Private Pilot Ground School · Video course · In production
Ground school in the order you'll need it in the airplane.
A self-paced video course built from the Private Pilot Ground School textbook. About 120 short lessons in 14 modules, narrated, with animated explainers and a quiz after every module.
In production and opening soon. People on the list hear first. Launch date and price are not decided. Add them here when set.
Overview video
See inside the course.
Real lesson screens and animations, how the modules build on each other, what you get, and how the knowledge test endorsement works.
- Real lesson screens and animated explainers
- Quizzes, a final exam and the FAA references
- The 85% final and your knowledge test endorsement
Why this course
You can pass the written and still not know why.
Question banks get people through the knowledge test. Then the instructor asks a “why” question in the run-up area, and the memorized answer doesn't help.
This course gives you the reasons, in an order where each module sets up the next: aerodynamics before performance, weather before flight planning, regulations before the cross-country you'll fly alone. Each module ends with a quiz so you know it stuck.
Course outline
Fourteen modules, in order.
Short video lessons of 5–9 minutes, about 120 in all. Work through them at your own pace.
Course Orientation
How the course is organized and how to get the most from it.
The Path to Your Certificate & How Airplanes Fly
The path to your certificate, documents and the medical, aircraft components, the four forces, stability and stalls.
Aircraft Systems and Flight Instruments
Engines, fuel and electrical systems, the pitot-static and vacuum instruments, the magnetic compass and their errors.
Airspace and the Sectional Chart
Reading sectional charts and every airspace class, with the entry requirements you will brief.
Federal Aviation Regulations
14 CFR Parts 1, 61 and 91, and NTSB Part 830 accident reporting.
Airport Operations I
Runways, taxiway and runway markings, signs and airport lighting.
Airport Operations II
Runway incursions, LAHSO, NOTAMs, visual glideslope indicators, wind indicators and traffic patterns.
Radio Communications
Phraseology, ATC services, transponder and ADS-B, lost communications and a full radio scenario.
Radio Navigation
NDB, VOR and GPS navigation, with chart work.
Aviation Weather
Weather theory, clouds, fronts and thunderstorms, then METARs, TAFs, the GFA, winds aloft, AIRMETs, SIGMETs and PIREPs.
Aircraft Performance and Weight and Balance
Pressure and density altitude, performance charts, crosswind components, weight and balance.
Flight Planning
Planning a VFR cross-country from route to navigation log and fuel.
Aeromedical Factors and Aeronautical Decision-Making
Aeromedical factors, hazardous attitudes, ADM, CRM, SRM, personal minimums and the PAVE checklist.
The Knowledge Test & the Checkride
What to expect on the knowledge test and on the practical test.
What's in the course
Built to be watched, then checked.
Narrated video lessons
About 120 lessons of 5–9 minutes each, in 14 modules.
Animated explainers
Diagrams that move, for the ideas that are hard to see in a still picture.
A quiz after every module
So you find out what didn't stick before the instructor does.
Companion textbook
The Private Pilot Ground School textbook follows the same order as the lessons. It's optional and sold separately.
Open items: launch date, price, and whether a bundle is offered (for example with the PAVE course or Aviation Test Prep). Nothing about these is stated on the public page.
Companion textbook
Private Pilot Ground School: The Complete Textbook
The course is built from this textbook. It has original diagrams and scenario boxes that match the lessons. It's an optional, separate purchase.
Cover shown is Concept 2, pending final approval and ISBN. No delivery date is promised; add one (and any print edition plan) only when decided.
Who it's for
Built for
- Student pilots starting or already in Private Pilot training
- Adults who study evenings and weekends
- Anyone who wants to understand the material, not just pass the test
Paying for training? See the Scholarship Finder.
Not built for
- A crash course before a test next week
- Anyone looking for a pass guarantee
- Replacing your flight instructor
Opening soon
Hear first when it opens.
The course is in production. Join the list and we'll email you when it opens.
Next in the series
Instrument Ground School
Also a video course, made the same way as the Private course. Planned for 2027; the date and price aren't set. Join the waitlist to hear first.
Questions
Before you join
Is the course available yet?
Not yet. It's in production and opening soon. Join the list on this page and we'll email you when it opens.
How much time does it take?
Lessons run 5–9 minutes each. It's self-paced, so how long it takes depends on how you study.
Do I get the knowledge test endorsement?
Yes. The course ends with a final exam modeled on the FAA knowledge test. Complete the course and score 85% or higher on the final, and one of our FAA-certificated instructors gives you the endorsement you need to take the knowledge test (14 CFR 61.103(d)).
What if it isn't for me?
See the refund policy.
Is the textbook included?
No. The companion textbook is a separate purchase, and you don't need it to take the course. Some students like having the printed reference alongside the lessons.