Ground School Syllabus

This syllabus tends to focus on the sort of stuff that isn't normally covered during training. You may pick some of this up in passing but there is no structured, formal way to learn - we aim to rectify this.

• The Equipment

  • Critical differences between types of equipment

• Balloon Flying - Some Theoretical Stuff

  • Temperature flying
  • Descent rate v. forward speed
  • "Feeling" how the balloon is responding
  • Learning to land: Altimeter or "line to the ground"
  • Steering the balloon

• The Psychology of Ballooning

  • Making your decision - the influence of others
  • When the adrenalin flows

• The Weather

  • Sources of weather
  • Interpreting the weather
  • TAF and METAR decode

• Flight Preparation

  • Load charts
  • Planning the flight - to go or not to go
  • Delegating

• Maps and Navigation

  • Marking up
  • Navigation Tips

• Information Sources

  • Books
  • Websites

• Learning from Others

  • Hear about what can go wrong from a very experienced pilot
  • Using incidents to learn from others mistakes

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