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Private Pilot Online Ground School & Private Pilot Written Test Prep
Part Time Pilot is the Best Private Pilot Online Training in America according to student pilot reviews
Part Time Pilot helps future Private Pilots save time & money with our Online Ground School & FAA Private Pilot Written Test Prep that contains written, audio & video lessons so that no matter what way you learn best, you can learn it with us.
How doing your Ground School online with Part Time Pilot saves you Time & Money while getting your Private Pilot License
1-on-1 Instruction:
Pros: An expert at your fingertips to instantly answer your questions & show you how to understand a concept.
Cons: It costs anywhere between $40-$80 per hour for ~40 hours of ground training ($1600-$3200 total)
Most Online Private Pilot Courses:
Pros: The affordable price and the ability to learn where ever and when ever you want.
Cons: Trouble getting your questions answered.
Part Time Pilot’s Private Pilot Online Ground School:
Pros: Takes the best parts of 1-on-1 instruction (experts by your side to answer your questions) and online private pilot training (affordable price and ability to learn where ever and when ever).
More Pros: Learn everything ground school private pilot with written test lessons that have visual aids and step-by-step examples OR by video lessons OR by audio lessons that you can even download to your device & listen where ever you go
More Pros: 7 day a week expert email support, online study community for collaborative learning and trained AI instructor chats on every lesson for instant support.
Even More Pros: Includes a custom test prep process with over 1200 private pilot FAA written exam practice questions and endorsement review that has led to a 99.9% success rate on the FAA exams.
Over the years student pilots had to choose between either in-person instruction or online private pilot license courses.
Getting an online ground school but having to search through books and youtube videos for answers to their questions.
Getting 1-on-1 instruction but having to drive to the airport only to stay in the hangar and spend $1000s on ground study.
But now, Part Time Pilot is giving student pilots the best of both worlds.
Online private pilot ground school + online private pilot test prep that you can study where you want, when you want, get ALL your questions answered instantly and only pay a small, one-time fee for lifetime access.
Part Time Pilot does this by providing both comprehensive online ground school training & test prep using the following features:
- Full Ground School + Private Pilot Written Test Prep (covers entire Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS))
- Written, Video & Audio lessons for all learning styles
- In-depth and plain English explanations
- Visual aids & step-by-step examples
- FAA Written exam endorsement
- Complete on your own schedule
- Lifetime access
- 100% mobile friendly on all devices
- 100% money-back guarantee if you don’t pass
- Quizzes on every lesson
- FAA Written Practice Tests & custom Practice Test report from CFI
- Downloadable & Digital Flash Cards with over 1000 FAA ?s
- Online Study Groups
- Live Lessons & Live Q&As for members
- Trained AI Instructor chat on every lesson
- ATC Communications Voice-to-Voice practice simulator
- 7 Day a week support
- BONUS Ultimate Test Prep book PDF
- BONUS Cross-Country Planning guide, checklist, nav-log & eBook
- BONUS How to Become a Pilot & Save Money course
- BONUS 5 Step Study Hack course
- BONUS kneeboard downloads
- Recordings of all live lessons
- Mobile App with Practice Test Generator, E6B & soon to come offline lessons!
- Eligible to apply for our 4 yearly $1000 scholarships
- 33% off Military & Veteran Discount (click here to request discount)
Or watch a tour of what’s inside and see why we are the top rated Online Ground School by student pilots:
Why do student pilots like Part Time Pilot Ground School - Private Pilot Written Test Prep?
It could be because our students pass their exams 99.9% of the time. Or maybe it’s how we show up for our customers 24/7. Hear from the students themselves what is working for them:
“I am currently working toward my pilot license. I have used Kings, Sportys and now Part Time Pilot. I find part time pilot the most comprehensive and easily understandable ground school so far. I recommend PTP if you are just starting out.”
-Kyle S
Part Time Pilot Student
“Part Time Pilot has been and continues to be the best choice I have ever made! Coming from zero knowledge in aircraft or what it takes to become a pilot the podcasts, app, course lessons, and bonus material have paved a way for me to understand what it takes to become a pilot.”
-Ryan F
Part Time Pilot Student
“I researched quite a few online ground schools before committing to PTP. I chose PTP because Nick truly cares about his students & wants them to succeed. I appreciate the lifetime access to everything without needing to worry about subscription… From the live lessons, to the Facebook study group, to the podcasts, to the student portal chock-full of videos and quizzes… there are just SO many ways to learn through PTP!”
-Tracy S
Part Time Pilot Student
“Part Time Pilot is a hidden gem in the world of Online Ground Schools. The lessons are easily digestible and the quizzes at the end are really helpful as well. There are a ton of free resources included that are unique to the Part Time Pilot school, not just free downloads you can get from the FAA anyways.”
-Kyle B
Part Time Pilot Student
“From 9 to 90! I had no prior experience with aviation. I took a practice test before starting part time pilot and got a 9%. I now have been getting high 80s and 90s on the tests… Nick walked me gently through the program. He kept in constant contact as I felt defeated and lifted me up and celebrated when I began mastering the material.”
-Jason K
Part Time Pilot Student
“Amazing customer service and knowledge lessons. I had a little trouble with enrolling in the course. Nick responded to my email in like five seconds and helped me fix it. I’ve been listening to the audio lessons and am learning a lot. There’s so many ways to study in this course I recommend this for anyone looking for a ground school.”
-Chris O
Part Time Pilot Student
Compare the Top 14 Private Pilot Online Ground Schools & decide for yourself:
What subjects are covered in the private pilot ground training?
Part Time Pilot not only covers all required subjects in the FAA Private Pilot Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS) in a comprehensive online private pilot course but also provides a near perfect FAA private pilot test prep process (99.9% success rate).
See below for our Private Pilot Online Ground School syllabus:
Operation of Aircraft Systems
- Aircraft Overview
- Flight Controls
- Aircraft Lights
- Cockpit Instruments
- Electrical System
- Vacuum System
- Pitot-Static System
- Magnetic Compass
- Transponders
- GPS
- Fuel & Oil System
- Aircraft Engine
- Carburetor Heat
- Propeller
- Antennas
- ELT
- Landing Gear
Pilot Certifications, Qualifications & Limitations
- Categories, Classes & Types of Aircraft
- Certificates
- Pilot in Command
- Pilot for Hire Limitations
- Alcohol & Drugs
- Incidents, Accidents and Emergencies
- FAA Advisory Circulars
- Other Airmen Ratings
- Formation Flight
- Dropping Objects
Aircraft Airworthiness Requirements
- Required Documentation
- Required Inspections
- Required Equipment
- Inoperable Equipment
- Airworthiness Directives (ADs)
Weather Theory, Charts & Information
- Air Masses & Weather Systems
- Thunderstorms
- Wind Shear
- Temperature Inversions
- Fog
- Frost & Ice
- Dew Point
- Clouds
- Weather, Altitudes & Altimeter Settings
- Estimating Numbers on Charts
- Interpolating
- METARs & TAFs
- PIREPs
- Trusted Weather Sources
- Winds & Temperatures Aloft
- Significant & Wide Area Weather Charts
- Radar Weather Observations
- AIRMETs & SIGMETs
- Weather Briefings
National Airspace System
- VFR, IFR and Special VFR
- Class A
- Class B
- Class C
- Class D
- Class E
- Class G
- Primary & Satellite Airports
- Special Use Airspace
- Airspace Review
- Transponder Requirements
Fundamentals of Aerodynamics
- Forces of Flight
- Lift
- Stalls
- Spins
- Weight
- Thrust (Power)
- Drag
- Wake Turbulence & Ground Effect
- Left Turning Tendency
- Adverse Yaw
- Density Altitude
More Regulations
- Aircraft Speeds
- Speed Limits
- Seatbelts & Harnesses
- Right of Way
- Minimum Safe Altitudes
- ATC Clearance & Compliance
- Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs)
- Fuel Requirements
- Hemispherical Rule
- Aircraft Maintenance
Human Factors
- Supplemental Oxygen
- Hypoxia
- Hyperventilation
- Ear and Sinus Concerns
- Motion Sickness
- Spatial Disorientation & Illusions
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Scuba Diving
- Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM) & Hazardous Attitudes
- Self-Assessments
Weight & Balance
- Weight & Balance Theory
- Procedure for Weight & Balance
- Weight & Balance Examples
Cross-Country Planning
- Procedure for Plotting your Course
- What Information do you Need?
- Choosing Checkpoints & Altitudes
- Distances Between Checkpoints
- Estimate Fuel Needed
- Measuring Courses
- Winds & Temperatures for Takeoff, Landing & Cruise
- Distance to Climb to Cruise Altitude
- Distance to Descend to Landing Destination Airport Traffic Altitude
- Airspeeds
- Calculating Airspeed During Climb
- Calculating Airspeed During Cruise & Descent
- Ground Speed and Magnetic Heading
- Time En Route
- Fuel Consumption & Planning
- Takeoff & Landing Perofrmance
- More Practice with Paper E6B
- More Practice with Electronic E6B
Before Takeoff Procedures
- Pre-Flight Assessment
- Flight Deck Management
- Engine Starting
- Taxiing
Airport Operations
- Airport Information
- Communications
- Flight Service Stations & Control Centers
- Filing Out, Filing & Activating a Flight Plan
- Collision Avoidance & Traffic
- Airport Light Signals
- Taxi-way & Runway Lighting Systems
- Taxi-way & Runway Signs & Markings
- Traffic Patterns
- Wind & Traffic Pattern Selection
- Land & Hold Short Operations
- Takeoff & Landing
Pilot Control & Ground Reference Maneuvers
- Steep Turns
- Turns Around a Point
- S-Turns
- Takeoff & Landing in Crosswinds
- Cross-Checking
Emergencies
- Types of Emergency Landings
- Landing Spot Selection
- Electrical Failure
- Gyro Failure
- Radio Failure
- Engine Fire
- Electrical Fire
- Engine Failure After Lift-Off (simulated)
Navigation
- Aeronautical Charts
- Pilotage & Dead Reckoning
- VORs, DMEs, TACANs & VORTACs
Night Operations
- Night Definitions
- Vision
- Illusions
- Equipment
- Airport, Obstruction & Navigation Lighting Aids
- Traffic at Night
Money-back Guarantee if you don't Pass the Private Pilot FAA Written Exam
Worry-Free Purchase
If you complete our course and receive an endorsement from us but then fail the FAA Knowledge Exam (Written Exam) we will refund you the cost of your Online Ground School.
We are confident in guaranteeing this because we are so confident in our Test Prep process.
Over 4000 FAA Endorsements... 99.9% Success Rate
How does Part Time Pilot get students to pass at an 8% higher rate than other Private Pilot Written Test Prep courses?
It is all in the secret sauce… Actually, it is not a secret at all but instead our expert level support & attention to detail during our courses Private Pilot Written Test prep process.
Students first complete all lessons & quizzes designed to teach them the fundamental building blocks of private pilot knowledge in our comprehensive online ground school.
Once students finish the lessons, they begin our custom-tailored Private Pilot Written Test Prep process:
- Students take 3 updated & unique FAA Written Practice Tests
- Part Time Pilot expert instructor reviews students test results & provides a custom practice test report complete with lessons to review, tips, and additional practice questions
- If students are above an 81% average on the first 3 tests they will also receive their FAA Endorsement + more unique practice tests to practice
- If students are below an 81% they repeat the process of practice tests & custom test reports until they are above 81% average on their first attempts
- Only 1st attempt scores are counted and each test has all unique questions to guarantee that we can predict your actual FAA score with certainty
- Throughout the process, Part Time Pilot instructors offer explanations and answer all questions to fill in missing gaps of student knowledge
This process has led to a 99.9% pass rate from students we endorse and an average score of 93% on the Private Pilot Written Exam. Students generally score the same, if not better, then their average score on our practice exams.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the topic of online ground school.
Is the Part Time Pilot Online Ground School FAA Certified?
Yes, the course was created by Nick Smith who is a certificated ground instructor by the FAA with privileges to provide students the endorsement required to take their FAA Knowledge Exam (Written Test). The endorsement is signed of by Nick himself and all content within the ground school follows the required FAA knowledge outlined in the Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS) (Airman Certification Standards | Federal Aviation Administration, 2024) to help you achieve your Private Pilot License (certificate).
Can I get an FAA Written Exam Endorsement with the Part Time Pilot Online Ground School?
Yes! We will give you a printable PDF certificate with Nick Smith’s instructor certificate number and sign off for you to take the Private Pilot FAA Knowledge Exam (FAA Written). This endorsement, is required for you to take the exam along with your ID. After you finish the lessons of the ground school, you will be given access to FAA Written Practice tests (Airman Testing | Federal Aviation Administration, 2025). In order to receive your endorsement, Part Time Pilot just needs to see you score an average of 81% or higher on your first attempt at a unique test before we send your endorsement. When you do these tests, we also send you a custom test report with review recommendations and we will work with your over email to answer any questions you may have. When students complete this process with us, they pass the FAA Written exam at a 99.9% success rate and an average score over 90%.
Is Part Time Pilot Legit?
Yes! The course was created by Nick Smith who is a certificated ground instructor by the FAA with privileges to provide students the endorsement required to take their FAA Knowledge Exam (Written Test). The endorsement is signed of by Nick himself and all content within the ground school follows the required FAA knowledge outlined in the Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS) (Airman Certification Standards | Federal Aviation Administration, 2024).
Part Time Pilot has successfully endorsed and helped over 4000 students take and pass their Private Pilot exams. You can see over 400 independent reviews of verified student pilot customers here on the 3rd party review site, Trust Pilot.
How much is the Private Pilot Online Ground School?
The Part Time Pilot Private Pilot Online Ground School is $249.99 for lifetime access which can come in handy.
Is it worth it to get a Private Pilot License?
Yes! But this depends heavily on your goals. If you want to have the maximum amount of privileges as a pilot with the minimum amount of training then a Private Pilot certificate is worth it. If you want to become an Airline Pilot or fly as a career then you are required to first get a Private Pilot certificate and in that case, it would be worth it as well. So whether you want to be a hobby pilot and able to fly family or friends from state to state or you want to fly for the Airlines one day, a Private Pilot certificate is the best choice. This is why Private Pilot certificates are by far the most popular certificate in the US.
What is the Cheapest Way to become a Pilot?
The cheapest way to become a pilot explained step by step in Part Time Pilot’s free email course called “How to Become a Pilot and Save Money” and summarized below. There is no one trick or one flight school that allows a student pilot to save the most money. Rather, it is a series of things student pilots can prepare and plan ahead for that will make their flight training journey as cheap and as stress-free as possible. Some of those things are:
- Doing Ground School before Flight Training
- Doing a complete Ground School & understanding the concepts in the material rather than just doing FAA Written Test Prep
- Planning ahead financially instead of flying paycheck to paycheck
- Doing flight training at a Flying Club
- Doing flight training in rural parts of the US
- Taking time off work and avoiding travel during flight training
- Flying during the sunniest months of the year
- Buying your own aircraft if you plan to fly a significant amount after receiving a Private Pilot certificate
- And more outlined in the Free “How to Become a Pilot & Save Money” course
How much does becoming a Private Pilot cost?
The total cost of becoming a Private Pilot varies from person to person and the differences in their training journey. Typically, it costs anywhere from $14,000 to $17,000 on average to become a Private Pilot in the US.
However, there are many people who have spent more than this in the $20,000-$30,000 range and there are also people who have spent as low as $10,000 or less. If you want to learn how to spend $10,000 or less, join our free course on How to Become a Pilot and Save Money.
How Long does it take to become a Private Pilot?
This varies depending upon several factors but mostly on how often you perform flight training lessons and how quickly you progress through the lessons in the eyes of your flight instructor.
The FAA minimum number of hours to become a Private Pilot is 40 hours for Part 61 or 35 hours for Part 141. However, there are several underlying requirements such as solo flight hours, night flight hours, cross-country flight hours, simulated instrument flight hours, ground training and more. Even if you meet all minimum hour requirements, your flight instructor still needs to endorse you for your final checkride exam to become a pilot. In order for your instructor to endorse you, they must deem you proficient in all areas required by the FAA in the Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS) document.
Students that are able to progress and gain proficiency quickly while flying full-time (every day or every other day) can finish near the minimum hour requirement (35 to 50 hours) in about 2-3 months. These students also perform their ground training and have a good understanding of the knowledge prior to starting flight lessons.
Students that aren’t able to fly full-time but on the weekends or off-days from work are more likely to finish in 50-70 hours and in about 4-6 months.
And students that have gaps in their training lasting multiple weeks or that aren’t able to fly each week are going to finish in the higher range of 70-100 hours and 6 months to a year or more.
What's the fastest way to become a Private Pilot?
The fastest way to become a private pilot is all up to the student and the availability of their instructor and aircraft rental. Other factors such as weather, aircraft maintenance and a student’s finances also come into play. It doesn’t matter if you are training under Part 141 or Part 61 for the following things to help you achieve your private pilot license in as little time and as little money as possible:
- Perform ground school first and use a comprehensive ground school and written test prep
- Pass the FAA Written before or early in your training
- Fly as often as possible 4-6 times per week with no breaks
- Try to fly with the same aircraft and instructor throughout your training
- Fly when the weather has the best chances of being clear and stable
- Come to each flight lesson prepared for the flight
What are the Requirements to become a Private Pilot?
In order to be eligible to become a private pilot, someone must meet the following requirements:
- Be at least 16 years old when they fly solo
- Be at least 17 years when they receive their Private Pilot certificate
- Be able to read, speak, write and understand English
- Obtain at least a 3rd Class FAA Medical Certificate
- Hold a US Student Pilot Certificate
Does Part Time Pilot offer Refunds?
Yes! Part Time Pilot offers refunds. We believe that a good company and a good product is not one that you feel forced to keep and pay for. We believe in our courses ability to teach you to become a great, safe pilot and pass your exams with high scores. We only want people in our course who want to be in the course. As long as you have not completed over 50% of the content in the online ground school, we will allow a full refund.
Does Part Time Pilot have a Guarantee?
Yes! Part Time Pilot offers a 100% money back guarantee if a student receives an endorsement from us but does NOT pass their FAA Written Exam. This has only happened twice out of over 4000 students and each of those 2 times we refunded the student and helped them to pass their test on the 2nd attempt.
What are the best Online Ground Schools?
There are many options for Online Ground School these days. The best online ground school is the one that works best at helping you understand that content. Students should look at the type of lessons provided (written lessons, video lessons and audio lessons), the ability to get their questions answered from a real-life instructor, and reviews from student pilots when looking into the best online ground school for themselves. Many Online Ground Schools provide free trials (like Part Time Pilot’s here) that you can try out before purchasing.
There are many good options out there for Online Ground School but according to a side-by-side comparison of 14 online ground schools, only one has the combination of features, ability to get your questions answered 7 days a week, and is the #1 rated in terms of customer reviews – Part Time Pilot (What is the Best Online Ground School in 2025 | Part Time Pilot)
Does Part Time Pilot offer a Military Discount?
Yes, Part Time Pilot offers a 33% discount on all courses and course bundle deals to active military and veterans. To request a discount, please contact us here.
What features are in the Private Pilot Online Ground School?
The Part Time Pilot Private Pilot Online Ground School includes every lesson required to be learned by Private Pilots from the FAA. Each lesson includes a written lesson with visual aids and step by step examples, an audio lesson, a quiz, and a trained AI instructor chat. The vast majority ~80% of the lessons also include a video lesson. The Private Pilot membership also includes access to our VIP podcast which allows students to download ad free audio lessons and expert interviews straight to their device and listen anywhere at any time (even without internet). The Private Pilot membership also includes a Bonus downloads and videos section with a ton of bonus videos from our live lesson recordings and downloads for test prep, cross-country planning and more. The membership also includes digital flash cards with over 1200 FAA Written Practice Test questions. Finally, each membership includes our new interactive AI tools such as our live voice-to-voice ATC simulator.
How long does it take to finish Online Ground School?
The amount of time it takes to finish an Online Ground School is up to you, the student. Each online ground school is required to teach you all the knowledge from the Airmen Certificate Standards from the FAA. This document details all the knowledge, skills and areas of proficiency required to achieve a pilot certificate.
The amount of time it will take you to finish learning all the required content depends on how quickly you learn and how much time you can dedicate each day to studying. On average, is takes students about 3 months to complete online ground school with some students completing it in as quickly as 1 month and others taking 6 months to even a year.
Part Time Pilot provides each of our students with study tracking calendars they can download to keep track of their progress. There are different calendars based off of how much time a student can dedicate each day to studying (30 min, 1 hour or 2 hour) and each calendar shows the lessons the student should complete each day to stay on track.
Do you have to complete Ground School before Flying?
No! However, it is highly recommended that you do it before flight training or before getting too far along in your flight lessons, but there is no requirement to do ground school before flight training.
The only requirement is that you have your FAA Written exam passed prior to your final Checkride flight test, and in order to take the FAA Written test you need to have an endorsement from a certified instructor who performed the ground training (or an online ground school) and believes you are ready for the test.
What subjects are taught in the Online Ground School?
The below subject categories or sections as we call them are included in the Part Time Pilot Online Ground School. There are many lesson subjects within each of these subjects categories. To view the entire detailed syllabus, click here:
- Operation of Aircraft Systems
- Pilot Certifications, Qualifications & Regulations
- Aircraft Airworthiness Regulations
- Weather Theory, Charts & Information
- National Airspace System
- Fundamentals of Aerodynamics
- Human Factors & Medical
- Aircraft Weight & Balance
- Aircraft Performance
- Cross-Country Flight Planning
- Aircraft Procedures
- Airport Operations; Takeoff, Landing, Taxiing, etc.
- Pilot Control and Maneuvering
- Emergencies
- Navigation
- Night Operations
These subjects are directly taken from the Airmen Certificate Standards (ACS) document from the FAA that details exactly the knowledge and skills required to become a private pilot (Airman Certification Standards | Federal Aviation Administration, 2024).
For online ground schools this content can be taught in the form of written lessons, video lessons or even audio lessons and should be reinforced with examples, visual aids, memory aids and quizzes. A good online ground school should teach the fundamental principles of each topic as well as provide test prep to prepare students for the FAA Written Exam.