Open source ground school

The cost of becoming a pilot has always been a barrier for many, but what's changed in recent years is how openly people are questioning whether the "college first" path is the only route. As the cost of flight training increases and workforce growth projections dominate industry conversations, reducing the financial and logistical hurdles facing new pilots has become an increasingly urgent topic. One person who is working on that problem is Chris Johnson, founder and CEO of PTS.

Johnson drew on his doctorate in engineering and his earlier research in aviation and advanced systems to build PTS—a model that pairs a free online ground school with a structured network of college‑affiliated flight training programs.

PTS provides a completely free private pilot and FAR Part 107 remote pilot knowledge test prep course, featuring instructional videos based on FAA publications such as the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. Each lesson is followed by quizzes modeled on the FAA written exam format, along with full-length practice tests and progress tracking tools.

Student pilots often spend valuable aircraft time reviewing material that could have been learned in advance, and when knowledge gaps show up in the cockpit, they cost money. A freely available, structured knowledge base gives aspiring pilots a way to build conceptual understanding before committing thousands of dollars to flight time

The idea resonates at a moment when airline pilot hiring shows renewed momentum, and long-range projections still foresee a significant demand. Several industry forecasts estimate a shortfall of more than 28,000 pilots by 2030. "I was motivated by the actual statics of the workforce shortage," Johnson said. While such projections do not guarantee individual outcomes, they do underscore the importance of strengthening the training pipeline.

The issue is not only how many people start training, but how many complete it—and how efficiently they progress. With airlines dropping degree requirements in many hiring contexts, the barrier to entry is lower than it has been in decades, making early preparation even more valuable for students who want to move through training without unnecessary delays.

That completion rate is where Johnson believes structure matters most. Beyond the free online content, PTS has formed partnerships with community colleges and flight schools to create what it calls professional aeronautics certificate programs. These are non‑degree, structured training pathways designed to move students through private, instrument, and commercial certification in a predictable timeframe. Some programs also include certificated flight instructor credentials.

Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin was one of the early adopters of the model. There, the professional aeronautics certificate program pairs classroom‑based ground school taught at the college with flight training conducted by a local flight school partner. The aim is to "retain the structure and rigor of a college program without forcing them into an aviation science degree," Johnson said. While he acknowledges the depth and value of aviation degrees, he argues that a non‑degree pathway can allow students to train locally, live at home longer when possible, and pursue a different academic focus alongside flight training. Depending on a student’s schedule and aircraft availability, ratings can often be completed in 12 to 20 months.

Flight training is expensive, time‑consuming, and cognitively demanding. Without clear milestones and accountability, it’s easy for students to pause—and sometimes never return. PTS attempts to replicate the structure of larger training programs while keeping access flexible, even from home. "I'm trying to make aviation accessible across the country—local, affordable," Johnson emphasized.

Within PTS's college partnerships, free online content plays a supplemental role. Students can begin reviewing material before the semester starts, building familiarity before they ever step into a classroom or cockpit. The platform isn’t positioned as a replacement for in‑person instruction, but as an efficiency tool. It mirrors broader trends in education accelerated by the pandemic: Foundational content can be delivered online, freeing in‑person time for discussion, feedback, and application.

Whether a student ultimately trains at a local FAR Part 61 school, enrolls in a Part 141 academy, or joins a university program, building strong ground knowledge early reduces stress later. By removing the initial cost of ground instruction—and providing a structured way to learn it—PTS widens the entry point for new pilots, lowering unnecessary barriers without lowering standards.