Training
ATPL Groundschool is now the right time to start? A career as an airline pilot starts with groundschool. And while times are challenging, given the combination of the value of knowledge with the relatively low cost of theoretical training, Ian Seager thinks it might be a good time to hit the books if you’re thinking about a future flying career…
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e might not be able to fly, but whether refreshing your memory or embarking on a commercial career, there’s never been a better time to open the books and get groundschool underway. Groundschool might not be every pilot’s favourite part of flight training, but done correctly, it helps build the foundations for a lifetime of aviation learning, and if there’s a (slight) silver lining to the human and business tragedy that is Covid-19, it’s
that lockdown provides many with the opportunity to learn, revise or refresh, and for those embarking on a commercial career, it provides an ideal opportunity to get the ball rolling. To state the obvious, groundschool is the theoretical learning bit of training that precedes or accompanies flight training. It applies from microlights (where there’s five different subjects air law, navigation, meteorology, aircraft technical and human factors), through LAPL and PPL which add another four subjects to that: communications, operational procedures, flight performance and April 2021 | FLYER | 57
