One of the best investments you can make as a student pilot (or a rusty pilot) is a good home study course. While your flight lessons will form the core of your training, there’s a lot of work to be done in between trips to the airport. Sure, you’ll need something to help you prepare for the FAA knowledge test, but the benefits of a course go far beyond that. It will also help you save a significant amount of time and money by preparing for each lesson at home. Most importantly, you’ll be a safer, more well-rounded pilot after you earn your certificate.

Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course has been a popular option for decades, and is famous for its relentless pace of innovation. Every year, we add new content, new training tools, and technological enhancements. This year is no exception, with a host of upgrades that make training more engaging and more efficient. Here’s a look at some highlights.

New video segments

The heart of Sporty’s courses is over 15 hours of dynamic HD video that puts the viewer in the airplane, supplemented by sophisticated 3D animations. No boring lectures or slideshows here—it’s all about real world flying. The 2021 edition continues this focus with plenty of new video, including segments on how to use flight following with air traffic control, how to plan a cross-country flight with an iPad, and how to use ForeFlight’s Imagery tab. Plus, dozens of smaller updates include the latest technology and FAA regulation changes, so you’re always up-to-date.

All-new online platform

Log into Sporty’s Pilot Training platform in your web browser and you’ll find an all-new look. The same great information is there, but under the hood everything is fresh; it’s faster, easier to use, and completely mobile-friendly. Menus are easy to access on different screen sizes and video automatically streams at the highest quality possible, based on your internet connection. Whether you train on a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone, every feature is available.

Test prep question search

With an exclusive database of over 1,000 test questions and the popular Smart Study feature, nobody has better knowledge test prep tools than Sporty’s. For 2021, we’ve added yet another. Now you can build your own study session from any keyword you choose. Want to brush up on airspace? Just search for that phrase and start studying relevant questions. It’s a fast and easy way to focus on the topics that need work, without getting bogged down in questions you’ve already mastered.

Microsoft Flight Simulator lessons

This new simulator is taking the aviation world by storm, but it’s much more than just a game if used properly. This detailed lesson guide, developed by the flight instructors at Sporty’s Academy, is the bridge between Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course and Microsoft’s latest home flight simulator. Includes tips for getting started, plus 14 suggested simulator training flights, complete with objectives, scenarios, tasks to accomplish, and performance goals.

Enhanced flashcard mode

Once you’ve completed the video segments and test prep study sessions, our flashcard mode is a great way to study for your knowledge test or checkride without seeing multiple choice answers. Now updated and expanded, this feature allows you to digitally flip the cards and see how well you’ve mastered important topics.

ACS with embedded videos

The FAA’s Airman Certification Standards is your guide to the checkride and an essential reference document, listing every maneuver the examiner will expect you to perform. We include the full text of the ACS, organized by task for easy navigation. Plus, only Sporty’s includes relevant video segments for each section, so you can review the right way to do a steep turn while reading the completion standards. It’s the ultimate checkride preparation tool.

Bring your own documents

Sporty’s Learn to Fly Course includes dozens of helpful documents in the library section, from FAA textbooks to important Advisory Circulars. Now you can upload your own documents, whether it’s a scanned copy of your airplane’s manual or your flight school’s training documents. This is a simple and reliable way to keep all your training materials in one place, and a solid backup.

Video transcripts

Perfect for review sessions, or for students whose first language is not English, the course now includes complete transcripts for each video segment. Click on a video and you’ll see the text displayed underneath, so it’s easy to follow along as you watch.

Lifetime updates

Never worry about out-of-date materials or missing features with Sporty’s free lifetime updates. Simply buy the course once and you own it forever—no subscriptions and no upgrade fees required. Every time you log in to the online training portal or open up the Pilot Training app, you’ll have access to the latest video segments, test question updates, and training features. It’s an incredible value: for the price of one flight lesson, you’ll save thousands of dollars over your flying career.

Learn more about Sporty’s 2021 Learn to Fly Course

Try a free demo of the course

I remember planning my first cross country flight. There were sectional charts thrown across the floor, highlighters in the dog’s mouth, crumpled flight plan forms in the corner, my aluminum E6B lodged into the drywall from where I chucked it in frustration…those were the days. Much like we’ve graduated from outhouses to indoor plumbing, we no longer have to rely on the ancient tools to successfully complete a cross country flight.  Here’s my list of five gadgets that you should consider for those flights beyond the local area. We recommend visiting https://euflightcompensation.com/delayed/ in case you are having delay issues or other problems.

1. iPad with a Navigational App

This one almost goes without saying. In aviation, charts are required. While learning on a paper chart might still be practiced and preached in many flight schools, using paper charts for cross country flying is like driving a manual transmission in a city full of hills. Embrace technology on this one. ForeFlight, Garmin Pilot, FlyQ, Stratus Insight… pick one of the many options available to be your “go-to” for cross county planning and flying. Choosing the app first will help you with gadget #2. 

2. ADS-B Receiver

We’ve seen the aviation market go through several revolutions. Radios, headsets, and GPSs have all had a profound impact on the way we fly. ADS-B is the most recent revolution. I cannot imagine flying without its conveniences. Modern ADS-B receivers provide GPS location, weather, traffic, attitude information, obstacles, and much more. Flying solo means you have only one set of eyes to look out for other traffic. ADS-B is another set of eyes—super eyes. Make sure you buy a receiver that will work with your navigation app. As an example, if you are using Garmin Pilot, you’ll need a Garmin receiver (GDL 50). 

https://www.sportys.com/garmin-gdl-50-ads-b-receiver.html

3. ANR Headset with Bluetooth or Aux In

Active noise canceling (ANR) headsets will increase the clarity of incoming transmissions.  Hearing that transmission the first time will give you more time to focus on more important tasks like flying the airplane. Since you are splurging on a valuable headset, be sure to get one with Bluetooth capability, or at least an aux input. Many of the aforementioned apps have the ability to provide audio alerts. “Traffic,” “Terrain,” “500 Feet,” meaning your navigational app becomes your copilot. Your headset is now the conduit for those audio alerts. 

https://www.sportys.com/aviation-headsets.html

4. Backup Radio

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. Those are your flying priorities. Flying is number one, but communicating remains a priority. Having a plan for when the panel goes dark will make a tense situation that much more bearable. Make sure your backup radio has good batteries and that you know how to operate it in the air. Most portable radios will require an adapter for your aviation headset to plug into. The PJ2 COM radio has the standard twin plugs built in, so there’s one less thing to worry about. 

https://www.sportys.com/pj2-handheld-com-radio-1.html

5. Sunglasses

While not a gadget, this one is needed so you can see those gadgets and to make your flying more enjoyable. One of my personal favorite flights to make is a trip to get breakfast to neighboring airports. We normally take off just before the sun rises. I recall one flight where I was poking fun at my passenger and fellow pilot who had a pair of sunglasses in his shirt pocket. “The moon isn’t that bright,” I quipped. Thirty minutes later I was squinting into the sun while on final approach. A good pair of non-polarized sunglasses is essential for comfortable, safe flying. The non-polarization is essential so you can see those gadget screens. This set is my current favorite.

https://www.sportys.com/flight-gear-captain-s-sunglasses-58mm.html

What is on your list of must-haves for flying cross country?