Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Private Pilot Ground School-FW (Face-to-Face)

AVTN 1100-03

Course: AVTN 1100-03
Credits: 4
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: AVTN
CRN: 31855

Course Description

This course covers the study of aviation fundamentals as required by FAA regulations for students pursuing a Private Pilot certificate. Topics covered include aerodynamics; aircraft components and systems; the study of weather, concepts of weather, weather hazards, meteorological flight planning, aviation weather equipment, and considerations of weather conditions as they impact aircraft and flight performance; navigation systems and procedures, communication systems and procedures, human physiology and FAA regulations. (Fall, Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

Required Texts

Available in the SUU Bookstore or online.

Guided Flight Discovery; Jeppesen Private Pilot Manual, ISBN#: 978-0-88487-129-3
FAR Part 141 Private Pilot Certification Course, Airplane Single Engine Land (ASEL) ground syllabus, SUU Current Edition
https://aviation.suu.edu/Links to an external site. or Canvas

Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25C), Federal Aviation
Administration, 2023

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/Links to an external site.

Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3B), Federal Aviation Administration, 2016
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook/Links to an external site.

2023 or 2024 FAR/AIM (ASA or Jeppesen)
Available in SUU Bookstore or as a one-purchase App

ASA Prepware
Test Book available in Bookstore, or Available as App on app store

Aviation Weather Handbook- FAA-H-8083-28 
https://www.faa.gov/documentlibrary/media/advisory_circular/ac_00-6b.pdfLinks to an external site. , or SUU Bookstore

Airman Certification Standards: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standardLinks to an external site.
 

**Many of these are free publications from the FAA via PDF, as provided in links, but these may also be purchased from various retailers and publishers.

Required Materials

E6B Flight Computer (or CX3)

Sectional Plotter

Las Vegas sectional chart

Las Vegas TAC Chart (recommended)

Southwest chart supplement

Learning Outcomes

Students will gain adequate knowledge of ground training concepts for the Private Pilot certificate. Students will demonstrate this knowledge in part through oral quizzing in class and with their flight instructors at the airport. They will also demonstrate this knowledge through three written Stage Exams. The students will demonstrate, through an End-of-course Exam, adequate knowledge to receive an endorsement to take the Private Pilot Knowledge Exam.

-Demonstrate knowledge of ground training concepts

-Demonstrate adequate knowledge to receive an endorsement to take the Private Pilot Knowledge Exam

Course Requirements


Grades


Grades will be calculated according to the following:


Final Exam 45% of final grade


Stage Exams (3 exams, 15% each) 45% of final grade


Oral quizzing, Homework and Participation 10% of Final Grade


 


Extra Credit Opportunities


Attend Every Class- Bonus 3% grade bump to EOC


Complete the Written and Pass- Bonus 5% grade bump


 


You are required by the FAA to attend every scheduled class. You must have 70% in person attendance in each stage- if you miss more than 30% of class per stage, you will fail. 


Per FAA Requirements you are required to receive all the ground lessons in this course. If you are absent from a given ground lesson, you will not receive credit for that lesson until you make up the subject material missed via a 60-question quiz on canvas, or a 5 paragraph essay, as assigned by the professor. A pass of 70% or greater is required. Any essays deemed written by AI will be denied credit. IF you show up to class after roll call attendance, you will be counted as absent from the class. You are responsible for contacting me to make up classes. In addition, any student who has 100% attendance at the end of the course will receive an additional 3% towards their final exam grade. Anybody who takes the FAA Written before the EOC and passes on the first attempt will receive another 5% towards their final grade. A pass of 70% or more on the initial attempt as well as overall grade in the class is required to receive the extra credit. Students can elect to use their FAA written test score for the final exam score if they chose. 


Every Stage Exam and FAA written exam you will ever take must be completed with at least a score of 70% or you will have to retake it to meet FAA requirements.
The first attempt is what will count towards your grade, retakes will count towards FAA credit for the class, but will only count as 70% to the FAA.


 


Note: You will not be allowed to progress in the course until the missed class is made up. (i.e., you cannot take Stage I test until you have completed Stage I Lessons.)



Letter Grades are as Follows


 

A = 100 - 93.5% | B = <86.5 - 82.5% | C = <76.5 - 70.1%
A- = <93.5 - 89.5% | B- = <82.5 - 79.5% | C- = <70.1 - 69.5 %
B+ = <89.5 - 86.5 % | C+ = <79.5 - 76.5% | F= 69.5 - 0 %

Course Outline

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fvaPkCqVHA9Q26N24GFYoa2unHO2m507t7hHEDCRrZw/edit?usp=sharing

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late work and make up assignments will be at the jurisdiction of the professor. 

Attendance Policy

You are required by the FAA to attend every scheduled class. You must have 70% in person attendance in each stage- if you miss more than 30% of class per stage, you will fail. 

Course Fees


There is an FAA Knowledge Exam fee that will be paid, by you (Approximately $165), to the testing center at the time of the exam. This is not a SUU fee and is not included in what you paid for this course. Taking the FAA knowledge exam is not required for completion of this course, but it is highly recommended that you take it as soon as you. 2 forms of government photo ID will be required, as well as an endorsement.

Additionally, you may receive an endorsement to take the written test if you show myself 3 practice tests of great than 90%. If the written test is completed before the end of this class, you may elect to receive the FAA written test score in place of your final.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.