Garden City, Ks. (westernkansasnews.com)

Southwest Kansans who want to take their first step toward getting their pilot’s licenses can learning what they need in a short-term evening course coming up soon through Garden City Community College,

The GCCC Private Pilot Ground School Course is scheduled to begin Nov. 6 and it will meet 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays through Jan. 30 in Room JCVT 1301 of the John Collins Vocational Building.

The course, dependent on sufficient registration, will help participants prepare for the written examination required of pilots by the Federal Aviation Administration.  Students will learn about airplane systems, weather, navigation, regulations, safety, communication and airport layouts.

The class is listed as Course Number AVIA-101, and it includes four hours of college credit.  Registration is required by Oct. 31 and information is available at 620-276-9608.

The ground school course will be taught by experienced aviation instructor Dean Ryan, and it is a component of what GCCC officials hope will develop into a more comprehensive aviation program, involving possible instruction with a recently-installed full-motion flight simulator at the Spencer Flight and Education Center in Scott City.