Does anyone have any experience using any of these programs? Which would you recommend?
I took the Kings course for instrument and liked it.. passed my written the first time no problems. I assume their format is very similar for private, commercial, etc. I would take their course for future ratings
Pros
-it was very immersive
-helped to understand the concepts vs just memorize them
-broken into small 5-15 minute modules so very easy to digest and work through at your own pace
-quizzes at the end of each section and TONS of questions in the question bank.. my IR course I think had 964 test questions?
-each question has a detailed explanation of why the correct answer is correct, and you can also live chat if you are really stumped on something
Cons
-it was very very cheesy.. hard to describe, but if you watch it you'll know what I mean. If you've ever watched the introduction to "
Tom Goes to the Mayor" then that's basically what it was like
-some it seemed very old, as in, filmed in 1976 old.. which is fine, but it did make me worried about the material being up to date
-they spent a TON of time on IFR charts (good) but I think they spent too much time on VFR PPL flight planning and not nearly enough time on approach plates and the wonderful world of FAR/AIM.. I would cut the flight planning section down by 80% and instead add more approach plate and scenario based stuff to it and more time on the FAR/AIM.. at least in my actual IR training that's where I felt most weak. I am not sure what rating you are working on, assume PPL, but just a heads up that the amount of time and effort Kings spends on a particular topic may not correlate to the number of questions you'll see on the written or what your actual instructor will focus on
General feedback on any course:
-Take enough practice tests until you are scoring solidly in the high 80s and low 90s. You want to give yourself a solid 10 pt buffer to account for the oddball questions and the added stress/anxiety you may get on test day
-Don't just memorize the answers for the purpose of passing the written. You want to understand the concepts so you can move through your actual flight training quicker and be more prepared for your oral
P.S. - I've heard Sheppard is the cheapest and best at just getting you to pass the written.. but people have said that it doesn't really help you to understand the course.. so while you may pass the written fine it won't really help you during actual flight lessons, oral, in real life flying, etc. I haven't taken it though so this is just based on what I've heard and read
