Question: I am a student pilot and I want to know the best way to prepare for each flight lesson. The flight school is Part 61, and my CFI said it’s too early to worry about ground school, but he told me to watch aviation videos online. I’m not sure exactly what I am supposed to be taking away from them. Sometimes I feel like I just show up and we goof around for an hour. Is there a better way to approach this?
Answer: You bet there is a better way. Use a syllabus. Many Part 61 schools don’t use them because they aren’t required, or the CFIs have one and they don’t share them with the clients, or they may be using the “folklore” method of training where they teach you how they were taught.
There is some value in this, but best practice is that both the learner and CFI have a copy of the syllabus, because it indicates what subjects and tasks will be learned and in what order. Before each lesson, refer to the syllabus and then look up these things in FAA-approved texts such as the Airplane Flying Handbook, Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, or Visualized Flight Maneuvers Manual.
These books explain how to execute the maneuvers along with the skills you will acquire doing them correctly. You will likely find this level of preparation results in great learning taking place.
