PRIVATE PILOT GROUND SCHOOL COURSE

LESSON 1: FLIGHT TRAINING 101

TOPIC ONE:
AIRCRAFT FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM:

The Aircraft Flight Control System allows the pilot to control the direction of the airplane. All
airplanes are controlled over 3 axes, and allow the aircraft to roll, pitch, and yaw. Watch the video
above for a brief introduction to aircraft controls.

Flight Control Types

Flight controls fall into one of two categories, either primary flight controls or secondary flight
controls.

Primary Flight Controls

Ailerons (roll the aircraft left or right)
Elevators (pitch the aircraft up or down)
Rudder (yaw the aircraft left or right)
The ailerons and elevator are connected to the aircraft’s “stick” or “yoke”, while the rudder is
controlled through rudder pedals located in the footwell.

Secondary Flight Controls:

 Flaps
 Trim

Flaps increase the amount of lift the wing is capable of producing, allowing the aircraft to be flown
at slower speeds which can be beneficial for take-off and landing.

Trim, on the other hand, is similar to cruise control in your car. It is often referred to as the “cheap
man’s autopilot”, and allows you to maintain a set altitude by alleviating control pressures. For
example, once you level off and set your desired power setting, you may be holding the yoke slightly
forward or slightly back to maintain your current altitude. Adjusting trim allows you to release that
pressure while keeping the airplane at the same altitude.

Axis of Movement:
The airplane moves about three axes, and all of these axes meet at one central point which is the
CENTER OF GRAVITY.

Longitudinal axis (long axis from nose to tail, ailerons roll the airplane around this axis)
Lateral axis (this axis goes wingtip to wingtip, the airplane pitches about this axis controlled by the
elevator)
Vertical axis (a vertical line from the bottom up, the airplane yaws about this axis controlled by the
rudder).
TOPIC TWO:
THE FOUR FORCES OF FLIGHT

Thrust
Thrust is created by a propeller, jet engine, or rocket; and moves the aircraft in the direction of its
motion. Thrust is generated through pulling air in and pushing air out in the opposite direction.

Drag
Drag is caused by friction and differences in air pressure. Think about the last time you stuck your
hand out of a moving car. Air, as any other substance, has mass. The faster you move against that
mass, the more resistance you will feel, and the more drag is created.

Weight
Weight is a result of Earth’s gravitational pull. The more mass the airplane has, the more lift will be
necessary to overcome the weight of the airplane.

Lift
Lift is primarily created by the wings and must overcome weight for the aircraft to become airborne.

When are the Four Forces Equal?

In straight and level flight with a constant airspeed
In a steady-state climb (constant airspeed and constant rate of climb)
In a steady-state descent (constant airspeed and constant rate of descent)

When are the Four Forces not equal?

When you begin a climb or begin a descent
When you level off from a climb or descent (a changing vertical speed or rate of climb/descent)
Anytime there is ACCELERATION in a vertical or horizontal direction
When you are changing airspeed

Remember:
Thrust opposes drag, and lift opposes weight.
For an airplane to fly, thrust must overcome drag, and lift must overcome weight.

TLDR:
IN UNACCELERATED FLIGHT, ALL FORCES ARE IN BALANCE (or equal). Even if the airplane is
climbing or descending. The only thing that makes the forces unequal to each other is
ACCELERATION!
TOPIC 3:
PARTS OF AN AIRPLANE
During this topic, feel free to download the image below and print it out to write down all the names
of the parts as we walk around the aircraft and explain them to you.

Airplane Part Descriptions

Main Gear Strut: Supports the tires and breaks. Acts as a “shock absorber” while landing.
Brake Caliper: Uses pads hydraulically pushed together against the disk/rotor to produce friction
and slow rotation of the tire.
Tire & Wheel Assembly: Allows the aircraft to be maneuverer on the ground.
Fuel Sump: Used for fuel sampling and removal of foreign contaminants such as water.
Fuel Vent: As fuel is sucked into the engine, the fuel vent allows the pressure in the fuel tank to
equalize, preventing a vacuum-effect resulting in fuel starvation.
Jack-point: Used to “lift up” the aircraft to perform work on components such as the landing gear.
Tie-down Point/Ring: Used to tie the aircraft down (usually with ropes or chains) to prevent aircraft
movement in high winds.
Fuel Cap: Keeps fuel in the tank.
Spinner: Increases aerodynamic efficiency of air moving around the propeller.
Propeller: Generates thrust through the engine.
Nose Gear Assembly: Similar : sto the main gear assembly, except:
No brake caliper or disk/rotor
Wheel can be adjusted left or right by use of the rudder pedals to turn the airplane.
Pitot-Vain: Used to measure ram air pressure for aircraft instrumentation.
Static Port: Used to measure ambient air pressure for aircraft instrumentation.
Stall/Angle of Attack Sensor: Provides an audible or visual indication to the pilot that the critical
angle of attack is about to or has been exceeded.
Aileron: Allows the pilot to adjust aircraft roll.
Flap: Used to increase the amount of lift generated by the wing to allow the airplane to fly at slower
airspeeds, beneficial for take-off and landing.
Stabilator: Allows the pilot to adjust aircraft pitch.
Anti-Servo & Trim Tab: Increases aircraft stability by assisting in the re-centering of controls.
Rudder: Allows the pilot to adjust aircraft yaw through use of the rudder pedals.
V-Shaped Antenna: VOR Antenna used for aircraft navigation.
White Antennas: COM antennas
Black Antenna: For the Emergency Location Transmitter
Dome-shaped Antenna: Antenna for the aircraft GPS system
Beacon Light: Switched on prior to engine start and kept on until after engine shutdown. Alerts
surrounding individuals that the aircraft is operating.
Strobe Lights: High-intensity interval lights allowing the aircraft to easily be spotted.
Navigation Lights: Colored lights that allow other pilots to determine the aircraft’s flight path (is it
headed towards me or away from me?)
Bottom Antenna: Used for automatic direction finder “ADF” navigation instrumentation.
Shark Fin Antenna on Belly: Used for the Transponder, a unit that allows the aircraft to share its
position and certain attributes with air traffic control radar facilities.
Vents: Used to cool both the cabin and aircraft instrumentation.
TOPIC FOUR:
PREFLIGHT CHECK
How to Pre-flight Your Airplane
In this topic, we’ll cover how to do a proper pre-flight on a Piper Cherokee. Most airplanes have
similar pre-flight operations, with just a few differences depending on the specific systems installed
on that particular plane.

Each airplane has a manual with it, located in the airplane. This manual referred to as Pilot’s
Operating Handbook or “POH”. Inside the POH you’ll find a dedicated section on how to specifically
inspect your particular aircraft.

An example of the pre-flight section in a POH is below:

Do a “once over” as you walk towards the aircraft. You have a different vantage point here as
compared to the rest of your pre-flight, which may be beneficial for identifying issues such as bent or
damaged landing gear, struts, wings, etc…

Perform an “ARROW” check once you get to the airplane. Ensure the airworthiness certificate, radio
operators license (if required), aircraft registration, operating limitation documents (usually found in
the Pilots Operating Handbook “POH” or Airplane Flight Manual “AFM”), and the aircraft weight and
balance are in the aircraft.

As you finish your initial cockpit checks, turn on the battery switch to check fuel quantity indications.
It can be helpful to do this before manually checking the tanks as it will allow you to cross-reference
if the fuel gauges are reading accurately. This also serves as a good point to lower the flaps and turn
on all aircraft lighting. If checking lights, do a preliminary walk around to check them and then turn
the battery off to conserve battery throughout the rest of your preflight.

Before leaving the cockpit for your exterior walkaround with the checklist in-hand, ensure the keys
are not in the ignition. The dash is a great place to have keys located during your walkaround so both
you and others operating around the aircraft, such as a fueler, know the keys are not in the ignition.

How to Preflight any Airplane

Conduct an exterior walkaround

Check fuel and oil
Look at the overall condition of the airplane (is it the way the manufacturer intended it to be?)
Use all checklists and POH guidance
Aviation Fuel
Your airplane most likely only runs on one specific type of fuel. You should see what type listed in
the POH and/or on a placard (sticker) next to the fuel cap.

Aviation Fuel Colors

Jet A = Clear

100LL = Blue

100 = Green

80 = Red
Careful, water is clear, too!

TOPIC FIVE
DISCOVERY FLIGHT

What to expect on your first flight lesson

More importantly, what are you going to be able to do on your first flight lesson?

The more you prepare with this course prior to your first flight lesson, the more knowledge you will
have, and the more you will likely be able to on your first flight lesson.

You will almost certainly be given the opportunity to fly the airplane. The phases of flight that you
will control the airplane in (taxi, take-off, cruise, and landing) will depend upon your instructor and
flight school. Most instructors will spend the first lesson giving you control of the airplane to practice
basic manoeuvres such as level flight, turns, climbs, and descents. Some will give you an opportunity
for an “assisted” take-off and landing.

Helpful Tips
Especially if you have no previous experience in small aircraft, it is normal for the first few lessons to
feel stressful.

You may experience motion sickness on your first few flight lessons. If you begin to feel sick, be sure
to let your instructor know. Your instructor may recommend you take a break from maneuvers and
do some straight-and-level flying, open some air vents, or focus on the horizon.

A majority of the time, your eyes should be outside of the airplane. Glance in to cross-reference your
instruments, but be certain not to fixate on any specific instrument. Maintaining good situational
awareness and scanning for other airplanes is done outside of the airplane.

TOPIC SIX
HOW TO TAKE-OFF

This is the procedure for taking off when there is not much of a crosswind, and you are on a nice
long, smooth, paved runway.

Normal Take-off
Before the take-off starts, you’ll work with your instructor to complete a before-take-off flow or
checklist to ensure the aircraft is properly configured.

At a towered airport, take-off clearance must be requested from the tower. At a non-towered
airport, pilots self-announce their intentions and listen to other pilot reports to ensure there will be
no conflict.
Before taxiing onto the runway, ensure there are no airplanes about to land on the runway you are
about to use!

Taxi forward and align the airplane on the runway centreline, ensuring that the nose wheel is
straight.

Look all the way down the runway and smoothly apply full power. Look towards the end of the
runway to keep yourself aligned on centreline using rudder control inputs.

Glance in to check your airspeed is alive, and that your engine instruments are within their normal
operating ranges, known as “in the green”.

Achieve rotation speed and apply back pressure to the yoke. Once airborne, relieve just a bit of that
back pressure to allow the airspeed to build to climb speed and then maintain that speed as you
once again apply more back pressure to increase the climb rate. Away you go!

Remember:
Look outside over the nose all the way down the runway.
Control your left and right direction on the ground with your feet, NOT your hands!
Hold the controls very gently in your hand, and try to use just one hand on the controls; it takes very
little force to make the airplane respond to what you want it to do.