Brand Wessels Pilot Ground School Training

Start and complete the Theoretical Training – also known as PPL Ground School. This includes 7 CAA exams written at the Flight School. This is by far the most time-consuming activity you will do while completing your license.

Some students prefer that, but you do not have to attend a formal in-class ground school. However, you will need a comprehensive syllabus to guide you through the process:

Your Syllabus will include the following subjects at PPL level:

Human Performance - This covers topics like stress management, fatigue, basic introduction to physiology like the human eye and its operation, the vestibular system, the respiratory system, the central nervous system, basic psychology and cognitive process, sleep management, good diet, Aeronautical Decision Making, spatial disorientation, visual illusions, and other factors that may affect pilot performance.
Aviation Law - This covers the legal framework and regulations governing aviation in South Africa. It includes visual navigation aids, licensing requirements, aerodrome ground lights and surface marking colours, Definitions and Abreviations, medical certification, documentation and records, rules of the air, aerodromes, etc.
Principles of Flight - This covers the fundamental principles of aerodynamics, lift, drag, thrust, weight and flight controls. Trimming controls, straight and level flight, climbing, descending, turning, stalling, avoidance of spins, aircraft stability, etc.
Flight Planning - This involves planning flights, calculating performance parameters, mass and balance calculations, understanding aircraft and runway limitations, loadsheet completion, runway terminology, speed definitions, etc.
Navigation - This covers the principles and techniques of navigating aircraft, including charts, maps, plotting and radio navigation. Form of the earth, relationship between universal co-ordinated (UTC) time, local mean time (LMT) and Standard time factor(STF), convergence of meridians, scale calculations, the navigation computer, etc.
Aircraft Technical and General - This section deals with the construction, maintenance, and operation of aircraft. It includes reciprocal engines, electrical systems, cooling systems, lubrication systems, ignition systems, carburation, fuel types and systems, engine handling, propellers, vacuum systems, hydraulic systems, aircraft instruments, etc.
Meteorology - This involves understanding weather patterns, aviation weather forecasting, aviation reports and their impact on flight operations. Includes the atmosphere, pressure, density and temperature, humidity and precipitation, pressure systems and wind, air masses, frontology, thunderstorms, cloud types and formation, aircraft and engine icing, pressure- and density altitude calculations, International Standard Atmosphere, etc.

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Start Ground School Studies

Start and complete the Theoretical Training – also known as PPL Ground School. This includes 7 CAA exams written at the Flight School. This is by far the most time-consuming activity you will do while completing your license.

Some students prefer that, but you do not have to attend a formal in-class ground school. However, you will need a comprehensive syllabus to guide you through the process:

Your Syllabus will include the following subjects at PPL level:

Principles of Flight - This covers the fundamental principles of aerodynamics, lift, drag, thrust, weight and flight controls. Trimming controls, straight and level flight, climbing, descending, turning, stalling, avoidance of spins, aircraft stability, etc.

Flight Planning - This involves planning flights, calculating performance parameters, mass and balance calculations, understanding aircraft and runway limitations, loadsheet completion, runway terminology, speed definitions, etc.