required endorsement to take the private pilot knowledge exam.
Here is the real kicker, and why this particular course is recommended: Most ground school courses focus solely on preparing you to pass the written knowledge exam only, similar to those SAT or ACT-prep courses used by high school students to pass a standardized test. The knowledge you gain from most other ground school courses is is to be applied to answering a 60-question multiple choice test, but its not very practical or usable knowledge. Rod's course is different: Rod provides an all-encompassing, fully comprehensive ground school that will not only prepare you to pass the written knowledge test, but it will help you LEARN material that you will actually use in the cockpit. This can replace most of those $50-$75 per hour ground sessions with your CFI, saving you a lot of money that you can then use to actually fly.
Here's just a sampling of the topics found in this course.
Remember that this is an interactive video course, so relax: even these sometimes dry or intimidating topics are made interesting and easily digestible through this course!
Included at the end of each lesson are FAA-like knowledge questions to reinforce what you've learned. Compared to nearly every course I have tried, this is the most fun and enjoyable course to study. No more reading dry, stale, study material when you can learn in an enjoyable, interactive manner. At the end of this course, you'll be provided with a graduation certificate and the required endorsement to take the private pilot knowledge exam.
Here is the real kicker, and why this particular course is recommended: Most ground school courses focus solely on preparing you to pass the written knowledge exam only, similar to those SAT or ACT-prep courses used by high school students to pass a standardized test. The knowledge you gain from most other ground school courses is is to be applied to answering a 60-question multiple choice test, but its not very practical or usable knowledge. Rod's course is different: Rod provides an all-encompassing, fully comprehensive ground school that will not only prepare you to pass the written knowledge test, but it will help you LEARN material that you will actually use in the cockpit. This can replace most of those $50-$75 per hour ground sessions with your CFI, saving you a lot of money that you can then use to actually fly.
Here's just a sampling of the topics found in this course.
- Aerodynamics (3.9 Hrs)
- Engines (3.45 Hrs)
- Electrical Systems (.5 Hrs)
- Flight Instruments (2.5 Hrs)
- Federal Aviation Regulations (4.6 Hrs)
- Airport Operations (2.45 Hrs)
- Radio Operations (1.4 Hrs)
- Airspace (3.5 Hrs)
- Aviation Maps (.85 Hrs)
- Radio Navigation (1.9 Hrs)
- Understanding Weather (5.8 Hrs)
- Weather Charts and Briefings (3.1 Hrs)
- Flight Planning (3.2 Hrs)
- Airplane Performance Charts (1.7 Hrs)
- Weight and Balance (1.4 Hrs)
Remember that this is an interactive video course, so relax: even these sometimes dry or intimidating topics are made interesting and easily digestible through this course!
This course will be available to you for life, and will receive regular product updates so that you can use it throughout your entire flying career for review. The course also includes all the books you will need for flight training, as well as a flight training syllabus that can be used in conjunction with this course:
1. Rod Machado's Private Pilot eHandbook (a $49.95 value)
2. Rod Machado's Private Pilot eWorkbook (a $19.95 value)
3. Rod Machado's How to Fly an Airplane eHandbook (a $44.95 value)
4. Rod Machado's Plane Talk eBook (a $24.95 value)
5. Rod Machado's Stick and Rudder Flight Training Syllabus
6. Rod Machado's Ground School Syllabus
1. Rod Machado's Private Pilot eHandbook (a $49.95 value)
2. Rod Machado's Private Pilot eWorkbook (a $19.95 value)
3. Rod Machado's How to Fly an Airplane eHandbook (a $44.95 value)
4. Rod Machado's Plane Talk eBook (a $24.95 value)
5. Rod Machado's Stick and Rudder Flight Training Syllabus
6. Rod Machado's Ground School Syllabus
