Ground school
The next ground school begins in January 2027.
You can commence practical flying lessons before or after attending Ground School.
Ground school begins Wednesday January 7, 2026
The Ottawa Glider Pilot Ground School will begin Wednesday January 7th. Please register by sending a message to ac.ss1772853932vr@lo1772853932ohcsd1772853932nuorg1772853932 and indicate whether you need to purchase the reference material
This training fulfills the Transport Canada Ground School requirement and prepares each student for the Transport Canada written exam for the Glider Pilot License (GPL). The course is a total of 30 hours; a minimum of 15 hours of attendance is required to fulfill the Transport Canada Ground School requirement to obtain a GPL.
The sessions are taught by enthusiastic volunteer glider pilots who always have interesting stories to tell
| When | Wednesday evenings beginning January 7, ending March 18. Ten weeks total. |
| Time | 6:30pm to 9:30pm |
| Where | Ottawa Flying Club Groundschool classroom, 20 Lindbergh Private, off Hunt Club Rd. Map |
| Cost | $250 (Cheque or E-Transfer on the first night of the class). |
| Payment | To register, send an email to ac.ss1772853932vr@lo1772853932ohcsd1772853932nuorg1772853932 and indicate your interest. cheque / eTransfer payment required on the night of the first class. |
Reference material
The following supporting reference books are available to purchase
| $20 | Soar and Learn to Fly Gliders (available at goundschool) |
| $TBD | From The Ground Up (order from any bookseller) |
Book prices are subject to change.
What if I missed the start of Ground School?
IIf you have only missed the first couple of weeks, you can probably catch up. We provide 30 hours of ground school instruction and the Transport Canada required minimum is 15 hours.
Beyond that we only get 10-15 students each year taking Ground School, so there is not enough demand run a second one. As ground school is taught/shared by both Ottawa area gliding clubs, this applies for both clubs.
Note that not having taken ground school does not mean you can’t start in-glider instruction or even go solo. Your instructors will give you sufficient preparatory ground instruction (PGI), self-study assignments, and pre-flight briefings to ensure that you are adequately and safely prepared for each flight. You can still do ground school the next winter before doing your Transport Canada exam and your GPL flight test.
Contact the coordinator
If you can’t find the answer on this page, ask the Ground School coordinator. Send a message to ac.ss1772853932vr@lo1772853932ohcsd1772853932nuorg1772853932