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Keep Your Flight Training on Track with Flexible Ground Instruction

One of the biggest challenges in flight training is momentum. It’s common for student pilots to start with enthusiasm, then hit delays – bad weather, busy work schedules, aircraft maintenance issues, or even personal life events – that cause gaps in training.

Updated May 15, 2025

When you go weeks without flying or studying, skills and knowledge can deteriorate. Then you end up spending extra time (and money) relearning things you did before.

One-on-one online ground instruction is a fantastic tool to help you keep your training momentum and stay engaged even when you can’t be in the cockpit:

1. Train Rain or Shine (No Weather Delays)

Unlike a flight lesson, a ground session can proceed regardless of weather. If your weekend flight is canceled due to low clouds or high winds, you can hop online with your instructor for an hour of ground training instead. This turns a lost opportunity into a productive study session. You’ll keep advancing in knowledge, so the next time you do get to fly, you haven’t been idle. You’re essentially weather-proofing a part of your training schedule. The flexibility of online meetings means you and your CFI can connect at a moment’s notice – no need to drive to the airport in a storm for ground school, just open your laptop at home.

2. Anytime, Anywhere Scheduling

Coordinating schedules with an instructor or class can be tricky, especially for busy adult students or those with irregular work hours.

Online instruction offers far more scheduling freedom. Many remote CFIs will do evening or early morning sessions since neither party has to leave home. It’s also easier to squeeze in a short session on a weekday if you don’t have to account for commute time. Pilot Institute notes that remote instruction offers “greater flexibility, as you can schedule meetings at times that work best for you, without the constraints of aircraft availability or weather conditions.” If you’re under Part 141 with fixed class times, you can still use online one-on-one on the side to fill gaps – for example, during school holidays or if you miss a class, scheduling a catch-up session online can keep you from falling behind.

3. Consistent Learning = Better Retention

Consistency is key to retaining aeronautical knowledge. Rather than cramming once a week in a long class and then forgetting things, one-on-one sessions can be scheduled regularly (multiple times a week) in shorter blocks.

This steady exposure helps reinforce learning. AOPA’s training experts have observed that the students who make the fastest progress are those who train consistently, avoiding long gaps. By keeping up with ground lessons continuously, you strengthen your understanding and stay mentally “in the game,” which also keeps you motivated. It’s easier to maintain enthusiasm when you’re actively engaged every week, checking off new topics and feeling your knowledge grow.

4. Stay Engaged During Breaks

Maybe you’re a college student in a Part 141 program and you go home for summer break, or you’re a Part 61 student who has to take a month off flying for work or family reasons. Rather than pausing training completely, scheduling online ground lessons during these downtimes can keep your head in aviation. Even discussing what you’ve already learned or previewing upcoming topics can be valuable. You’ll return to flight training without rust. Think of it like “chair flying” (mentally rehearsing flight) but with an instructor guiding you through scenarios and quiz questions over Zoom. This strategy can prevent the typical regression that happens after a long break.

5. Comfort and Convenienc

Maintaining momentum is also about removing barriers that might make you procrastinate. Because one-on-one online instruction is so convenient, you’re less likely to cancel or defer a lesson.

You can train from the comfort of home – as an AOPA article quipped, it’s like doing “a local flight school’s ground school, but for free and at home in your jammies.” While you might not actually wear pajamas to your lesson, the point is you can be in a comfortable environment of your choice. If you’re tired after work, it’s a lot easier to muster the energy for an 8 p.m. online session from your couch than to drive 30 minutes to the airport classroom. Removing these little frictions helps you stick to a regular schedule, which in turn keeps your training momentum.

In summary, the flexible and accessible nature of online ground instruction means you can keep learning continuously, regardless of external factors.

This consistency will pay off in faster progress and better retention – and as we’ve noted, that also translates to savings and a quicker path to your license.

Find instructors who will support you.

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