First post, ground school book suggestion

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Mustang67ford

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Mustang67ford
I am beginning to pursue a PPL. I recently met with an instructor. My backrounnd: have always enjoyed flying, been an avid RC pilot for many many years; planes but mainly helis. I am now wanting to take my avation passion a step further. So I met with an instructor and did an intro fligh and will be learning in a beechcraft sundowner. The instructor does not do ground school and passing the written test is on me. He showed me a book with a list of questions to study but also noted there are DVD available. My plan of attach is to first pass the written then pursue airtime. I also think I would rather use the paper book as opposedto the DVD. Any suggestions what I should get? About how much studying is required or how do I know when I am ready for the exam? If I don't pass, how long do I have to wait to retest? Any other helpful info or input would be great. Thanks.
 
I'm a recent student. As a starting place, the FAA's own materials are pretty good and they're completely free in electronic form:

Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK)
Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH)
Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)

PHAK, AIM - http://www.faa.gov/regulations_polic...uals/aviation/
AFH - http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/

The Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) are also available for free online:

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/faa_regulations/

I recommend, however, that you buy a paper copy, usually sold as part of a "FAR/AIM," so that it's easier to highlight and tab the regulations in "part 61" and "part 91" as you progress.

Welcome and have fun!
 
Welcome! I used the ASA books to pass the written. Ask your CFI what he recommends
 
Welcome to PoA! Glad you enjoyed your intro flight and got hooked! :)

As already mentioned, the FAA publications are good, have plenty of illustrations and are well written.
You can go to Sporty's pilot store and buy plenty of books, or you can find the same books on Amazon etc.
Do not forget to buy a copy of the PTS (Practical Test Standards) before your checkride so that you know what is expected from you.

Now go fly and have fun! :)
 
Unless you're a strong autodidact, I'd recommend an all-in-one ground school package like:

http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/sep/2087

Then, follow it up with the Gliem or ASA test prep book with practice tests.

There is a bewildering amount of "free" info out there from the FAA and other sources. But, a structured ground school will give you a path to follow so you can make the best use of your study time and keep it all in perspective.

If free knowledge was best way to learn, there'd be a lot more self taught billionaires in the world.
 
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I would also suggest doing one of the online programs. There are many out there, I personally used King's, but have heard Gleim and Sporty's are also good.
 
The FAA text books have gotten really good over the last couple of iterations. Only issue for someone in your situation is knowing what to study and what to skip over. Ultimately, you should engage your CFI in helping you pick the right books.

If you'd like to test drive one of the main online programs, register at Gold Seal (www.OnlineGroundSchool.com). You can take a full third of the course for free and use the entire quizzing engine without paying a penny. Your CFI can join for free and follow your progress online, too.

Here's another good reference and free download (no signup required): www.FreeFlyBook.com.

Good Flying!
 
Welcome to the forum,get the FAA manuals for free,and maybe a copy of stick and rudder.
 
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When I did my PPL about a year ago I used the "Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge" for the written in addition to a dvd set. After that, the "private oral exam guide" by asa is a MUST get for the oral. That little book helped me so much on the PPL oral. There are so many great choices, but these are what I used.
 
Here is what I did to pass my written and to study for the checkride.

I took the written at about 10 hours but had to do a lot of review several months later for the checkride.

Aviation Seminarshttp://www.aviationseminars.com
Weekend ground school, with lots of Pre-Work and 2 weeks of studying afterwords.


MzeroA
http://www.m0a.com
Did one month subscription to study for the checkride.

King Schools
http://www.kingschools.com
Old, cheesy, hard to watch but still relevant.

My suggestion is to read the FAA books, get some hours, take a class or DVD/online course, Solo, then study hard and take the written and finish the hours.
 
I started ground school early last year and passed the ride in October. One thing that I would recommend is starting to fly early in your written test prep. If you are a kinisthetic learner like me, things that made no sense in a book (VOR's) will be crystal clear 5 minutes into using them in a flight.

I would also recommend getting your medical early. You don't want to invest in several grand in flights and find out you can't solo because of additional tests and/or worst case, cannot get a medical.

Most of all, have fun! I got so stressed about the checkride that I was glad to just be done. Wish I would have taken a deep breath and enjoyed the flight. Especially since I had a really cool DPE.
 
I am a fan of king schools myself. It allows you to go at your pace. You can go through it as any times as you need to get it.


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Gliem test prep online got me 95 or better on all of the ones I used it for. Missed one question on Pvt. and cfii even.

I personally like the jeppesen private textbook. But the school I flew out of used the phak and afh and a put together binder. I had no issues. But I did self study a lot and bought all kinds of resources to further my knowledge like: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/16195...sers+guide&dpPl=1&dpID=51ublEtPnhL&ref=plSrch


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
We are all students here.

IMO, you are implicitly buying two common fallacies, as are many of the responses here.

Fallacy #1 is that there is One Book To Rule Them All. There is not. There are many good books and you should plan to read a few of them. Learning style and taste will determine your favorites. For example, Rod Machado is very popular and his information is solid, but I find his incessant attempts to be humorous to be very tedious -- almost off-putting. Others, as his sales prove, love him.

Fallacy #2 is that what you learn for the written is what you need to know to go flying. These are actually two different categories of knowledge you'll need:

Category #1: What you need for the written is in the FAA's books and in many other books. Knowing this stuff is necessary but not sufficient.

Category #2: The other important stuff you need to know is contained in other books. Two classics that you should own and study are "Stick and Rudder" and "Weather Flying." (AFIK there is only one edition of "Stick and Rudder" but there are many for "Weather Flying." Get the latest with updates from Bob Buck's son.) Neither of these books will help you much with the written but the knowledge they contain is important to your success and safety.

I would also recommend using one of the test-drill software packages where they feed you questions and constantly assess your success. I took my writtens many moons ago using one of these packages. I got two wrong on my Private, scored 100% on my instrument, and slacked off/got lazy and scored three wrong on my commercial. I won't mention the vendor because this was a long time ago and if they are still around they may well not be the current best choice. Find the best current vendor and work at the questions.
 
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