Private Pilot Ground School

Let's get to the important part first: At Sunbreak Aviation, our Private Pilot Ground School is free.

If you've thought about becoming a pilot but you're unsure what to expect, then this is the place to start.

Begin with any class — all ten run in a loop. If you miss any classes, you can make them up in subsequent sessions.

Classes are most Saturdays, starting at 9:00. Each session runs from three to four hours.

• Oct. 3: Aeromedical Factors, Aeronautical-Decision Making, Collision Avoidance
• Oct. 10: Aircraft: Construction & Systems, Flight Controls & Instruments
• Oct. 17: Principles of Flight, Aerodynamics
• Oct. 24: Flight Manuals, Weight and Balance, Aircraft Performance
• Oct. 31: Weather Theory
• Nov. 7: Aviation Weather Services
• Nov. 14: Airport Operations, Airspace
• Nov. 21: Navigation, Aeronautical Charts
• Nov. 28: Thanksgiving Weekend: No Class
• Dec. 5: Regulations, Aeronautical Information Manual, Advisory Circulars
• Dec. 12: Flight Fundamentals, Traffic Patterns, Ground Reference Maneuvers
• Dec. 19 – Jan. 2: Winter Break: No Classes

Students attending Sunbreak's ground school will be offered free digital access to online study materials. Students do not need to purchase any books to attend classes.

Students who intend to take the FAA Private Pilot knowledge test will need to purchase a test-prep book or online program. We can look at a few options with you (prices range from $30 – $300).

If you're planning to attend class for the first time, please drop us a note at learn@sunbreakair.com so that we can estimate our current class size.

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The Classroom

All classes are held in the Sasquatch Aviation hangar at Pacific Flight. We have a large room with plenty of space for everyone — and if it gets crowded we'll move downstairs to our larger event space.

This classroom has hosted aviation ground schools for more than twenty years. For many pilots, it's an old friend.

Students who want to study independently after class — or just kick back and relax — are welcome to hang out in our study loft, which features large sofas. Noise-cancelling headphones are a great study aid.

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Student Training Logs

By regulation (CFR 61.105), student pilots seeking a Private Pilot Certificate under Part 61 "must receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course" in specified aeronautical knowledge areas.

Student pilots attending Sunbreak's ground school will be provided a training log, which will be signed by an authorized instructor at the end of each session.

The training log will satisfy the requirements of 61.105 and can be presented to the flight examiner on the day of the flight test.

Students who successfully complete a qualifying exam will earn an instructor endorsement as evidence of course completion (CFR 61.103).

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The Other Half of Flight Training

A passing score on the FAA knowledge test is a major milestone in Private Pilot training, but too often the goal is set aside.

Some student pilots are extremely interested in building flight hours and less interested in studying.

Sometimes a flight instructor hands a textbook to a new student and says "You need to read this," but the reading doesn't happen.

And, occasionally, the conversation never starts.

It seems that an important point isn't said often enough: The effort required to pass the knowledge test is the other half of flight training.

If you're working on your Private Pilot certificate, you don't want to begin studying for the knowledge test a month before your flight test. Almost certainly, your flight test will be delayed.

During ground school sessions, we will look at subject matter set out in the FAA's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and Airplane Flying Handbook, along with regulations, advisories, aeronautical charts, and chart supplements.

We want to cover everything we can so that our students have a robust understanding of the material and overall flight safety.

At the same time, we also are training student pilots to pass a formal exam. We will look at test questions during class — a lot of test questions — so that you will become familiar with the FAA's question format and some of its patterns.

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Test Endorsement

FAA knowledge tests are taken at approved testing centers. Test-takers will pay a testing fee when they schedule a test.

In order to proceed to the test, a student pilot must have a test endorsement from an authorized instructor (CFR 61.35, 61.103), which will be presented at the testing center during check-in.

Sunbreak's ground school students who have attended all ten ground school sessions have the option of earning a test endorsement from one of our instructors. This can be done by scheduling a qualifying exam at our location.

The exam will be conducted using the test center's conditions:

• Electronic and manual calculators are permitted.
• Internet-connected devices will be placed in a locked pouch or left outside of the room.
• Test-takers will have two hours to complete the test.

A minimum score of 83% (50/60) is required in order to receive an endorsement from a Sunbreak instructor stating that the student is prepared to take the knowledge test. This endorsement will meet the FAA's requirements for evidence that the student has satisfactorily completed the ground training required for the Private Pilot certificate (AC 61-65 10.2).

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One-on-One Test Prep

Need to revisit a topic? Or did you miss a class? You can schedule a one-on-one Test Prep session with one of our instructors to catch up. Click here for more information.