Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Commercial Ground - RW (Face-to-Face)

AVTN 2100-01

Course: AVTN 2100-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: AVTN
CRN: 10161

Course Description

This course covers the study of aviation fundamentals as required by FAA regulations for students pursuing a Commercial Pilot Certificate for rotorcraft. Topics covered are listed in the Commercial Rotor Wing Ground syllabus available on aviation.suu.edu.

Required Texts

Required Texts
  • Commercial Pilot Ground Syllabus -
  • Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge -
  • Helicopter Flying Handbook -
  • FAR/AIM -
  • Pilot's Operating Handbook -
Required Materials
  • Prepware
  • Flight Computer
  • Plotter
  • VFR Sectional
  • Chart Supplement
  • Method of Note Taking

Learning Outcomes

Students will gain adequate knowledge of ground training concepts for the Commercial 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 2 written Stage Exams. The students will then demonstrate, through an End-of-course Written Stage Exam, adequate knowledge to receive an endorsement to take the Commercial Pilot Knowledge Exam.

Course Requirements

Grades

Grades will be calculated according to the following:

  • Stage Exams (2) 40% of Final Grade
  • Assignments 5% of Final Grade
  • Final Exam 30% of Final Grade
  • Attendance 25% of Final Grade

Extra Credit may be available periodically as noted by Instructor.

Stage Exams and Final Exam

Stage Exams and Final Exam are based solely off of the ASA Commercial Pilot Prepware. The stages will be as follows:

  • Stage 1: Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 (Regulations, Proc & Airport Ops, Weather, Weather Services, Navigation)
  • Stage 2: Chapters 1, 2, 3, 8 (Basic Aerodynamics, Aircraft Systems, Flight Instruments, Aircraft Performance)
  • Final Exam = Review of all chapters.

Note: If a student chooses to take their FAA Written before the in class final they can submit that score to the professor as their Final Exam score. However, that score will only be taken as the Final Exam grade, Stage 1, and 2 must be taken in class.

Disclaimer: The Ground Training Syllabi at SUU requires that each student passes each stage exam by 70% or better. If a student gets less than 70% they must retake the exam until they get 70% to pass the class. The original score will reflect their grade, the retake score is required to pass the class.

Letter grades will be calculated as follows:
  • A 100% to 94.0%
  • A- 93.9% to 90.0%
  • B+ 89.9% to 87.0%
  • B 86.9% to 84.0%
  • B- 83.9% to 80.0%
  • C+ 79.9% to 77.0%
  • C 76.9% to 74.0%
  • C- 73.9% to 70.0%
  • D+ 69.9% to 67.0%
  • D 66.9% to 64.0%
  • D- 63.9% to 61.0%
  • F 60.9% to 0.0%

Course Outline

Students will be instructed on all of the topics laid out in the SUU Commercial Rotorcraft Ground Syllabus, which can be found by all students on the aviation portal or in the course files.  Additionally there will be a project for students to research and present on a NTSB crash investigation.  

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

Making up or retaking stage exams:

If you are not available to take the stage exam a retest date will be set. If it is your initial test, that is what will be provided for your grade in this class.  If you have to retake the exam because you did not get a 70% or higher, then that second test score will only be recorded for the FAA it will not help or hurt your academic grade in this class. If you miss the original stage, without prior approval, the highest grade you can receive is "70” for the stage.  Before you advance in the class (taking stage 2 if stage 1 is missing; taking the final with stage 2 missing) you will need to make up the missed stage; however, this score will simply be recorded and your grade will not change.   

Late Work

Late assignments will not be accepted.  It is your responsibility to ensure that all assignments, stages, and final exams are submitted on time. 

Extra Credit

If you want to practice teaching before CFI, you can volunteer to teach in class.  The topic is your choice, however it must be approved before teaching it.  Extra credit will be rewarded for teaching.  You will receive feedback on your lesson plans and content taught; however, full points will be rewarded simply for teaching.  You may do this one time.  

Attendance Policy

Attendance

Attendance will be recorded in the first five minutes of class. Students arriving more than five minutes late will be marked late on the attendance record. You are expected to attend every scheduled class. Any absences will affect this portion of your grade. Per FAA requirements you are required to receive all of 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. 

Making Up a Missed Class

To do this you must meet with an Instructor from SUU and get that lesson made up with them in a ground (Flight students and Academic Only's). IT IS YOUR  RESPONSIBILITY to track what days you have missed and to notify the instructor after you have made it up so your attendance can be adjusted. All missed classes must be made up before you are allowed to take any stage exams.

To make up the class, conduct a ground over any topic that is commercial related and then have the instructor notify me once it has been completed. 

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.) Please reach out with any confusion on this content.

If you have unavoidable circumstances creating an absence please talk to the instructor regarding absences being excused.

Course Fees

There is an FAA Knowledge Exam fee that will be paid for during your commercial certification semester and included in your Commercial Cert Lab Fees. 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 can after completing this course or before the completion. See Note under Final Exam above.

Academic Calendar

For information regarding the SUU Academic Calendar please consult this link:

SUU Academic Calendar Spring 2026

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.