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.
The Virtual Flight Pilot Groundschools
Avinca delivers two remotely-taught courses tuned primarily to the requirements of enthusiasts who fly flight simulators: an introductory course for those new to aviation and an advanced course for those wishing to move to IFR flying.
Both of these courses are provided remotely by Avinca and can therefore be accessed from anywhere in the world where broadband access to the internet exists. The lessons are delivered live and students are encouraged to participate by asking and answering questions. The courses also come with the internet forums common to all Avinca courses.
Introduction to Powered Flight
This course covers the basic aspects of flight for a newcomer to virtual flight.
During the ten 90 minute lessons it covers:
- Aviation terminology (IMC/VMC, IFR/VFR, heading/track, FBOs, runway numbering, etc.)
- Interpretation of the primary flight instruments including the concepts of altimeter settings (Flight levels, QFE, QNH, etc.).
- Basic theory of flight (Forces acting on an aircraft in flight, stalls, spins, spiral dives).
- Visual and Radio Navigation (Types of charts, calculating wind correction, using GPS and VORs.
Note that no instruction is given in the use of any particular simulator. The instructors assume that the students are familiar with their preferred simulator and the lessons therefore concentrate on the principles of flight.
Moving to IFR Flight
This is a course of twelve 90 minute lessons for the experienced virtual flight pilot covering the intricacies of IFR procedures.
This course covers both the procedures associated with instrument departures, en route flying, arrivals and approaches and the corresponding interactions with controllers.
The aim is to provide advanced virtual flight enthusiasts wth a platform where they can absorb the basic procedures and ask questions related to IFR flight.
The course is based on Canadian plates and maps but covers IFR flight both in Canada and the USA. Courses aimed specifically at other geographical areas can be provided on request.
This course is based on the groundschool provided by Avinca for IFR pilots but, given the relative freedom of not working to an examination syllabus, it allows the instructors more flexibility to follow the interests of the students.
The same instructors teach this course as teach the IFR course and all are experienced IFR pilots.
The course focuses on modern IFR technology (e.g., GPS rather than NDBs and glass cockpits rather than "steam" gauges) and covers some of the less well understood aspects of IFR flying, including flight in uncontrolled airspace.
Course Prerequisites
There is no prerequisite for the Introduction to Powered Flight course.
The Introduction to Powered Flight course or equivalent background knowledge is a pre-requisite for the Moving to IFR Flight course.
Required Resources
The only resource needed for the Introduction to Powered Flight course is access to a recent Toronto area visual navigation chart (VNC).
Students on the Moving to IFR Flight course are provided with a 60 page workbook prepared by the instructors of the course. In addition, students on this course must have the following available for the first lesson:
- A recent copy of the Canadian LO5/6 chart
- A recent Canada Flight Supplement (CFS)
- A set of Ontario "plates": the Canada Air Pilot (CAP) for Ontario
- A copy of the Canada Air Pilot General Pages (CAP-GEN)
The VNC, LO chart, CFS, plates and CAP General Pages can be obtained from any Canadian pilot supply shop.
To take part in the remote training, a student needs the equipment listed on this page.
Course Contents: Introduction to Powered Flight
The course consists of twelve 90 minute classes as summarised below.
| Topic | Duration (hours) | Contents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Aviation Concepts | |||
| Introduction | 1.5 | Basic vocabulary and concepts based around a simulated flight: types of maps, time zones and zulu time, latitude, longitude, concepts of groundspeed and airspeed, track and heading. | |
| General Knowledge | |||
| Flight Instruments | 3.0 | Pitot-Static and gyro (solid-state and mechanical) instruments: methods of operation, inaccuracies and errors | |
| Theory of Flight | 1.5 | The forces acting on an aircraft in flight, the generation of lift, types of drag, stalling and spinning, the spiral dive | |
| Aircraft Performance | 1.5 | Reading the aircraft's operating manual, calculating takeoff and landing distances, the effect of density altitude on climb performance | |
| Weather | |||
| Meterology | 1.5 | Air masses, atmospheric stability, cloud formation, frontal systems, areas of high and low pressure, wind | |
| Weather Reports | 1.5 | Obtaining, reading and interpreting GFAs, FDs, TAFs, METARS and weather RADAR | |
| The Flight | |||
| Flight Planning | 1.5 | Use of computerised flight planning tools | |
| Radio Navigation | 3.0 | Using GPS and VORs | |
| Approach and Landing | 1.5 | Identifying runways from the air, circuit procedures, runway lighting | |
| Review | |||
| Sample Flight | 1.5 | Putting it all together: during this lesson the "flight" taken during the first two lessons is flown again to reïnforce what has been learned | |
Course Contents: Moving to IFR Flight
The course consists of twelve 90 minutes lessons structured as listed below. Homework exercises are provided after each lesson and, to get the full benefit from the course, you are encouraged to complete these. Avinca provides you with access to a discussion site on the internet where homework questions can be discussed with other students and with the instructors.
| Topic | Duration (hours) | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to IFR Concepts | ||
| Introduction to IFR Flight | 1.5 | Basic vocabulary and concepts: precision, non-precision and LPV approaches, contact and visual approaches, segments of the flight, types of controller, preferred routes, alternate airports, approach plates |
| A complete flight | 1.5 | A simulated flight to provide the "big picture". At this stage you are obviously not expected to be able to interact with the controllers and "fly" the flight yourselve but are prompted by the instructors. At the end of the lesson you have an overall picture of how the stages of an IFR flight fit together. |
| Aviation Background | ||
| Weather Reports and Forecasts | 1.5 | An introduction to the weather reports and forecasts available to IFR pilots. Note that this does not cover the meterological background of how the forecasts are created: simply the basic interpretation of those forecasts. |
| Navigation Instruments | 3.0 | The radio navigation aids: how they work and how to use them. GPS, VORs, Localisers, Glideslopes and ADFs. |
| Segments of the IFR Flight | ||
| Flight Planning | 1.5 | LO charts, preferred routes, selection of alternate aerodromes |
| Departure | 1.5 | Standard instrument departures, climb gradients, departure clearances, departure from uncontrolled aerodromes |
| En Route and Arrival | 3.0 | Airways, PIREPs, holds, IFR in uncontrolled airspace, Standard instrument arrivals (RNAV and conventional), arrival at an uncontrolled aerodrome |
| Approaches | 3.0 | Interpretation of approach plates, classification of approaches (precision, nonprecision, LPV, contact, visual) |
| Review | ||
| Sample Flight | 1.5 | Putting it all together: during this lesson the "flight" taken during the second lesson is flown again to reïnforce what has been learned |