The San Diego Air & Space Museum is not just a place to see aircraft: Now you can also learn what it takes to fly them.
Enrollment has begun for a Private Pilot Ground School program at the museum’s location in Balboa Park, with classes beginning in October 2021.
The nine-week course prepares you to take the written examination for the FAA’s Private Pilot certificate. Students can take the course either prior to or in conjunction with their own outside flight training.
Museum educators and Advanced Ground Instructors present the course using the King Schools’ FAA-approved materials, augmented with “special touches” unique to the museum, including hands-on applications of lessons, museum officials noted.
“Our Ground School is very basic training for the beginner or a solid refresher for former pilots,” said Museum educator Ross E. ‘Rossco’ Davis. “We aim to reach new and non-traditional audiences for pilot training — the skeptics, the unsure, and the uninitiated — who might shy away from formal commercial flight schools. We have no planes to rent, no fuel to sell, and no ulterior motives. We just want more people to learn what it takes to fly.”
Classes are planned for at least five students and no more than 20. Each class is offered once weekly on Saturdays from 10:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Classes are priced at $269 (or a discounted $249 for museum members).
You can register on the museum’s website or call 619-234-8291, ext. 120, for more information.