Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

The Commercial Pilot ground school course is designed to teach the student the aeronautical knowledge areas necessary for obtaining an endorsement to take the Commercial Pilot Airplane FAA knowledge test.  Lectures, discussions, videos, handouts, and written tests will provide the student the information needed to accomplish this.  Class participants will be expected to invest time outside of class to master the course content.  Material missed by students during an allowed absence will be made available to them as selected by the instructor and the applicable FAR requirements. This class may be offered online.

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:
    a)  Schedule, take, and pass the FAA Commercial Pilot knowledge test.
    b)  Plan and explain the execution of a flight operating as a commercial pilot.

At the beginning of the course, the instructor will explain the methods used to evaluate and record student progress, and the criteria for assigning a course grade.  The instructor will initiate a progress folder for each student, issue an enrollment certificate to each student, log each ground lesson in the studentÍs progress folder and issue graduation certificates upon successful completion of the course.  Evaluation methods may include one or more of the following: Tests and quizzes, attendance, participation, class assignments, and class projects. The instructor will immediately grade each stage exam and final exam, and if necessary, have students complete a review and retake of the exam, until a minimum score of 80% is achieved.  The instructor will issue a 141 disenrollment notice to any student who fails to meet the progress requirements. Students so affected must consult with the instructor concerning options available.

The remaining pages of this Course Content and Outcome Guide present the competencies, skills, concepts and themes which are designed to result in the outcomes listed above.

Course Content and Outcome Guides are prepared by the Aviation Science Subject Area Curriculum Committee and approved by College management.
Aeronautical knowledge training will be provided in the following areas appropriate to the category and class rating for this course as outlined in FAR 61.125 (b) and FAR 141 appendix D (3) (b):

1. Federal Aviation Regulations that apply to commercial pilot privileges, limitations, and flight operations;
2. Accident reporting requirements of the National Transportation Safety Board;
3. Basic aerodynamics and the principles of flight;
4. Meteorology, to include recognition of critical weather situations, windshear recognition and avoidance, and the use of  aeronautical weather reports and forecasts;
5. Safe and efficient operation of aircraft;
6. Weight and balance computations;
7. Use of performance charts;
8. Significance and effects of exceeding aircraft performance limitations;
9. Use of aeronautical charts and a magnetic compass for pilotage and dead reckoning;
10. Use of air navigation facilities;
11. Aeronautical decision making and judgment;
12. Principles and functions of aircraft systems;
13. Maneuvers, procedures, and emergency operations appropriate to the aircraft;
14. Night and high-altitude operations;
15. Descriptions of and procedures for operating within the national Airspace System; and
16. Procedures for flight and ground training for lighter-than-air ratings.