Ground School

Learning to fly is fun! But you do have to hit the books in order to learn the material that can’t be covered in the cockpit. While you can certainly take care of your studying on your own, most people prefer to attend one of our classroom courses. Not only will this ensure you cover all the material, but it will also provide the structure and organization to get you through the required material in an organized and timely manner.

Private Pilot Ground School

This course will teach you everything you need to know to pass the FAA private pilot written exam. Topics include airplane systems, aerodynamics, airport environments, proper communications and phraseology, meteorology, FARs, aircraft performance, charts and navigation, and human factors.

Date/Time: 8 weeks

Cost: $300

Instrument Ground School

This course will provide you with all the ground training necessary to pass the FAA Instrument written exam. Topics include flight instrument systems, attitude instrument flight, instrument navigation, airports and airspace, FARs, ATC systems and clearances, departure, en-route and arrival charts and procedures, holding patterns, approach charts and procedures, GPS navigation, flight simulation, meteorology, aeromedical factors, and IFR emergency procedures and flight planning.

Date/Time: 13 weeks

Cost: $350

Mountain Flying Course

One of the greatest thrills of being a Pilot in Colorado is the opportunity to fly throughout the majestic Rocky Mountains. The class will consist of 4 hours of ground training, where you will learn the basics of how to fly in the rocky terrain. You will learn the fundamentals of performance considerations, developing go-no-go judgment skills, mountain flight planning, and developing confidence for mountain flying. To complete the full mountain checkout, after the ground course each student will fly a specific route determined by the instructor to individually suit your needs. Common destinations are Buena Vista, Leadville, Aspen, Glenwood, and Granby. There are many other options; the sky is the limit on where you can go!

Date/Time: This course runs periodically throughout the year on Saturday mornings or Wednesday evenings. Check our Calendar for more details.

Cost: The cost of the ground class is $100 for American Flight Schools members and $150 for non-members. * The flight portion of the checkout will be a separate and additional cost depending on the aircraft choice and desired route of the student.

Co-Pilot Course

As a pilot, don’t you wish your spouse or other regular right-seat passenger could help out with some of your workload? This course is meant for them. Once they complete our course, not only will they be more useful in the cockpit, but they’ll also get more enjoyment out of flying with you. The course consists of 4 hours of ground school and two hours of flying.

Date/Time: We run the ground school periodically throughout the year on Saturday mornings from 8am until noon. The flight portion can be scheduled upon completion of the ground school.

Cost: $499

Aviation 101

This class is a great introduction to aviation. The student will attend our full six- to eight-week Private Pilot ground school (depending on location – see above) to build a solid foundation of aviation theory. Upon successful completion of the ground school, the student takes his first flight lesson to put what he’s learned in the classroom to use in the cockpit.

Date/Time: 6-8 weeks. Contact Us or check out our events calendar for next start dates.

Cost: $599

ATC/Radio Communication Course

This course focuses on some of the most common ATC and radio learning obstacles. In this class you’ll simulate ATC communications over a range of VFR flight situations, review the importance of AIM and FAA-approved radio phraseology, discover when to anticipate ATC instructions and sequences in different airspaces, and learn when to transmit in the midst of “live” ATC exchanges.

Date/Time: We run the ground school periodically throughout the year on Saturday mornings from 9AM-1PM.

Cost: Course is $5 for current American Flight Schools members in good standing, $15 for non-members.

G1000 Course

The Garmin G1000 is the biggest name in “glass cockpit” technology. If you are going to fly newer airplanes, there’s a good bet those airplanes will be equipped with the G1000. Attend our course and learn the basics of operating the G1000.

Date/Time: We run the ground school periodically throughout the year on Saturday mornings from 9AM-12PM.

Cost: Course is FREE for current American Flight Schools members in good standing, $20 for non-members.

Advanced G1000 Course

The reviews from our basic G1000 course have been phenomenal. Those who have attended found the course to be instrumental in mastering the fundamentals of the G1000. After attending the course and then getting a couple hours of practical experience flying a G1000-equipped airplane, the consensus among the participants was that they were ready to learn some of the more advanced features of the G1000 system. Phase II is our Advanced Garmin G1000 course. This class is a little longer than the basic, and will build upon the fundamentals taught in the first class.

Date/Time: This course is offered periodically throughout the year on Saturday mornings from 9AM-12PM.

Cost: $25 for current American Flight Schools members in good standing, $45 for non-members.

WINGS Safety Seminars

Our headquarters location, Aspen Flying Club, hosts an FAA Safety Team sponsored WINGs Pilot Proficiency seminar each month. These seminars cover aviation topics ranging from mountain flying concepts to Air Traffic control to aviation mystic and myth and trivia. Each seminar is structured to be informative, fun, and helpful to pilot proficiency and flying enjoyment.

Date/Time: WINGs seminars are usually held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6:00pm in the Aspen Flying Club classroom.

Cost: These seminars are free and open to the public!