EAA Chapter 838
Batten International Airport
3333 N. Green Bay Rd.
Racine, Wisconsin 53404
262.634.7575
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EAA Chapter 838 offers a comprehensive ground school open to anyone interested in pursuing either the FAA Private Pilot License or the recently-added FAA Sport Pilot License. Upon completion of the ground school, you will be able to take the written knowledge test for either of these licenses (passing is up to you, however!).
Our primary instructor is Tom Christensen, an experience pilot and FAA Certificated Instructor. Additional guest speakers may participate in certain classes as well. We typically offer ground school in both spring and fall.
Coming Soon! Instrument Ground School. We are pleased to announce that we will be offering a course in Instrument Ground School beginning in Fall 2008. This course will run from 5-7 weeks and make extensive use of our new simulator project (more information to follow).
We are currently enrolling students for our next Ground School beginning February 26, 2008. The Spring 2008 Ground School will run for 15 weeks, and should wrap in early June. As a student, you will attend classes on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the EAA 838 Chapter building. Remember, this is a commitment: please be prepared to show up for class no matter how nice the weather gets outside! (Just think how fun it would be to fly in that weather!)
We ask that you Sign up for EAA838 Ground School please send us an email to register for the course. Sign up early: class size is limited to 20!
The ground school fee is $345 for non-members and $80 for Chapter members. Textbooks and other materials are not included in this price. Tip: Join the Chapter, then sign up for Ground School. You’ll save quite a bit of money, and join an enthusiastic and supportive community of people passionate about flying.
Text Books and Supplies needed (Please inform the instructor at the first class if you are planning to pursue a Sport Pilot license):
You can not only find these publications at your local or online bookstores, but also on the FAA website (free, but if you prefer to print these out, prepare to use a fair amount of toner and paper!).
Other Supplies
Additional study aids:
Most of these aids can be purchased from Batten Airport, or through another vendor such as Sporty’s Pilot Shop, MyPilotStore.com, Amazon.com, or others.
FAR 61.105 requires that you receive and log instruction in the topics listed below to be eligible for the written test. Students may miss some classes, however, the topics still must be covered and logged. Missed classes can be made up by arranging individual instruction. Most topics are covered in one to two hours.
Our schedule represents one three-hour class per week meeting per week for 15 weeks. Additional week(s) are used when we need extra time. Further, the course may go longer or shorter by a week or two depending on how well the class is learning the material.
As with any topic, outside study is a must. To get the most out of your ground, and flight instruction, plan to spend at least 1 to 2 hours each week going over the material covered in class. Those that have done this, have also done well on the written, oral, and flight tests. In the long run, it will make you a more knowledgeable, confident, and most importantly, a safe pilot.
Remember, learning is more that just passing a test! Blindly memorizing the answer for question 3309 isn’t going to help when you look out of the front of the airplane and see the ground going around in very fast circles! While refresher and “cram” courses definitely can help you cross that test hurdle, you need a solid understanding of the fundamentals for safety. Our program creates a relaxed, informal environment that moves at your pace, and allows you ask as many questions as you need to thoroughly understand the concepts involved.
These are selected examples to help you better understand specific topics. Click on a description to see the full page:
