CBT... The Only Way To Fly

Learning to fly can be not only expensive, but terribly time-consuming. There's nothing more torturous for a bright-eyed student pilot, itching to burn holes in the sky, than to sit through hours and hours of classroom instruction before his very first flight. Not only that, but remember the size of a pilot's ego. In a classroom setting, does that ego prevent a pilot wanna-be from asking what could be life-saving questions? What about those students left in the dust as the class struggles to maintain a tight training schedule?

Ground school is a fact of life. But now, students all over the world can learn at their own pace, 24/7, at their very own computer. It's called www.aviationspot.com, a service of Harv's Air in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada.

Whenever You Want, As Fast As You Want

Online ground school allows aviation students to complete ground school anytime and anywhere from any computer connected to the Internet.  Ground School prepares the aviation student for flying and a final written examination with topics such as Air Regulations, Instrument Procedures, Meteorology, and Navigation. The online ground school makes extensive use of interactive tutorials, presentations, animations, graphics, and a student forum for discussion of topics and questions.

"The course can be done anytime and anywhere," says Adam Penner, Chief Flight Instructor at Harv's Air. "The course works well for self starters, and self motivated students."

The Price Is Right

It's also pretty easy on the wallet, says Penner. "The cost is $200 (CDN) for the IFR course, $180 (CDN) for the commercial pilot course and $150 (CDN) for the private pilot study." The Canadian dollar is rather weak at the moment, he points out. That means huge savings for student pilots in the US and UK.

For the moment, the online ground school offers only Canadian certification. Can a student in the US still take the course? "Yes," says Penner, "and many students do. They only need an instructor to sign them  off for the exam." He says Harv's hopes to offer an FAA certified class in July.

Right now, Penner says, Harv's Air teaches about 600 in both private pilot and commercial pilot courses. The IFR course is just now getting underway.

Penner says a lot of students at Harv's Air come from the United Kingdom after completing the online course. "They prepare for the courses before then come over, and then fly like crazy and don't have to be bothered with ground school." Better. Faster. Cheaper.

FMI: www.aviationspot.com