Ground school helps range of students soar

Aerospace engineering (AE) is one of the most in-demand majors at Iowa State, and one of the ways AE students can stand out in the job market after graduation is possessing a private pilot license. To help make that possible, the aerospace engineering department has offered ground school instruction as a course, one of the main requirements to secure a license.

"To get a license, a student has to go through flight training, but the other part of the equation is successfully completing the written exam, which is where ground school comes in," said Matthew Nelson, aerospace engineering associate teaching professor who has a private pilot license and flies a Piper Cherokee single-engine aircraft. "It saves our students some money because they don't have to take ground school through someone else."

Nelson said many of the largest aerospace companies -- Boeing, Collins Aerospace and Textron -- have said that the combination of an aerospace engineering degree and a private pilot license makes graduates more appealing to hire.

"It's another skill set that better prepares our students for the workforce," he said. "There are several workforce areas that could take advantage of having a license, and it exposes more students from across campus to an engineering discipline."

Ground school

From the 1960s until the 1990s, Nelson said Iowa State had a flight school before cost and other factors shuttered the program. He revived the ground school portion in 2017. Nelson and a chief flight instructor (CFI) from Central Iowa Air Service at the Ames Municipal Airport now teach a two-credit ground instruction course.

The course, which averages 10 students each semester, covers the basic components and engine system of an airplane. Students learn about Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, basic aerodynamics and physics of an airplane, airports and the different air spaces, airport ground markings and weather. A CFI or a ground instructor must sign off on the student's course work before he or she can take the FAA written exam to get a private pilot license, Nelson said.

Ground school is open to students in any major, and Nelson said students in business, meteorology, biology and other programs have taken the course in the past few years. 

He said some of his students begin flight training with Central Iowa Air Service while completing ground school. Students choose from two licenses. Part 141 flight training is a highly structured, FAA-approved curriculum designed for career-oriented students needing an accelerated, full-time pace. Part 61 training offers greater flexibility and custom scheduling, favored by recreational pilots or those needing to train at their own pace. Part 141 usually requires fewer minimum flight hours.

"Because of the rigor, the FAA shaves off about five hours, so you need a minimum of 35 flight hours for a 141 and a minimum of 40 hours for a 61," Nelson said. "It costs about $165 an hour for flight time and about $60 for the CFI's time."

Once students have the hours and pass the written exam, they fly with a designated pilot examiner to demonstrate maneuvers, landings, takeoffs and understanding of the aircraft to receive their private license. The private license allows holders to fly single-engine piston planes, the same kind they train in.

Coming next year: flight training minor

Nelson is spearheading the process of developing a flight training minor in the aerospace engineering department and hopes to have it available by spring 2027.  It would have two tracks, one for those who may pursue their private pilot license, and one for those who want to fly drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles.

"We want to have options for students because drones are a huge and growing sector in ag, media, public safety and much more," Nelson said. "We are designing it to be as open to as many students as possible, and it would allow us to drill down into a lot of topics and be more beneficial to students."

The minor, which could slightly reduce the cost for flight training, also would be beneficial to students who aspire to fly more than a single-engine aircraft. A private pilot license is the first step for anyone looking to get paid when they fly, Nelson said. Pilots advance from a private pilot license to instrument rating, commercial rating and additional ratings if they want to fly for major airlines.