Chalk Radio

Learning to Fly with Drs. Philip Greenspun & Tina Srivastava


Listen Later

Can you really learn to fly by sitting in a classroom and attending lectures? Of course not! But the course offered by Philip Greenspun and Tina Srivastava in 16.687 Private Pilot Ground School has proven surprisingly popular as a means of learning the basic principles one needs to know before getting into the cockpit of a small aircraft. Originally offered in weekly class sessions over the course of a semester, 16.687 has evolved over the years; it now takes the form of an immersive three-day classroom experience. In this episode, Greenspun and Srivastava discuss how they’ve maintained flexibility in their teaching while still making sure they cover the standard body of material that prospective pilots are required to master. They also explain why they feel that online study can’t completely substitute for the in-person learning experience: to be a pilot, one needs not only to learn facts but also to become comfortable with decision-making in the quickly changing circumstances presented by flying planes. This skill, Greenspun and Srivastava say, is much harder to acquire through individual study than in the interactive environment of a classroom discussion.

Relevant Resources:

MIT OpenCourseWare

The OCW Educator Portal 

Private Pilot Ground School course on OCW

MIT Flying Club

FAA website: Become a Pilot

Flight manuals available online

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions

Connect with Us

If you have a suggestion for a new episode or have used OCW to change your life or those of others, tell us your story. We’d love to hear from you! 

On our site

On Facebook

On Twitter

On Instagram

Stay Current

Subscribe to the free monthly "MIT OpenCourseWare Update" e-newsletter.

Connect with Us

If you have a suggestion for a new episode or have used OCW to change your life or those of others, tell us your story. We’d love to hear from you! 

Call us @ 617-715-2517

On our site

On Facebook

On X

On Instagram

On LinkedIn

Stay Current

Subscribe to the free monthly "MIT OpenCourseWare Update" e-newsletter. 

Support OCW

If you like Chalk Radio and OpenCourseware, donate to help keep these programs going! 

Credits

Sarah Hansen, host and producer 

Brett Paci, producer  

Dave Lishansky, producer 

Jackson Maher, producer

Show notes by Peter Chipman

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Chalk RadioBy MIT OpenCourseWare

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

41 ratings


More shows like Chalk Radio

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,909 Listeners

Economist Podcasts by The Economist

Economist Podcasts

4,283 Listeners

The Best of Car Talk by NPR

The Best of Car Talk

16,523 Listeners

The Gray Area with Sean Illing by Vox

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

10,700 Listeners

Learning English from the News by BBC Radio

Learning English from the News

251 Listeners

Inside Trader Joe's by Trader Joe's

Inside Trader Joe's

4,305 Listeners

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

6,751 Listeners

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques by Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

799 Listeners

For Heaven's Sake by Shalom Hartman Institute

For Heaven's Sake

441 Listeners

Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

Huberman Lab

28,494 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,335 Listeners

Plain English with Derek Thompson by The Ringer

Plain English with Derek Thompson

2,208 Listeners

The Economics of Everyday Things by Freakonomics Network & Zachary Crockett

The Economics of Everyday Things

1,619 Listeners