The PPL Ground school Structured Learning Program

This website, PPLmentor.com is being developed as a complete structured learning system for the PPL ground school. The purpose of the PPL Ground school is:

1. Gain the knowledge and technique to pass the nine PPL examinations within 18 months.
2. Gain the additional knowledge that you require to fly a specific aircraft from a specific airfield in a specific area.
3. Pass on many years of experience to keep flying enjoyable and safe.
4. Teach as much as is sensible and practical on-the-ground as opposed to in-the-air.

The Structured Learning Program

Working in conjunction with your instructor, start with an outline ground school plan and some idea of timescales. Much of the information that needs to be considered can be found in our learn to fly guide and Ground School Introduction. To a large extent, the plan will be driven by:

1. The flying training timescale. (This may be influenced by whether you are planning a LAPL or PPL).
2. The time of year you start training.
3. Your own personal commitments, time available, funds, will and dedication.
4. Lastly and probably most importantly, the type of person you are, how you learn and what is best for your own unique personal profile.

Everybody learns differently, some people can just read hundreds of pages and absorb it all, some people need to understand it, some need to visualise it and look at the practical side, some people respond well to classroom environments and working in a team atmosphere, some like videos... The point is, everybody is different and this must be taken into account in any structured learning program and plan. The 6-sitting requirement was removed in Oct 2019, it is now possible to study the nine PPL ground subjects one at a time, sit the examination and then move onto the next subject (the only real exception to this is Navigation / Flight Performance and Planning because the subjects overlap on the chart-work and planning).

For each subject, PPLmentor has divided them into Topics, these are taken as-is from EASA FCL (the 1400 page document that specifies exactly what the ground school must comprise of). These EASA topics are further sub-divided into the EASA sub-topics to create a logical learning program. Where it is possible and sensible, the sub-topics reflect the chapter groupings in the Pooleys Air Pilot Manuals. The PPLmentor Structured Learning Program is based around become proficient in each of these sub-topics one at a time by:

1. Watching the videos of the relevant classroom theory sessions.
2. Fill in the gaps by further reading and research.
3. Use the PPLmentor mark-as-you-go mock examination narrowing down the topics and sub-topics to just the unique sub-topic you are studying at the time.
4. Any questions you are not sure about (or guessed lucky), research further and if necessary, make a list and ask your instructor for some one-on-one (or small and contained) classroom sessions.
5. Finally have a go with the PPLmentor mock examination, not only for this sub-topic but the other sub-topics within this subject that you have recently studied.
6. Keep repeating with the next sub-topic until you can include all the sub-topics within the mock examination and consistently obtain about 80%.
7. Sit the real examination!
8. Go through any difficulties you may have had in the examination with your instructor.
9. Move onto the next subject.

Sometimes, this may not work (especially with Meteorology) and any structured learning program will need to consider this eventuality. The first port of call is your instructor who will undoubtedly gain assistance from the head of ground school training who in turn may well point you in the direction of a specialist who may be able to use a different approach and outlook.

You have 18 months to pass the examinations (starting on your first attempt, not first pass). Providing you have the dedication and time, use all the resources available and apply a structured learning program, it should not be an insurmountable challenge.