What is Online Ground School?

Online ground school is the classroom portion of flight training completed at your own pace online. While flight lessons teach you how to physically operate the airplane, ground school teaches you the knowledge and decision-making behind flying safely.

What Do You Learn?

Ground school covers subjects such as:

• Aerodynamics and aircraft systems

• Weather and weather forecasting

• FAA regulations

• Airspace

• Navigation and flight planning

• Airport operations

• Radio communications

• Aircraft performance

• Aeronautical decision-making and risk management

It also prepares you for the FAA Knowledge Test required during your Private Pilot training.

Why Is Ground School Important?

The more you understand before getting into the airplane, the more productive your flight lessons can become.

Instead of spending expensive aircraft and instructor time introducing concepts that can be learned at home, you can arrive already understanding the subject and use the airplane to apply what you've learned.

Ground school isn't simply about passing a written test. The knowledge you develop becomes part of the foundation you'll use for flight planning, weather decisions, navigation, emergencies, and everyday flying.

How Much Does Online Ground School Cost?

Most comprehensive Private Pilot online ground-school programs typically cost a few hundred dollars, although pricing varies by provider and what's included.

For reference, popular programs currently sell their core Private Pilot courses for roughly $250–$350, with larger packages costing more.

What Does Skybound Use?

At Skybound Aviation, we use Sporty's online ground school alongside our flight training.

Sporty's allows students to work through lessons on their own schedule and includes preparation for the FAA Knowledge Test as well as material designed to support their flight and checkride preparation.

If you're training with Skybound or considering getting started, ask us about Sporty's before purchasing it directly. We may be able to provide a small discount on the course.

Think of flight training as two parts working together:

Ground school teaches you what you need to know. Flight lessons teach you how to apply it in the airplane.