ATPL/IATRA Ground School

Choose the right approach for your ATPL/IATRA exam requirements

The  ATPL ground school is a comprehensive seminar covering the information you need to write the SARON and SAMRA exams. The course delves into the knowledge you need to understand the information and correctly answer the questions on the exams. There is a massive amount of information to cover on this topic and this course helps to organize and focus your attention on the key areas and concepts. The course is taught by our highly qualified instructors all who work in the airline industry as professional pilots.

There are two options:

I. Physical Classroom, or

II. SAMRA and/or SARON Virtual classroom (separate courses).

Course Details:

I. Physical Classroom 3-day course Friday – Sunday

Hours – 0900 to 1730 (9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
Traditional in-class course with an instructor at a facility (hours may vary slightly depending on instructor schedule). Course Price includes: AeroCourse ATPL Ground School Manual; the value-added Online Crew Resource Management(CRM) course and Online CFIT course. If you book 6 weeks in advance you will receive an early bird discount.

II. SAMRA and/or SARON virtual classroom (2 separate, 2-day courses that can be combined for a full ATPL or IATRA course) Saturday to Sunday.

Hours – 0900 to 1700 (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)MT

SAMRA and SARON virtual classroom seminars are intended to assist those who want the option to concentrate on a specific exam of the two required exams for the ATPL. These 2-day ground school courses will focus on either the SAMRA or SARON material respectively. They will be taught only via the  virtual classroom course format. The platform used provides the opportunity to be as interactive with a live instructor as it would be in a traditional classroom. You must order by the Wednesday before the course.

Textbook Requirements: The digital ATPL ground school Manual is required for both the  SAMRA or SARON. Students will also need the current AeroCourse Canadian Airline Transport Licence Workbook (6th edition) not included in seminar price. We also recommend having the Aviation & Meteorology: Weather Fundamentals  manual as it is referenced heavily in the SAMRA course. A current AIM is also required.

Digital Textbook Option: Our books are now available digitally as well as in hard copy – If you want a digital copy as well as a hard copy please select that option on the cart menu.

Meeting Password: You will be provided with a link to the meeting with a meeting ID, and password for the ground school course on the Wednesday before the course.

There is no Early-bird pricing for the SAMRA and SARON courses.

Book Orders

All hard copy materials ordered will be sent to you via Canada Post once you are registered. Please allow at least a week for delivery of books (expedited Canada Post service) , short notice registrations may incur additional costs to use courier service. The digital version of the manual and workbooks, these can be accessed using our AeroCourse app where you are able to download the books and conveniently view them on an iPad/tablet or computer.Late registrations will receive digital copies of the books when hard copies can not be delivered in time.

 Pre-Course Preparation:

As a part of your registration you will receive from AeroCourse, the ATPL Ground School Study Manual and ATPL pre-study quiz. You will also need the most recent version of the Canadian Airline Transport Licence Workbook (ATPL workbook 6th edition – 2020) either purchased as part of the course or separately. Please order early enough to allow enough time to receive the required manual and any books ordered and to complete the pre-study material.   We recommend you become familiar with the ground school manual and the ATPL workbook prior to the seminar along with completing the ATPL pre-study Quiz.  A large amount of information will be covered over the seminar and any preparation will benefit retention and comprehension of the material presented. Completion of the pre-study material is required to quality for the AeroCourse guarantee (registration at least one week prior).

Seminar Content

• Review of Met theory and practical Met
• High altitude meteorology, jetstreams, turbulence, thunderstorms, airborne weather radar and wind shear
• Basic and advanced radio aids including VOR, ADF, DME, INS, IRS/FMS, GPS, EFIS and TCAS, CARs, CARs’ standards and air carrier operations
• Advanced aircraft systems including gas turbine engines, flight controls, hydraulics, braking systems, pressurization and electrical systems
• Basic and high speed aerodynamics,Advanced navigation including PNR and CP
• Weight and balance, practical exercises and air carrier procedures
• Aircraft performance during take-off, cruise and landings and associated charts and tables

Note: For the SAMRA and SARON 2-day separate courses, this material is divided into the two courses, while there is some overlap each course will focus on the majority of information required for that exam. If you are writing both exams it is beneficial to attend the 3- day or  both the SAMRA and SARON courses).

Additional Resources Needed for the Seminar  –

ATPL Ground school manual and ATPL workbook are required along with:

• Current A.I.M. (can be purchased with your course registration)
• Flight Computer (Jeppesen or equivalent),
• Regular calculator (with square root function).

Recommended Reference Material

AeroCourse does have certain additional recommended reference materials

• Aviation & Meteorology: Weather Fundamentals (2nd edition)
  Advanced Aircraft Systems
  From the Ground Up
  Fly the Wing
  Turbine Pilot’s Flight Manual

Online Component

To compliment the AeroCourse full ATPL Ground  School Seminar (not included in SARON and SAMRA virtual classrooms) and provide enhanced learning to participants, we have included two self-study online courses:

• CRM (Crew Resource Management) online course: a communications course  that assists an individual to achieve the highest possible level of safety and efficiency whether operating alone or in a multi-crew environment.
• CFIT (Controlled Flight Into Terrain) online course: provides a comprehensive look at resources and strategies involved in avoiding and preventing CFIT accidents.

These two separate online courses further enhance a pilot’s safety, performance and professionalism.

Both online courses can be completed at your own pace within the activation time-frame and are not necessary to be completed prior to the seminar. Each online lesson is able to be reviewed a total of two (2) times. You will have 120 days to complete all the lessons from receipt of the activation code. One (1) Activation code will be emailed upon registration of the ATPL Ground School Seminar giving the student access to both online courses. Note: This online course is not included in separate SAMRA and SARON options.

Re-booking options:

If, for some unforeseen reason, you are unable to attend the seminar, your payment is transferable to another date provided notification is received at least 48 hours in advance of seminar commencement. There is a change fee levied for changing a course date. If you can not select a date at that time, your registration will be put on hold for one year. Payments will be retained and held on file for one year from original registration, while you select a new seminar date. If you do not register for a course within a year, you are responsible for the full payment of the course. Seminar fees are non-refundable. For more information please visit our Registration & Information Page.