Pilot Institute Review: Online Ground School for Your Private Pilot Certificate

[@martygenska8117]

Great review. I'm also a fan of PI, completing both my Part 107 (98 on the written) and Private (93 on the written). As a private pilot (passed my check ride with 86 hours), I'm now in the Instrument course. I've also met Greg (and some of the team) a few times at Sun-n-Fun, and I can tell you he is the same person in life as you see on the screen.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Nice!! That's awesome. We'd love to meet Greg someday!

[@BWTIII]

Hey Cally, Congratulations, and thanks for the enthusiasm and excitement you bring to the channel. Though, I've never flown and AG mission, I remember my experiences, so similar to yours, when I passed the "Written"!!!! You brought back so many good and delightful memories. You and Tyson, keep on keeping on.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks Bill! Glad you can revisit those memories.

[@samir.suthar]

This video was extremely helpful! For anyone else coming to the comments. The initial price for the PPL class when clicking on the discount link shows it as $389, where as going directly to the site shows $279 with the Airplane Maneuvers Mastery course as well. Current price with the discount vs summer sale: $224 for just PPL and $225 for PPL and AMM.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks so much for the comment!

[@natielou143]

Congratulations! Don’t be nervous about the next steps. The smile on your husband’s face should tell you that your going to be a great student pilot and pilot.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks Nathan!

[@FritzWeinrebe]

Well done Cally. Also nice review. Enjoy the practical part of your PPL training.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks, Fritz! Appreciate it.

[@stevemapes5126]

Congratulations........when I did all my testing many years ago, the test had to be mailed to FAA in Oklahoma, graded and then the results were mailed back to you. Typically taking 2 weeks or more........hated having to wait for the test results. Much nicer nowadays were you get the results right away. Congratulations again. Happy and safe flying.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks Steve! I would hate to have to wait that long and would definitely lose sleep.

[@JimboBurgess]

One step closer to that ever elusive seat, good on ya!

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Actually I'm just doing it for fun and not going commercial but thanks for watching!

[@AndyHoltOutdoorUniversity]

Way to go, Cally! The journey is where the fun is. Enjoy!

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks Andy!

[@jayromero1190]

Howdy there! Congratulations!! Thanks for this video and the discount link. Just what I needed to pull the trigger and go ahead and get the course!

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Way to go! Let me know how you enjoy it.

[@oneninerniner3427]

Nice Job Cally. I grew up around aviation and took ground school many years ago but was too busy being a dumb kid and never finished my ratings, which of course i now regret. May have been a blessing in disguise though, as I was pretty wild and may have hurt myself then, Hah! Now that I'm old I'm not sure i could pass my medical anymore, so sport pilot might be a possible option for me. But hey you are doing great so don't quit now, you can do it.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks Dennis! Appreciate you watching.

[@SirreaOne]

Great video. It made my decision to go back and get my PPL. Also, I subscribed to your channel. I would love to one day meet up and fly with you guys. Keep up the good work

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Love to hear it!! Thanks for the comment.

[@frankiedee2024]

I’m definitely loving the program. I did get the physical books.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

I liked having the physical books to reference!

[@skitka]

Congrats! Great video, and your review helped push me to get the course. Looking forward to getting prepped.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Wow, thanks! Awesome to hear. I think you’ll be very happy with it.

[@chriss7393]

How are you doing now?

[@oregonborn9769]

Thank you so much for this video. It has made me more confident in my decision to go with this course. And start my journey.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Awesome!! Good luck!!

[@penultimatename6677]

I am a drone Pilot Institute Part 107 student. Pilot Institute is fantastic and Greg will answer any question or confusion one might be experiencing. He does not teach for the test. He teaches to impart the knowledge to become a responsible pilot. Of course the information will help one pass the test. I have not yet taken the test.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Totally agree! He is an amazing instructor and I gained knowledge throughout the entire course. Actually knew the test questions going into the test instead of just having answers memorized. Thanks for the comment!

[@golfbravowhiskey8669]

ConGraduations. Did not know they allowed anything other than an old standard calculator and protractor clean paper and E6B in the test room. I took mine a few years back and I was stressing over the cross-country stuff needing the E6B and my PPL did not have a single cross-country question on it. Meanwhile the guy beside me taking it had four questions 🤣. But believe me I later paid for it with my instrument and commercial 😎 I hope you get a great Dpe. They are the ones with just their attitude they can make or break that day for you.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Haha that’s pretty funny. It’s all luck of the draw I suppose.

[@ronnytubbs4316]

Well done Cally, I was a flagger for crop dusters many many moons ago. I just now starting my flight school tomorrow. I'm about 15% done with this course. My question is where do you print out the notes from that you have in your binder. I have looked and can't find them. (but remember when a man says he can't find something, it means he opened his hands and it didn't magically appear.) Good luck with flight school and enjoy flying. Ronny

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks, Ronny!! Really appreciate it. Under each “chapter overview” if you scroll just below the video there is a downloadable PDF of the lecture notes. Hope this helps!

[@ronnytubbs4316]

@@AgAviationAdventures Thank you so much!

[@stephenstead6333]

I have a ASA flight computer and a plontter and a E6b and have Aplane flying hand book and i have FAA H 8083 25B pilot handbook i think it time to join this school what have i got to loose Thank you Kelly for this video you did well 93% good luck fly safe

[@AgAviationAdventures]

You're going to do great! You have all the right tools to get you there.

[@gregoryhill7960]

Thanks for your comments Cally

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks for watching Greg.

[@TheAvaiator23]

Hi purchase the same course super excited to get it done definitely nervous great video by the way

[@AgAviationAdventures]

You're going to do great!

[@johnvereen7102]

Dope ! Congratulations also!

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks John!

[@Hanna-fy3yq]

Thank you for the great vid. How long did it take you to go from 0% to 100% on the course? thanks!

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks for watching Hanna. It took me roughly 7 weeks and that was putting in around 2-3 hours a day.

[@dennygunia1885]

Safe flying this year last year I lost a ag pilot in North Dakota

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks Denny. Mike was an amazing person and I'm glad I knew him.

[@dennygunia1885]

@@AgAviationAdventures that was my uncle

[@AgAviationAdventures]

@@dennygunia1885 You were lucky to have such a great uncle. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

[@briantheteacher]

Thank you for this review! Very helpful.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Glad it was helpful!

[@briantheteacher]

Question: Did you print as you went through the material or did you print them all at once?

[@AgAviationAdventures]

I just printed them as I went through!

[@AgAviationAdventures]

@@briantheteacher I just printed as I went through the chapters.

[@asherrhynerson1150]

Video helped a lot! Thanks for making it

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks for the comment! Enjoy PI!

[@PilotInstituteAirplanes]

Congrats on the awesome score!

[@AgAviationAdventures]

You got me there!!

[@matty671]

Hey there. Is it possible to show what your binder notes look like? Did you separate them out into different binders or just use one big binder? Never mind. Just caught the clip I must have missed on rewatch.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Glad you found it! I dumped it all into one big binder. Could've been a bit more organized but it worked for me. Good luck!!

[@RCpilotCharlie]

I'm using Pilot Institute for my part 107 commercial drone operator cert. It's a fantastic course! Wish I would have had this for my private pilot ground school.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

That's awesome!

[@dr3ww._]

Hey, so today I finished the entirety of the Pilot institute course. :) The cross country was probably the most challenging out of all the chapters in my opinion and I definitely have to rewatch that section to get a better understanding. I felt overwhelmed at the same time maybe because Greg was using the E6B and not a Cx3. Could that also be a factor as well? I purchased a cx3 not too long ago and it comes in next week. Any tips for me that you have done for yourself to help you get through that section? And even when I enroll in an actual flight school, will the instructor expect me to already know how to plan a cross country? Or will he or she teach it to me anyways to make sure?

[@AgAviationAdventures]

The CX3 will make your life easier and faster! I learned both because I thought it was important to know but now I just use the CX3. There will be flight planning -esque questions on the written exam so you should know basic concepts. With practice you will get better! It probably depends on your instructor. Mine expected me to know but if I had any questions they would help me. Hope that helps!

[@TheWildSoulFilms]

Hey Cally, I'm not sure if I'm missing it or not... But did you state in this video how long it took you? From the day you purchased the course from Pilot Institute to that Friday that you felt prepared to take the test. How long was that period of time?

[@AgAviationAdventures]

I studied about an hour every other day for the month of January and then about 2 hours everyday for the month of February and was done March 4th.

[@gabrielhearn6039]

Did you do the readings in the FAA-H-8083-25B? Or did you just use the Gleim Test Prep to supplement?

[@AgAviationAdventures]

I strictly went off the Pilot Institute ground school the the Gleim Test Prep book. Don't forget we do have the discount code for the Pilot Institute course if you are interested.

[@gabrielhearn6039]

@@AgAviationAdventures sadly I had already bought the course when you replied. Since you had a CX-3 did you go through the E6B section or just skip it? Is it required for the endorsement? I got my hands on a CX-3 and don’t plan on using or buying an E6B

[@AgAviationAdventures]

@@gabrielhearn6039 I think it’s a good idea to learn the E6B and use it a bit. I wouldn’t skip through it. Then when you start using your CX3 you’ll understand what you’re doing. I’m not sure what’s required or not once you start learning to fly.

[@marnmaanu121]

How many questions were there in the question bank ?? Also congrats on ur exam

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks!! I ran actual practice exams...Pilot Institute isn't really test bank questions that you memorize. They teach you the material.

[@jeffbutler6729]

Hi there. I’m just beginning my flight training and also have been using Pilot Institute for my GS training and test prep. I notice that you decided to take your written before starting any actual in-flight training? I’ve heard some taking this approach, but others have suggested I work on both simultaneously so that I can have applicable education and can apply what I’m learning in the online course. What are your suggestions and recommendations for these varied approaches? Thanks so much! So inspired by your success.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Hey Jeff! I really liked having my ground school out of the way when it came time to fly. But I also did a little bit different approach as I was in an accelerated program and flying 2-3 times per day every day of the week as weather allowed. If you are taking your time with the flying, it may work well to do ground along side it. One thing that I do regret was finishing the ground school a year prior to when I started flying. I felt like I forgot a lot of information. I originally was going to start flying a month after finishing ground school but some things came up and I had to push it off a year. Everyone learns a bit different so what worked well for me may not work well for someone else, but I was happy to not have to worry about the GS and written exam while flying. Thanks for watching and good luck!

[@davidtorrijos548]

Question do you get the “notes” layout how you had half slide-half personal notes sheets? (2:14)

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Hey David, In the chapter overview of each section, right below the video of the chapter overview, you should see a link that says Lecture Notes. You can download them they just download in this format for me then I printed. Hope this helps!

[@davidtorrijos548]

@@AgAviationAdventures you’re the greatest thanks ✈️

[@carloscordova6934]

Amazing, greetings from burley idaho

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks for watching Carlos! We love Burley.

[@chrisnock1151]

How long did it take you to go through the program and take the test?

[@AgAviationAdventures]

I studied for about an hour every other day for the month of January and then about 2 hours everyday for the month of February and was done March 4th.

[@bbqworld2103]

Great info & video, thanks

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks for watching!

[@RayTerry1309]

Is the discount just for the private pilot or is it also for instrument as well?

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Yes, I believe so!

[@leepatton1180]

Thanks for the great information

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Thanks for watching!

[@takeoffthrustv1v2gearsup35]

How long did it take you to finish the course ?

[@AgAviationAdventures]

2 months

[@takeoffthrustv1v2gearsup35]

@@AgAviationAdventures it took your 2 months by studying everyday or you where taking breaks ?

[@AgAviationAdventures]

@@takeoffthrustv1v2gearsup35 That was pretty consistently studying for 2 hours a day.

[@lambofsquirrel]

Is this gonna be beneficial for a helicopter license?

[@AgAviationAdventures]

This particular ground school is focused on fixed wing.

[@jhaedtler]

The answer will be either The longest the shortest or non of the above!

[@AgAviationAdventures]

😂

[@Isaiah-53-777]

My days of wanting to be a pilot fly a plane are over not happening anymore too expensive too old and have Parkinson's now

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Sorry to hear that! Hope you can follow along and enjoy our adventures.

[@blakeemel3819]

i thought u didnt have to pay for it

[@AgAviationAdventures]

This course is not free. I think they offer some sort of intro ground school that is free but it’s maybe not quite as elaborate as this one with practice exams etc.

[@blakeemel3819]

@@AgAviationAdventures i was looking into it until i found out that u cant make any money off of a PPL can i ask what u plan to do with ur PPL or if its just a step to becoming a actual pilot?

[@travisminneapolis]

@@blakeemel3819 what do you mean by "actual pilot"?

[@blakeemel3819]

@@travisminneapolis like a delta pilot or wtvr or american airlines...like actually working for a company

[@StephenShreds]

@@blakeemel3819you need a minimum 1500 hours to work at a major airline.

[@Julio-rk7qw]

Hi

[@AgAviationAdventures]

Hello!

[@pushing2throttles]

Cally... check out the channel "Boldmethod". As a CFI, I've gotta say I'm impressed with their content.

[@AgAviationAdventures]

I'll check it out!

[@bsdontop1000]

Im looking for a good ground school that has a decent app for android but it seems everyone has it for ios, lol , Im also looking to use on my phone offline. im looking for a ground school to go from 0 to check ride / ppl/ beyond haha

[@AgAviationAdventures]

This is that ground school, minus the android part. Do you have an ipad for flying?