Ground Schools

Ground School Schedules

Part 141 Certified Private Pilot Helicopter Ground School
Monday and Wednesday evening from 7 to 10 PM at the Hummingbird Aviation FBO at the Flying Cloud Airport

Part 141 Airplane Private Pilot Ground School
Tuesday and Thursday from 7 to 10 PM at the same location

Seating is Limited!
Seating in each class is limited to 10. These classes will sell out! Click here or call (952) 944-2628 to get started

We teach both a Part 61 and a Part 141 ground school. The information is the same but the testing standards and attendance requirements are higher for the Part 141 training. We will explain the Part 141 requirements on the first night of class.

Each private pilot ground school is focused on knowledge information required for a new student to pass the FAA knowledge test. However, many ATP and commercial rated pilots have taken the course and rave about the content and review. These ground schools focus on helicopter-specific and airplane-specific knowledge therefore they are perfect for pilots of all experience levels.

What We Cover

Our Private Pilot Ground School will take you, a new student, from our front door to your destination on a cross-country trip as the pilot-in-command of a personal helicopter or airplane. The 8-week, 48-hour curriculum will ensure that you will have all the knowledge requirements established by the FAA to qualify you to pass the Private Pilot Written Exam.

Stage 1: Answer some basic questions. "What is a helicopter (or airplane)?" "What makes it fly?" "What limits an aircraft in flight?" and "How does a pilot control the aircraft in flight?"

Stage 2: We roll the aircraft out of the hanger and begin flying it in the real world of controlled and uncontrolled airspace.

Stage 3: Adds the elements of weather that can effect your decision to depart on a flight and determine whether a flight can be safely completed.

Stage 4: Basic cross-country navigation skills are introduced in Stage 4 as you learn how to prepare and plan for your upcoming flight using charts and standard aircraft instruments.

Stage 5: We discuss your role and responsibility for planning and decision making before, during, and after your flight.

Class Schedule

Each ground school class is 48-hours of quality ground instruction. Class meets Monday and Wednesday nights for helicopters and Tuesday and Thursday nights for airplanes from 7 to 10 pm at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University facilities. Ground school concludes with an endorsement to take your FAA Knowledge Test. The Knowledge Test is valid for 24 months and is a prerequisite for your private pilot flight test with an FAA designated pilot examiner. You can take the FAA knowledge test right at the Hummingbird Aviation facility. We have three testing stations with new state of the art computers.

Come Back for More!

Once you complete our ground school, you are invited to sit in on any future private pilot ground school class. You would be surprised how many licensed pilots come back to "audit" a class. This offer is particularly valuable if you have to miss a class and really want to make it up.