Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Ground school independent study

Asked by: 6351 views Student Pilot

I was thinking about getting a PPL and was wondering if paying for ground school is mandatory or is it possible to buy flight training books and/or DVDs (i.e. jeppeson, king schools, etc.) and FAA test preps to study the material on my own in order to pass the knowledge test? Then use a CFI for the actual flying only.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Dauntless Aviation's GroundSchool series of apps are the smart pilot's choice for fast and effective FAA knowledge test prep.
Actual, up-to-date FAA questions Polished user experience
Best explanations in the business Free lifetime updates!
Private Pilot IFR Commercial Pilot CFI ATP Sport Pilot Sport Pilot Instructor Parachute Rigger Aviation Mechanic (A&P)
You can get the app now and be studying right away. Available for PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android.

2 Answers



  1. Micah on May 31, 2011

    The price difference between home study and a class shouldn’t be too large. Your class/home study course should be more than sufficient for the written portion of the practical test, but it’s unlikely that your instructor will endorse your aeronautical knowledge before the practical test without spend plenty of time one-on-one with your instructor reviewing the aeronautical knowledge before the “oral” portion of your practical test.
     
    Read the regulations (Part 61, Subpart E, beginning at 61.102), a small section is below. 
    “(a) General. A person who is applying for a private pilot certificate must receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course on the aeronautical knowledge areas of paragraph (b) of this section that apply to the aircraft category and class rating sought.”
     
    and
     

    “To be eligible for a private pilot certificate, a person must:
    …
    (d) Receive a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor who:
    (1) Conducted the training or reviewed the person’s home study on the aeronautical knowledge areas listed in §61.105(b) of this part that apply to the aircraft rating sought; and
    (2) Certified that the person is prepared for the required knowledge test.
    (e) Pass the required knowledge test on the aeronautical knowledge areas listed in §61.105(b) of this part.
    (f) Receive flight training and a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor who:
    (1) Conducted the training in the areas of operation listed in §61.107(b) of this part that apply to the aircraft rating sought; and
    (2) Certified that the person is prepared for the required practical test.
    …”
     
    If your question is whether you have freedom regarding self-study of the “book knowledge,” yes, you should have options. If your question is whether you can save money with a home course, etc., then that’s a different issue.
     

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Matthew Waugh on May 31, 2011

    There is no requirement on HOW you obtain the knowledge, merely that you must have the knowledge.
     
    Books, DVDs etc. are all fine mechanisms. You will pay for some ground school (or you should) as there are certain topics best covered on the ground before you fly them, and you’ll need an endorsement from an instructor who will probably want to quiz you to ensure you have adequate knowledge before giving you the endorsement.
     
    However – let me put in a plug for a group ground school if you can find one – you’ll learn SO much more than just the material, not to mention the support group aspect.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.