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.