In Training: Integrating Ground and Flight Training

A while back I received a phone call that got me thinking about how we integrate, or fail to integrate, flight and ground training. The call was from a primary student who said that he was happy with his flight instructor but wanted to schedule some ground training with me. (I run an ad for various types of training in a local aviation publication.) He confided that his flight instructor had told him, ?ground training is not my bag,? and that he would have to find some other way to get that part of his training. I?ll give his instructor an A for honesty, but that kind of statement is no way to show students that there?s more to know about flying than just how to control the airplane.

There was a time in aviation when 90 percent of your training really was learning how to fly the machine, but those days are long gone. Even as airplanes have become simpler and easier to fly, the rules, regulations, and procedures have become more complex. A modern training program must be a well-balanced combination of flight and ground training. Flight schools operating under FAR Part 141 have such programs in place, but those of us training under FAR Part 61 must work with our students to create an integrated ground and flight training program.

Because the time that an instructor spends on the ground with a student is so valuable, it is very important that the student be aware of the cost of this training before the program starts.

As an FAR Part 61 instructor, I explain to my students that ground training comes in three flavors. They are:

1. Basic background and theory. (The meat and potatoes of ground training.)
2. Preflight and postflight briefings.
3. Knowledge test preparation.

The instructor and the student need to come up with a plan to accomplish all three of these things. Maybe there is a full-time ground school available in your area. Perhaps the ground training can be coordinated with another local instructor who specializes in ground training. I prefer to do it myself on a one-on-one basis with each student.

I make sure that some lessons are pure ground training, and I don?t combine them with flying time. It?s hard to keep a student focused on weight and balance if he or she is concerned about an upcoming crosswind landing.

Here?s an example of how I integrate basic ground training into the curriculum for a new primary student. The first couple of flights include simple preflight and postflight briefings related primarily to flying the airplane. I do the preflight inspection of the airplane with the student following along as an observer. Then I schedule two to three hours of ground time only, and we go over the airplane itself in detail. We crawl over, under, and inside the machine. I compare our training airplane with others in the hangar and discuss aerodynamic differences. I make sure the student sees an exposed engine. Finally, the student learns how to apply this knowledge to the preflight inspection.

As the student progresses toward the solo, I schedule at least five more hours of ground training to teach things such as radio procedures, airspace regulations, and student pilot limitations. In the final training session before the solo flight, we complete and review the pre-solo written exam.

During these early ground school sessions we agree on which book and/or video program to use for home study. I impress upon my students early in their instruction that they must support my teaching with home study. We set up a review plan to be sure that the home study is taking place and working. It sometimes helps to remind a student that aggressive self-study can reduce the total cost of learning to fly.

Providing students with supporting material, including a free trial subscription to Flight Training magazine, is another positive reinforcement for home study. I send back issues home with my students until they get their first issue in the mail.

Preflight and postflight briefings bring basic ground training and flight training together. I find the most challenging part of preflight briefing is to make sure my student knows when the ?hangar flying? stops and the lesson begins. I charge my students for briefing time, and they need to know when we are on the clock. The briefing includes what we?ll be doing in the upcoming lesson, and I never pass up the opportunity to review something we?ve covered before. For example, having a sectional chart handy provides an excellent way to cover points about chart reading as it relates to our lesson. If the lesson is about stalls, I might review how to read terrain elevations so we can choose a safe altitude. It never hurts to review airspace symbols and classifications during a briefing. A preflight briefing also is a good place to start building a healthy respect for proper preflight planning.

Doing the preflight inspection with the student on every flight is an important part of the preflight briefing. It?s a good time to ask the student questions and set up some make-believe problems. Teach ground handling. I have had students fly into my FBO who didn?t even know what a tow bar is used for!

The postflight briefing should review the results of the day?s lesson and prepare the student for the next lesson. It?s also your best chance to do what I call ?ego-damage analysis.? A well-planned lesson will always challenge the student. It?s important to recognize a student?s progress after he or she struggles through a lesson.

Then it?s time for me to debrief myself. I pull out the student?s training record, make my notes, and outline the next lesson.

The basic background training continues as we move into night flying and cross-country training. I recommend scheduling dedicated ground training on the subjects of meteorology and cross-country planning. I have found that ground planning for the first dual cross-country flight can take two to three hours, and doing this on the day of the flight tends to overload the student. By doing the planning a day or two before the flight, you give your student a chance to digest all of the information. Supervised visits to a control tower and flight service station can also be combined with a flight lesson to provide valuable insight into how the system really works.

Even with carefully integrated ground and flight training, the student may need additional information to pass the knowledge exam. The real world that we teach in just doesn?t have multiple-choice solutions. If the student hasn?t taken a separate course aimed at passing the knowledge test, it?s up to the instructor and the student to come up with a plan. Since students must have an instructor endorsement to take the test, it?s important to monitor their progress. If a student is using a book or video series to study for the test, consider scheduling a review session at the end of each chapter or tape. I have found that weekend seminars work very well to prepare students for the knowledge test, especially if the seminar is held after we have started our cross-country training.

Ground training is just as important as flight training, and for many students it?s more challenging than learning how to fly the machine. It?s my hope that by the time my students take the practical test, they are well prepared and have developed habits that will promote continued study. As professional instructors, we understand the importance of staying current. Integrated ground and flight training should help instill that same understanding in our students.