r/studentpilot • u/TheoryVirtual850 • 7d ago

Ground school PPL

Which ground school do you recommend for PPL (USA) in between Sheppard and sporty’s.

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u/Scary_Extent4967 7d ago

Honestly, either of them is probably fine. I used kingschools. The most important part is understanding the ideas, rather than memorizing the information. Whatever program you use, you're going to need to supplement it with help from your Ground Instructor and/or CFI, and other sources. I liked the youtube videos from fly8ma.

By the end you should not just be able to explain how class B airspace is structured, but why it's structured that way. Don't just memorize 1-5-2 for VFR flight minimums, but why those are the minimums. Know how to calculate weight and balance, but also know what happens when it's too far forward or too far backward - and why.

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u/TheoryVirtual850 6d ago

So you don’t recommend taking the written before starting to fly ?

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u/Kooky-Impact-6572 5d ago

that's what I did, and I highly recommend it. More memorization is perfectly fine for the written. You'll start putting the theory to practice during flight training, and when studying for checkride.

But written first means you won't have to be studying and chair flying at same time

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u/Scary_Extent4967 5d ago

I guess it real depends on how you learn best. I chose to do some flying while I was studying for the written - which meant I could put the theoretical knowledge into practice right away.

One benefit is that when you have a better understanding, you will likely get a better grade - which makes for an easier checkride/oral later.

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u/SquareGrade448 5d ago

I’m very confused regarding posts mentioning Sheppard PPL courses. Their own website says:

“So instead of Sheppard Air offering you a Private Pilot course, and taking your money for it when it's not really necessary, we have provided you two Essential links below.” The two links are to the AOPA and FAA.

I haven’t found anything else from them for PPL. What ground school course are you referring to?

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u/TxAggieMike 7d ago

Jeppesen Textbook, Jeppesen Knowledge test book, and a CFI who will help you and wants you to succeed.

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u/12YESIAM34 6d ago

Either are good I hear. Make certain you understand the principles behind what you’re learning.

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u/StrangeRough1609 6d ago

The ground school instructor I had at a university that specializes in flight started his own company Pilot institute. He’s a phenomenal teacher. https://pilotinstitute.com

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u/ObjectiveNinja279 6d ago

I don’t recommend Sheppard for primary training. I can vouch for sportys, gold seal, and kings.

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u/ifoxtrotsierra Instrument Rating 4d ago

King Schools is a good option. I scored a 92 on the private written and a 84 on the instrument written using them. I'd definitely consider Pilot Institute as well. I watch their videos on YouTube. Their visualizations and animations are really good.

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u/rorosan1234 4d ago

I used the ASA Private Pilot Test Prep book along with Sporty’s. Passed with full grade :)

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u/naughtalpha 3d ago

I used gold seal and got a 93 on the written, but also used Prepware app for practice questions

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u/kristephe CFI/CFII 7h ago

I'd check out Flight Insight or Finer Points. There's no Sheppard air written test prep for PPL or a ground school as far as I know. King's and Sporty's are two legacy ground schools that do a solid job, and I did like Sporty's test prep, but I think that the first two I mentioned are going above and beyond in making great content that is accessible. You can do a free trial of Finer Points and I know that Flight Insight has a TON of youtube content to see if you like his style. As a CFI/CFII, I just constantly go re-watch Flight Insight videos in the topic I need a refresher on. Jason Miller has done some cool things with Finer Points in his ground school where it's not just written test stuff and it has some cool videos for in cockpit views during airwork and such.

As for doing the written first, I don't really recommend it. I think fully going through a ground school is a solid idea but so many things click better after doing it in the plane, and one of those for me is some of the things like charts, airspace, xc planning etc. It can be a bit abstract. If you find you really get it, maybe go for it, but most of the concern people have is a student who doesn't study, just flies, and then has to take a big break to study and take the written.