The UTM Office of Extended Campus and Continuing Education is again offering a variety of non-degree courses, including a Private Pilot Ground School course.

If you have ever considered becoming a pilot, this is the first step. The Private Pilot Ground School course will be offered from 6-9 p.m. on Mondays, beginning Feb. 2 and ending March 22.

The instructor is JoAnn Yarbro.

Costs include a $150 fee for the class, the Private Pilot Training Kit, which is $164.63, and the (optional) written exam fee for an additional $90.

This course is open to those who wish to become a pilot or just refresh their memory about things such as piloting skills, weather and knowledge of airspace.

The course will also include such things as runway markings, aircraft performance and cross-country flight planning.

The written exam is given at the Everett-Stewart Airport in Union City.

To become eligible to take the test, a student must receive an endorsement from a flight instructor, in this case, Yarbro.

This course is for people who are “self-disciplined and self-motivated and who want to make aviation a career or hobby,” Yarbro says, and she emphasizes that it is geared toward beginning pilots in the private sector.

“I started flying in 1998, and I want to share it with as many people as possible,” she added.

Besides the pilot course, the Office of Extended Campus and Continuing Education (ECCE) has a variety of other non-degree courses available during spring semester 2004, ranging from conversational Spanish to research and grant writing and MVP coaching.