CFI's / Ground Training

[gnx99]

Hey CFI's, how much ground training do you typically do with a student?

I have been looking over a 141 syllabus and the private requirements (Jeppesen GFD) are 35hr. ground and 35hr. flight. I went through the same 141 program but I didn't do nearly 35hr. of ground school.


Seems like a lot of ground instruction to save 5hrs. flight time. (61 vs. 141)

 

[Vik]

If you didn't do 35hrs of ground instruction when you got your PPL, your training was not thorough enough IMO.

There is so much to talk about during the PPL, I don't see how you could do it in less. You are taking someone that has zero flying experience and making them into a private pilot.

I guess it depends where you fly too. Flying in podunk, middle on of nowhere at an uncontrolled field, maybe its possible.

 

[dmspilot00]

I think 35 hours is an absurd amount unless you are taking a traditional class. I had four full (1.5 hour) groundschools in my private training: intro, controlled airport procedures, cross-country planning, and then oral test prep at the end (which was actually 3 sessions).

However, isn't the 35 hours the REQUIREMENT for Part 141?

I don't feel the instructor's job is to baby the student and force-feed him/her everything he/she needs to know. A student who refuses to study on his own should not be learning to fly. If my instructor made me do 30+ hours of groundschool telling me stuff I can and did learn on my own, I would have been POed.

 

[Vik]

Thats the difference between a student that wants to make it a career and someone that is doing it for recreation.

I don't see how in 6hrs (4 full 1.5hr sessions) you learned aerodynamics, turns, uncoordinated flight, emergencies, cross country planning, ground reference maneuvers, etc .. There is so much to the private pilot PTS. Again, if you are studying on your own, that might answer that question.

But being a CFI does mean that you might have to spend more time with most of your students because most are there for the fun of it, and not to make a career out of it. (Unless you teach at a school for pro pilots like ERAU)

Recreational students are also the ones that are willing to fly for 75hours to get their PPL and they are ones that are going to earn you your paycheck. 95% of new GA pilots are probably recreational.

 

[bobbysamd]

Ground training

Maybe the 35 hours is comprised primarily of ground school.

That really isn't much ground school, if you think about it. For example, seven days of five hours a day. And, I haven't even counted pre and post-flight oralling.

At ERAU we did a lot of pre and post-flight oralling. Students do better if they have prepared for a flight thoroughly before going to the flight line, and if they and their instructors brief the flight thoroughly before flying. I agree that instructors should not, and should not have to, spoon-feed their students. You can tell if your student is prepared for a training flight by quizzing him/her. If the student has no clue what you're talking about, than the student hasn't prepared for the lesson. Don't forget, law of readiness.

 

[gnx99]

I think my ground school was one night a week, for 3 hours, for 8 weeks. Thats 24 hours.

But I probably did 150 hours on my own studying, quizzing myself, watching videos, etc.

 

[dmspilot00]

Thats the difference between a student that wants to make it a career and someone that is doing it for recreation.

I don't see how in 6hrs (4 full 1.5hr sessions) you learned aerodynamics, turns, uncoordinated flight, emergencies, cross country planning, ground reference maneuvers, etc .. There is so much to the private pilot PTS. Again, if you are studying on your own, that might answer that question.

But being a CFI does mean that you might have to spend more time with most of your students because most are there for the fun of it, and not to make a career out of it. (Unless you teach at a school for pro pilots like ERAU)

Recreational students are also the ones that are willing to fly for 75hours to get their PPL and they are ones that are going to earn you your paycheck. 95% of new GA pilots are probably recreational.

No, you are wrong. I did learn to fly for fun. It wasn't until about 6 months after I got my PPL that I decided to make it a career. Since I work at the FBO I learned to fly at I see my see CFI (and the other CFI, there are only two) teaching a strong variety of people with the same syllabus. None of the students have ever gotten anywhere near 35 hours. However, some did take a formal class that was offered, but they could just as well use videos.

 

[ksu_aviator]

35 hours is an arbitrary number. Everyone learns differently. Some people need info fed to them and others would rather study on their own. Taylor your ground school each individuals needs.