Ground school

How the aeroplane is built and how it works: the airframe, the piston engine, fuel, carburation and engine handling, the electrical and vacuum systems, landing gear, the flight instruments, and finally airworthiness, performance, mass and balance and the flight hazards. Drawn from the CAA syllabus, EASA certification specifications and the aircraft flight manual.

The pilot as a component of the aircraft: how the body copes (or fails to) at altitude, how the senses deceive, and how attention, stress, fatigue and judgement shape every decision. Human error is in 70% of accidents, so this is where most safety is won. Built on a framework you can hang the facts on, sourced from the CAA syllabus and primary sources.

How the atmosphere behaves and why it matters in the cockpit: pressure, wind, moisture, stability, clouds, fronts, hazards, and the products you brief with. Built from first principles, with interactive aids for the dynamic concepts.

Finding your way by map, clock and compass: the shape of the Earth, charts and projections, direction and the magnetic compass, the triangle of velocities, the flight computer, route planning and en-route technique, then the radio aids that back it all up. Built from first principles for VFR flying in UK airspace.

What to do for the people in the back, and when things go wrong: looking after passengers, preventing and fighting fire, surviving on land or at sea after a forced landing, and the first aid that keeps someone alive until help arrives. The operational, hands-on companion to Human Performance.

How and why an aeroplane flies, built from first principles. The four forces and equilibrium, the aerofoil and lift, drag and the lift/drag ratio, thrust from the propeller, stability, control and trim, flaps, the climb, descent, glide and turn, and the stall and spin. Drawn from the CAA syllabus and EASA certification specifications.

VFR radiotelephony: what to say, how to say it, and why the radio works the way it does. From the phonetic alphabet and standard phrases to aerodrome calls, services, emergencies and radio theory, with drills for the bits you have to know cold. Built from the CAA syllabus and primary sources.