Avinca Groundschools
Avinca: Ground Instruction for Pilots
Avinca provides solutions for flight schools wishing to provide high-quality ground instruction and for individual students unable to attend a regular classroom groundschool or needing special attention. Avinca's lessons are provided remotely using the latest remote teaching technology and are all interactive—not prerecorded.
Frequently-Asked Questions
This page contains answers to many of the questions we are asked about Avinca's remote groundschool training. If you have other questions then please do not hesitate to contact us by email to queries@avinca.ca.
How does the remote teaching work?
Each student needs a computer with a browser, broadband internet connectivity and a headset with mute switch. The instructor's voice, whiteboard, video and presentation are transmitted to the browser from a central server and, to receive this, the student needs no special software on his or her computer. The student can ask questions (or answer the instructor's questions) verbally or through a "chat" window.
PCs running Linux, PCs running Microsoft's Windows and Apple Mac computers are all known to work with the remote teaching software. The software has been tested with the Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer browsers. We have no reason to believe that computers running other operating systems or using different browsers would not work.
Students are provided with a web address and password to access the lessons. The browser displays the information that the instructor is presenting (slides, whiteboard, video, etc.) and passes the instructor's voice through the headset. If you would like a demonstration of the remote teaching, please ask and we will set one up at your convenience.
Note that a dial-up internet connexion is not adequate for this training.
What does the lesson look like to the student?
The screenshot highlights the main components of the screen:
- The slide to which the presenter is speaking is displayed on the screen. The presenter can zoom in and out on the slide to draw the students' attention to specific areas, can draw on the slide and can use a pointer to emphasise a particular area.
- There is a chat window where students can ask and answer questions. The student can choose his or her language and all chat will be translated to and from that language. Many languages (including English, French, Lithuanian, Serbian, Spanish and Chinese) are currently supported.
- There is a webcam feed that the presenter can use to point to a whiteboard or other drawing surface (e.g., an iPad to demonstrate dynamically-changing information).
As with other windows, the student may arrange the various windows on the screen in any manner convenient for the size and shape of the computer screen.
Can students ask questions during a lesson?
Certainly. We have found that some students prefer to type their questions into the chat window in the browser while others prefer to ask questions verbally.
Can a student get additional assistance with exercises?
Yes. An interactive web site designed for this type of assistance and discussion is made available to students. Students may post questions on topics where they need advice. Other students as well as the instructors can post responses, leading to discussions that can be useful to all students.
If a student misses a class or two can she listen in during the next course?
Yes. The remote teaching format means that missing a class is less common than for classroom-based training—we often have students connecting from hotel rooms or even parking lots when travelling on business or vacation. However, a student who has paid for a particular course (e.g., the IFR course) can attend that course again for up to a year from the start of the original course. After a year we charge half-price for students who repeat a course.
What materials are made available to students?
Avinca supplies workbooks, textbooks and exercises that form an integral part of the courses. For some courses, students are expected to purchase maps, approach plates or other materials from a pilot-supply shop.
Students are expected to complete homework exercises outside the formal lessons.
How does a student connect to the remote training session?
Students are supplied with the URL of the Avinca "classroom". Directing a browser to that URL and entering a personal password is all that is required: there is no software to be downloaded or installed on the student's computer. In addition to the "classroom", Avinca also provides a link to a site where students may discuss questions, download copies of presentations, examine the schedule of future lessons, etc.
What are the advantages of the remote format for a flight school?
The primary gain for the flight school is an advantage of scale. If a flight school only has a small number of students then using Avinca to share the teaching with other flight schools, possibly in different provinces or territories (or even overseas), to provide a single groundschool can be more economical. This is made possible by the remote format of the classes.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the remote format for the student?
The primary advantage for a student is not having to drive to a classroom for each lesson. This is a major advantage for students living outside driving distance of a conventional groundschool but also means that lessons do not have to be interrupted by business trips or holidays: we have had students attending classes from hotel rooms in remote locations and even from a camper-van in a parking lot. Students also report being able to concentrate better in their own home and finding it a more comfortable environment in general.
The primary disadvantage is the lack of immediate, verbal chat between students. While this is still possible, it is more awkward.
May the student's flight instructors sit in to hear what their students are being taught?
Yes, this is encouraged and we do not charge for such participation. It is also possible for students from a particular flight school to sit in a classroom with the lesson being projected and the audio being passed through loudspeakers. However this makes verbal feedback difficult and we do not encourage it.
Are the instructors knowledgeable and experienced?
The primary instructors are practising IFR pilots each with over a decade of groundschool organisation and teaching experience. Other instructors are brought in to teach specific topics where they have specialised knowledge.
Are the lessons recorded? Can they be replayed?
Currently not. The technology is being upgraded to allow this and, when this comes available, we will investigate recording the classes and making them available to the students who attended. We want to avoid providing "pre-recorded" classes. If you feel that recording would be advantageous, please let us know.
Are the courses offered in both French and English?
To date, courses have only been offered in English. However, we have bilingual instructors and the courses will be offered in French if there is demand.
How is the student's Flight School involved in the groundschool?
There are various levels at which a flight school may be involved:
- A flight school may simply want to be able to point students at a high-quality groundschool then have no further involvement, the students registering as individuals.
- If a flight school has insufficient students for an economical local groundschool then Avinca can combine the groundschool with one for other schools. The flight school would register its students and charge them as appropriate. Avinca would bill the school for the number of your students involved.
- If a flight school has sufficient students for a groundschool but lacks qualified instructors, Avinca can provide a remotely-taught groundschool just for those students. The groundschool would then be branded with the name of the flight school.
How much does it cost?
The ground instruction is charged at a rate to keep it competitive with classroom-based groundschools. Quotations are provided separately for one-to-one training. For more details see the course descriptions.
In addition, students may be required to purchase some books, maps and other materials for the course.
How do I find out more? How do I arrange for a demonstration session?
Please send an email to "queries@avinca.ca". We arrange free, 60 minute introduction sessions for flight schools consisting of 20 minutes of normal teaching as would be experienced by students followed by 40 minutes of discussion. We would be delighted to set up such a session for you or invite you to the next scheduled one.
