Ground School – what I wish I knew. Written by India Morrell

When people talk about commercial flight training, they often focus on the exciting parts the uniforms, the flight deck photos, the first solo, or the moment you finally hold a Commercial Pilot Licence in your hand. 

What people talk about far less is ground school. 

The reality is that the ATPL theoretical knowledge phase — now made up of 13 demanding exams, and if you are completing both UK CAA and European EASA licences like me, you can double that! For many aspiring pilots, this is the hardest part of the entire journey. Not because flying itself is easy, but because ground school tests far more than intelligence. It tests discipline, resilience, sacrifice, and how badly you really want this career. 

You often see the success, but you don’t see the months of exhaustion behind them. The 15-hour + study days. The missed birthdays. The cancelled holidays. The weekends spent revising Performance or General Navigation while your friends and family continue with normal life around you. 

Ground school becomes your entire world. 

One of the hardest lessons is learning how to communicate that to the people around you. You have to explain that you cannot “just take a weekend off” or attend normal life social events. The pressure never really stops, because even when you are resting, you know another exam is around the corner. I also owe a few apologies to my friends who may have wondered if I’d fallen off the face of the earth during ground school — I haven’t, I’ve just been fully immersed in training and temporarily disappeared from normal life. 

A lot of success during ATPLs comes down to self-discipline. Your instructors can guide you, and your school can provide excellent resources and support, but at the end of the day, nobody can sit the exams for you. There comes a point where it is simply you, your notes, and your determination to keep going when your motivation disappears. 

Social media can also create unrealistic expectations around ATPL performance. You often see people sharing exceptionally high averages and first-time passes on LinkedIn, but far fewer people talk openly about the reality that most students will fail at least a couple of exams and need resits along the way. There is also a relatively high dropout rate, and a percentage of people who do not manage to pass at all. Some students even end up having to complete what is known as a “second series”, where they are required to start the entire examination process again from Exam 1. 

The system itself is demanding. Students are allowed four attempts at each subject, and all 13 exams must be completed within six sittings, with each sitting defined as a period of 10 days. 

Failing an exam does not make you a bad pilot, and it certainly does not mean your aviation career is over. Sometimes it simply means you need to put more time into a particular subject. One of the most important things I learned was not to measure my progress against everyone else. 

Now, the question banks. The reality is that modern ATPL exams are not always purely a test of aviation understanding. Many questions are designed in ways that assess interpretation, wording, and attention to detail just as much as knowledge itself. Like having to often choose the most right out of four correct answers. Learning how the questions are asked becomes a skill in its own right. That does not diminish the importance of understanding the subjects deeply — because ultimately, safety and competence matter most in aviation — but it does mean students must learn both the theory and the examination technique. 

Ground school can also be surprisingly lonely. 

Even when surrounded by classmates, everyone is under immense pressure. It can become a highly competitive environment, although at the same time, the people beside you are often the only ones who truly understand what you are going through. Your classmates become your support network because they are experiencing the same stress, fatigue, setbacks, and self-doubt. Some of the strongest friendships in aviation are built during this period. 

Something else I wish I understood earlier was that support does not only have to come from your flying school. Of course, instructors and tutors are incredibly valuable, but there are also excellent external resources available — online platforms, question bank communities, YouTube, and experienced pilots who genuinely want to help students succeed. I often found myself seeking clarification from external resources. 

Aviation can feel intimidating at times, but there are far more people willing to support you than you initially realise. Sometimes just speaking to somebody who has already been through the process can completely change your perspective. And remind you that this is achievable when you need that reminder. 

I also learned quickly that productivity is not just about sitting at a desk for endless hours. Looking after yourself matters. Exercise matters. Sleep matters. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is step away for twenty minutes, go for a walk, clear your head, and come back ready to continue. 

You learn when to rest — but you also learn when to lock in. 

Ground school teaches you far more than aerodynamics, meteorology, or flight planning. It teaches you about yourself. It shows you how you respond under pressure, how disciplined you can be, and how much sacrifice you are willing to make for something you truly want. 

It can also change relationships. Some people in your life will understand the commitment required. Others will not. That can be difficult, but it is part of pursuing a career path that demands such a high level of dedication. 

Another lesson I learned was that you have more control over your training journey than you think. 

Flying schools naturally work to structured timelines, and there can sometimes be pressure to keep moving at the pace of the course. But I learned that being honest with yourself about whether you are truly ready is far more important than simply trying to keep up. 

At one stage, I made the decision to defer a module because I knew it was the right choice for me and that I just wasn’t ready to sit that set of exams yet. At the time, that was difficult, but looking back, I am incredibly proud that I had the confidence to make the decision that was right for me in the long run, and my overall learning and development benefitted as a result. 

Training is not a race. Every pilot’s journey is different, and having the self-awareness to slow down when necessary is not a weakness. 

And then, eventually, it ends. 

After the final exam, there is a feeling that is difficult to describe unless you have experienced it yourself: relief, pride, exhaustion, and achievement all at once. You realise that you have survived something that once felt impossible. 

So if you are about to begin ATPL ground school, go into it with your eyes open. It is not glamorous. It is not easy. There will be moments where you question yourself. 

But if you come out the other side, you will know you earned it. 

Because this stage of training really is a filter. It demands commitment, consistency, and resilience. And for those willing to give everything to the process, the reward is the opportunity to build one of the most incredible careers in the world. 

Good luck. 

See you on the other side.