Intensive PPL ground school - Yes or No?

[RyanG87]

Hi All!

I am in the very early stages of starting my PPL, with the dream of eventually making it to the commercial airlines.
After having 5-6 lessons so far my progress has been halted by countless cancelled lessons due to bad weather, issues with the aircraft and /or a lack of available lesson slots. I was hoping to use the time gained from not having lessons to knock some of the ground school exams out of the way, but having a pretty hectic work life I am struggling to find the time to get my head down for more than an hour or two at once.

It would be far easier for me to complete an intensive 1-2 week PPL ground school course and get all the exams completed in one go without distractions. My main concern is that some of the courses only take 5 days, which begs me to question wether I would simply be learning how to pass the exams rather than learning the subject thoroughly. Secondly I am also concerned at how a perspective employer might look at this situation, possibly they may think the same thing?

Can anyone shed any light on the intensive courses, If so it would be great to hear which ones you think are best. The only one I've researched so far is the PPL cruiser 5 day ground school, before I spent any more time researching I thought it may be a good idea to do some background research first.

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.

[Seabreeze]

Hi Ryan,

The answer depends on your educational background

If you have a last-year high school or university background in maths, physics, engineering simply get some notes (or one of the textbooks which purports to prepare you for PPL) read up and do the exams. You shouldn't need help.

If you have no maths physics or technology background, then you would be better off spending some time in class. However, you should still get hold of a good textbook, and read up first.

good luck

[RyanG87]

Thanks for your reply Seabreeze.

It is not necessarily the difficulty of the exams I am worried about, it's just finding the time to revise that I am struggling with.

Are you suggesting a 5 day course would be fine providing I have a good understanding of maths & physics?
I haven't heard many reports of people doing these course so i'm just a bit sceptical of them.

[ja349]

I think Seabreeze's post is way off here.

Having studied Maths and Physics to GCSE level only, I got my head in the books whenever I could and came out with 92% average across all of the subjects.

I think you will be wasting your money booking onto an intensive course. As long as you manage your time properly and can set aside proper study periods, you will be fine. It doesn't matter when - after breakfast, during a lunch break or before bed, just set aside some time.

Use as many revision tools as you can. AFE's textbooks are first-class. I had a great app recommended to me, EASA PPL Exams in the app store (also on Android). It was VERY useful. Quite expensive, but it was much cheaper than the courses you mentioned.

As for 'last-year high school or university background', I think that is a stigma of the wider aviation industry. You DO NOT need a higher education background in maths, physics or technology. You DO however need a high degree of motivation, and the ability to apply yourself.

Live by the latter, and you'll go far...

[TryingToAvoidCBs]

I think Seabreeze's post is way off here.

As for 'last-year high school or university background', I think that is a stigma of the wider aviation industry. You DO NOT need a higher education background in maths, physics or technology. You DO however need a high degree of motivation, and the ability to apply yourself.

Live by the latter, and you'll go far...

I would agree with this comment.

Although there is no denying that a basic/moderate understanding of maths/physics is very useful, it is not a requirement, it just makes the learning easier. Especially at PPL level.
for ATPLs the more you know the easier the trickier subjects, but as long as you ask lots of questions you'll be fine. The difficulty with both the PPL and ATPL syllabus is not the content, but the quantity.



Regarding a 5 day crash course, I would guess that you will indeed be learning answers to questions and not the required content. I've seen all too many students using online questions banks, apps and one day courses who are all able to get 95%+ exam results in subjects they clearly don't understand.

My PPL took me almost 3 years to finish while working full time (I planned for 10 months), for all the reasons you mentioned (countless cancelled lessons due to bad weather, issues with the aircraft and /or a lack of available lesson slots/). Halfway through I lost my job and was unemployed for 4 months, and my instructor quit when I got back. It's part of the industry I'm afraid, your CPL MEIR will have exactly the same issues. My PPL exams took over 12 months. Don't try to rush things and get everything done by tomorrow. Be patient, give yourself time to understand the theory and enjoy the journey.

[RichardH]

Hi RyanG87

If you are thinking about eventually going on to the commercial route DO NOT do an intensive 5 day PPL course. The reason I am saying this is from experience (ATPL TKI) from some of my ATPL modular students who have done such courses. Yes they get their PPL exams quickly but they know sweet FA, now if all you want to do is a PPL then this is regretfully liveable with but poor or lack of underpinning knowledge really shows up when it comes to ATPLs. Any potential employer won't be concerned about your PPL theory but might well use your ATPL pass marks as the first point of filtering.

Most PPL flying schools/clubs offer some sort of ground school be it when the weathers bad or a more formal night school. These would be a much better option, if not find one that does. Read all the AFE/Pooley PPL theory books as a starting point, these days there are also good DVDs too.

Doing a PPL requires time and commitment with some academic ability. I notice you say you are struggling with being able to find time for PPL studies and I understand this. Be aware though when it comes to the ATPLs assuming you went down the distance learning route then you will be expected to do something like 15 hours per week to stand any chance.

All the best.