ASA Pilot's Manual - Ground School Overview:

You couldn't ask for a more complete textbook on how to operate general aviation airplanes in the United States. The Pilot's Manual Volume 2: Ground School walks you through everything you need to know to pass both your Private and Commercial FAA Knowledge Exams and prepare you for the oral portion of your checkride. All the knowledge requirements are covered, including aerodynamics, the airplane, performance factors, aeronautical decision making (ADM), risk management, physiological factors affecting the pilot, weather, regulations, charts and airspace, airport operations, navigation, and flight planning.

Before taking to the sky, a pilot’s education begins on the ground. For over 35 years, The Pilot’s Manual: Ground School has introduced pilots to aerodynamics, airplane systems and flight instruments, human factors, weather, and flight operations. This hardcover textbook provides everything a pilot needs to know to earn a Private Pilot or Commercial Pilot Certificate.

The seventh edition of Ground School covers all the required knowledge tested on the Private and Commercial FAA Knowledge Exams and the oral portion of the practical exam (checkride). With text supported by more than 800 full-color illustrations and photos, students will gain a detailed understanding of complex topics such as airplane and airport operations, regulations, human physiology in flight, chart reading, navigation and airspace, operational weather factors, aircraft performance, flight planning, and more. Content is organized to facilitate a building-block approach to learning and aligns with ASA’s Test Prep series.

Pilots seeking their Commercial Pilot Certificate will find separate, clearly labeled sections throughout this book to prepare for the Commercial Pilot FAA Knowledge Exam. Review questions (and answer keys) for each chapter reinforce essential concepts to aid home or classroom study. An extensive glossary of aviation abbreviations and acronyms and a detailed index are included.

Written by a remarkable editorial team consisting of civilian, airline, and military pilots, flight instructors, professors, FAA representatives, and industry leaders, this is used by leading universities as their standard classroom texts. The logical organization makes it equally effective as a home-study text.

Foreword by Barry Schiff. This book is part of The Pilot’s Manual Series—used by leading universities as their standard classroom texts.

Hardcover, 8-3/8" x 10-7/8" format, glossary, indexed, full-color illustrations throughout,
720 pages.
Seventh edition, published April 2025

Also available in The Pilot's Manual Series: Volume 1 Flight School and Volume 3 Instrument Flying