Section 3
Ground School Syllabus — 55 Hours
Topics are covered in the sequence below. Hours are on-campus instruction time; the eLearning pre-course provides additional foundational coverage before campus arrival. Each topic concludes with comprehension questions administered by the instructor — these are formative, not graded, but unsatisfactory responses trigger review before proceeding.
5.5 hrs
Aircraft General & Certification
Global 5500 type certificate BD-700 — certification basis and history. Airframe construction materials and structural design philosophy. Pressurization system: maximum differential, cabin altitude schedule, outflow valve operation, safety valve. Emergency exits: location, operation, activation forces, slide deployment on applicable aircraft. Door warning systems integration with avionics alerting. Cabin altitude warning system. Oxygen system: crew masks (quick-don), passenger masks, diluter-demand vs pressure demand.
6.4 hrs
Powerplant — Rolls-Royce Pearl 15
Engine type: Rolls-Royce Pearl 15. FADEC — full authority digital engine control: operation, fault codes, degraded modes, FADEC failure response. N1/N2 speed relationships; ITT/EGT limits; oil pressure and temperature limits. Thrust ratings: takeoff, max continuous, climb, cruise derates. Engine bleed: sources, anti-ice demand effect on thrust. Thrust reverser system: deployment envelope, inadvertent deployment procedure, reverser locked-open drill. Engine start: normal, cross-bleed, APU-assisted (if applicable), hot start recognition and response. Engine fire detection: loop A/B, extinguisher discharge sequence, engine shutdown memory items. Single-engine performance: drift-down altitude, net ceiling, obstacle clearance.
3.2 hrs
Fuel System
Fuel tank configuration: main tanks, auxiliary/tip tanks (if applicable), center tank (if applicable). Fuel transfer: automatic crossfeed, manual crossfeed, transfer pump operation. Fuel imbalance limits: maximum allowable imbalance at MTOW, correction procedure. Fuel quantity indication: primary, backup, low-level warning thresholds. FMS fuel integration: fuel used, fuel remaining, estimated fuel at destination, range rings. Fuel system abnormals: pump failure, crossfeed valve stuck, fuel quantity discrepancy procedure. Fuel specification: Jet-A, Jet-A1, JP-8; contamination check; density correction for weight planning. Auxiliary fuel tanks: total capacity increase, transfer rate, long-range fuel planning for oceanic.
3.2 hrs
Electrical System
Generator architecture: starter-generators or dedicated generators per engine (aircraft-specific). Bus architecture: main bus, essential bus, emergency bus, avionics bus. Battery systems: main battery, emergency battery, battery charger. Ground power: external power acceptance, GPU connection procedure. Load shedding matrix: what drops on essential bus, what drops on emergency bus. Electrical abnormals: generator failure (single and dual), bus tie failure, battery only operations. Avionics bus protection: avionics master switch, cooling fan monitoring. APU electrical: APU generator capacity, APU as backup electrical source.
3.2 hrs
Hydraulics & Landing Gear
Hydraulic system architecture: system A and B (if dual), fluid specification, reservoir monitoring. Landing gear: normal retraction/extension; gear door sequence; position indication (green/unsafe/unlocked). Alternate gear extension: free-fall or mechanical extension; checklist; groundspeed limitations before extension. Nose wheel steering: tiller authority; differential braking below NWS authority. Brake system: carbon brake pads; anti-skid operation; anti-skid failure; brake energy limits (max landing weight brake temp check). Parking brake: application and release; failure mode (brakes applied). Hydraulic abnormals: hydraulic pump failure; hydraulic fluid low; hydraulic pressure loss — gear and brake backup.
3.2 hrs
Flight Controls
Primary flight controls: elevator, ailerons, rudder — cable and pushrod or cable and hydraulic actuation. Secondary controls: spoilers (flight and ground); roll spoilers if applicable; speed brakes. Flap system: positions, Vfe at each setting, asymmetric flap detection and limitation. Trim systems: electric pitch trim (runaway trim procedure); manual roll and yaw trim. Yaw damper: operation, failure indication, flight without yaw damper (VMC only vs all weather). Stall protection: stick shaker activation angle, stick pusher (if equipped) — when and how it activates. Flight control abnormals: jammed elevator; jammed aileron; rudder hard-over; flap asymmetry.
10.1 hrs
Avionics — Bombardier Vision
Display architecture: Rockwell Collins Fusion-based; dual 15-inch PFD/MFD; cursor/enter touchscreen; integrated EICAS; HUD standard on Global 7500. FMS: Dual Rockwell Collins FMS; ETOPS planning; oceanic track system entry (NAT, PACOTS); CPDLC datalink; ATC route modifications. Approach capability: ILS, LPV, RNAV, RNP; curved approach (RF legs); GBAS on equipped airports; approach preview via SVS. Autopilot/autoflight: Dual-channel autopilot; autothrottle standard; coupled ILS to 50 ft; go-around; Fly-By-Wire on Global 7500 (Bombardier AAEV). Failure modes: Vision avionics failure sequence; FMS crossfill failure; HUD failure procedure; fly-by-wire degradation modes on 7500. Aircraft-specific: Global 7500 Fly-By-Wire: direct, normal, and alternate law — similar concept to Airbus but Bombardier-specific implementation; crew must understand law degradation. Cockpit scan pattern: how the display layout affects instrument crosscheck; transition from other avionics suites. Checklist integration: electronic checklist (if equipped) vs paper QRH; CAS message hierarchy.
2.8 hrs
Ice & Rain Protection
Ice protection system type: hot bleed air (engine cowl and wing leading edge, if applicable) and/or electric (windshield, pitot/static, AOA). Ice detection: visual cues (ice accretion reference indicators), AOA degradation, ice detector (if equipped). FIKI status: approved for flight into known icing with all systems operative. Icing encounter procedure: pitot heat — windshield — engine anti-ice — wing anti-ice sequence; power implications of bleed demand. Structural icing limits: maximum continuous icing, maximum intermittent icing, freezing drizzle and freezing rain (FZRA) — most aircraft are not certified for FZRA. Icing abnormals: anti-ice system failure in icing conditions; pitot heat failure; airspeed unreliable with ice.
4.6 hrs
Emergency Procedures
Memory items vs checklist items: which emergency items require immediate action without checklist (aircraft-specific — must be memorized exactly). Engine failure below V1 (138–158 KIAS): rejected takeoff — maximum braking, thrust levers idle, reversers deployed. Engine failure at V1: continued takeoff — maintain V2 (148–168 KIAS), wings level, ball in center; engine failure items after positive climb established. Engine fire in flight: shutdown sequence, fire handle pull, extinguisher discharge — first then second bottle discharge timing. Emergency descent: recognition, 'Pan-Pan' or 'Mayday' ATC, passenger oxygen, descent profile (Mmo then Vmo then 250 KIAS below 10,000); target altitude for pressurization loss. Rapid decompression: oxygen mask — gloves — goggles sequence (15-second useful consciousness at FL410); emergency descent immediately. Smoke and fumes: source identification (electrical vs environmental system vs cabin); isolation procedure; smoke goggle use; oxygen mask. Electrical emergency: generator failure, essential bus configuration, load shedding, avionics priority. Windshear encounter: EGPWS/TAWS windshear alert — immediate full thrust — maintain target pitch — no configuration changes. Ditching: over-water emergency landing — checklist, ditching configuration, evacuation; relevant for ULR oceanic operations.
3.7 hrs
Oceanic & ETOPS Operations
NAT track system: track message, track selection, oceanic clearance format, position reporting. SELCAL: test before departure; in-range call; ATC oceanic clearance delivery. HF radio: ATC communications; SELCAL decode; SATCOM as backup. CPDLC: controller-pilot datalink; ATC clearance via datalink; voice backup procedure. ETOPS authorization: route authorization, alternate requirements, critical fuel scenario calculation, diversion decision. Minimum equipment for ETOPS: which systems must be operative before ETOPS departure. Equal time point: calculation; point of safe return; diversion decision criteria. Contingency fuel: ETOPS reserve; holding at alternate; priority of fuel management decision.
3.7 hrs
ACS Oral Preparation — Mock Oral
Mock oral examination structured as a full DPE session: examiner persona, applicant role. Areas of Operation from the BD-700 ACS: aircraft systems (all of the above), limitations (recited from memory), normal procedures, abnormal/emergency procedures, instrument procedures, performance. Common examiner question patterns: 'walk me through what happens when...'; 'what are your memory items for...'; 'what would you do if...'. Limitations committed to memory: Vmo 330 KIAS, Mmo 0.9, MTOW 96,800 lbs, engine operating limits. Professional response technique: organized, complete, direct; know when to say 'I would refer to the QRH' vs memory item. Mock oral is conducted by an Apex check airman who is NOT the student's primary ground instructor — same person who reviews records before the practical test is scheduled.