Registration still open for Nicolet’s private pilot ground school course

Spots are still open for Nicolet’s ground flight school course that will begin in March.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about piloting, how planes work, or just refreshing existing avionic knowledge is encouraged to sign up.

Nicolet’s ground pilot course is offered once per year, from March to May, and has been a full house every year it’s been offered so far. Registration has already opened, and students will be accepted until the March 10 start date or until it has reached its 22-student limit. The spring class runs until May 12.

Curt Drumm, who leads the course at Nicolet and is a pilot himself, said the course covers a lot of material in 10 weeks, ranging from aerodynamics to instruments and systems to how aircrafts perform to aviation weather and beyond.

Drumm noted this course is not just for young people looking at possible careers in aviation-related fields, but also for those who might want to brush up on their existing knowledge, or learn about something new.

“Some people take this class just to see if it’s something they want to do. We’ve had older students take it that just want to learn more about it but have no intention of learning to fly. We’ve also had students who previously had their licenses but haven’t flown in years, or sometimes decades, take this course as a refresher,” Drumm explained.

One of the highlights of the course is the FAA-approved Gleim flight simulator, which allows students or hopeful pilots to get a feel for flying without ever having to leave the ground.
“The real value is giving the student experience to see what it’s going to be like before they go out and start turning fossil fuel into noise,” Drumm said.

Successful completion of Nicolet’s course and online exam-prep will provide necessary knowledge for the FAA Private or Light Sport Pilot written test.

According to Nicolet College, more than 200 Wisconsin companies have ties to the state’s aerospace sector, and more than 26,000 people are employed in Wisconsin by companies that support aviation businesses and aerospace manufacturing.

For those who would like to continue their training, Nicolet also is the only FAA-authorized testing center in northern Wisconsin. Pilots can take more than 100 different FAA written exams at the Rhinelander campus.

For more information on the career path, to register for the Private Pilot Ground School, or sign up for FAA testing, visit nicoletcollege.edu/aviation.

Although Nicolet College’s training ends on the ground, students can perform their flight training at local airports, including Minocqua, Rhinelander, Antigo or Wausau — and now Eagle River — with the new flight school that launched last summer.