ABC's and Sweet Tea: Doctor Aviation ~ A Homeschool Crew Review

We have had the pleasure of learning all about aviation and it's history with Doctor Aviation over the last several weeks. If you have any interest in aviation at all, then this course is for you.

When I read about reviewing this course, I thought that it would be a perfect elective for Edyn. We live right next to Randolph Air Force base in Universal City, Texas. All day long we can see and hear the planes over our house, and some years we even get to see an airshow with the different aircraft. We have always been fascinated by them, and how fast they go. We love to sit at the park and watch them fly over. I knew she would be really interested in the content of this course since it's almost a part of our daily life here.

Daryl Smith, aka Doctor Aviation, has a long list of accomplishments. He has served in our Air Force for over 24 years, logged over 2,000 flying hours, and has flown a variety of different aircraft. In addition to flying he's also served as an instructor for the Air Force teaching aviation and has also written a book. I think it would be safe to say that he definitely knows what he's talking about when it comes to anything aviation.

What did we receive?

We were given 6 months of the online Doctor Aviation course. The course includes 15 lessons under 5 different "headings." These include The Aircraft, Air Traffic Control, Maintenance, Airfield Operations, and The Aircraft II. Each Unit or heading is broken down into smaller more detailed lessons about that topic.

How are we using this course?

So like I said I really want to be able to add this course to Edyn's high school transcript as an elective. I think it will be very easy to do that because everything I need is laid out for me.

The main content of the program is the videos. We actually watch them together because I wanted to get a good idea of how they worked and what they were like, but she could have done this completely on her own. Honestly I have enjoyed watching the videos with her and will continue to do so until she completes the course. Each video is roughly an hour long, and that's what we focus on per week. We are taking this course slow so that we can elaborate on some of the main points that he focuses on. You could watch the video in it's entirety or break it down a little each day. She prefers to watch the video all at one time.

Each video is broken down into three segments which include Technical Trivia, Notable Innovators, and Legendary Aircraft and Events. The Technical Trivia part is basically the parts of the aircraft and how they function, and Edyn likes it, but it's not her favorite part. She said she's not very "tech-y." With that being said, I find it interesting, and have learned some things that I would have never known had I not watched these videos. I would have to say that the Notable Innovators and Legendary Events is absolutely Edyn's favorite part of the videos. She has really taken an interest in the Wright Brothers, Chuck Yeager, and Amelia Earhart. She is actually about to start the Autobiography that he talks about in the video of Chuck Yeager. She finds him completely fascinating so we decided to add the book, and she could write a report on it to add to her grade. She loved hearing about his journey and what it took for him to become the first person to break the sound barrier. I was able to show her a picture of where his statue is at Edwards Air Force Base in California, since one of my good friends lives there.

The videos are not all there is to offer for this course. Doctor Aviation goes above and beyond to provide extra resources to you so that you can learn even more. First of all for each video he provides worksheets for you to follow along with during the video. I loved letting Edyn use these because she suffers from severe ADD and it kept her focused and on track. She can also go back and use these for study tools since we will most likely be utilizing the exams that he provides also. In addition to the notes that you are able to download, he also gives you a lists of other resources that you can add to your studies. Here you will find books, other websites, and even videos that will go into even more detail on what he's discussing. There is also a section that he's designated just for extra activities. Maybe your student can do more research on a specific topic or person so that you can really round out this course for a full credit.

What do we think of this course?

Amazing. The videos are fun, engaging, and full of information. Honestly it's been one of those reviews that I thought looked interesting, but once we got into it, it's proven to be one of our favorite things to study. I say our because I love it just as much as she does. This is coming from someone who won't even fly on planes because I'm so scared of them! Maybe taking this course with her will curb my fears a little bit. Who knows?

I think that if you are looking a credit for your high schooler, or even just learn more about aviation yourself, then you will love taking this course from Doctor Aviation.