Sportys Rant - incomplete process and tests including topics not seen

[VoiceOfReason]

I'm spending a silly amount of hours trying to prep for my PPL written. I've completed the Learn to Fly course (online video, sporty's) and enjoyed the course. I've also done probably 30-40 hours of test prep.

When I take the quizzes I get better every time and am routinely in the 90's on the easier topics. Mostly thru learn-by-failure on practice tests.

-However-

Quite a few topics were never introduced or explored (ie: airspace was barely addressed, hot to calculate density altitude etc) so I'm failing quiz questions as I just haven't learned any of this. I can memorize proper answers after I 'review missed questions' and then trick the quiz into working but this is an incredibly frustrating way to learn. and I want the *knowledge* not the test score. If ya haven't been taught it, then learning by failing test questions seems really inefficient, like learning from wrong answers instead of simply hearing or reading what the topic even is about.

Has this been your experience ?
I know people want to say "go buy _______ course instead" but I'm pretty dug in on completing this without starting over on the whole damn thing. Airspace, density altitude, some basics on sectional reading.... all of it really just glossed over in the videos with no real teaching and then the tests expect me to know this stuff ?

Should I just put stuff on hold and read a book ? WTF am I to do here, I just don't get it...

 

[Lindberg]

Should I just put stuff on hold and read a book ?

Yes.

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak

 

[Gilbert Buettner]

The things you need to know are covered in the PHAK. Your instructor can help with weak areas.

 

[dmspilot]

Sporty's video course is bad. Sorry, I said it.

 

[VoiceOfReason]

How much time have you spent with the PHAK and AFH?

none whatsoever. I'm naive I guess and thought the Sporty's course would be a pretty much all-inclusive. nope. Time for me to pause my ambition to take that test and go learns some **** first :-O

 

[Half Fast]

Sporty’s video course is at best a supplement to the PHAK and AFH, not a substitute for them. You also need to study the FAR/AIM; you won’t learn regs from the Sporty’s videos.

Turn off the video player and stick your nose in the books. Ask your CFI about things that are unclear, then come tell us what he said and we’ll explain why he’s wrong.

The FAA’s books are somewhat obfuscatory in places but they’re really where you have to go for the answers the FAA wants.

 

[VoiceOfReason]

anyone know how many hours (on top of the 40 required dual) it takes most of us to get thru all this ?

i’d hate to guess but I could see getting to 100 the way i’ve been learning in reverse by failing quizzes to learn answers…

 

[Half Fast]

Average flight time is around 60-70, or 20-30 above the required 40. Nobody tracks study time for the written but I’d guess 15-20.

 

[Daleandee]

anyone know how many hours (on top of the 40 required dual) it takes most of us to get thru all this ?

i’d hate to guess but I could see getting to 100 the way i’ve been learning in reverse by failing quizzes to learn answers…

It's possible to use rote learning and pass the test but then when you need the information you won't have it.

Your approach is correct and the further reading and study suggested is worth the effort. Being a part of this group has the great advantage in that many of the topics covered repeatedly here, although they seem redundant to long time members, are extremely helpful in keeping up with what was learned earlier and/or being made aware of changes or superceded information.

Enjoy the journey!

 

[murphey]

anyone know how many hours (on top of the 40 required dual) it takes most of us to get thru all this ?

i’d hate to guess but I could see getting to 100 the way i’ve been learning in reverse by failing quizzes to learn answers…

Your oral exam with the DE will not be based on questions in Sportys or Kings or Gleim or....they'll be based on the PHAK, the FAR/AIM and the AFH.

 

[murphey]

none whatsoever. I'm naive I guess and thought the Sporty's course would be a pretty much all-inclusive. nope. Time for me to pause my ambition to take that test and go learns some **** first :-O

Part of the problem is your CFI who hasn't made sure you are studying the correct material.

 

[TCABM]

Before people start beating up the CFI…

…Time for me … go learns some **** first :-O

That’s generally how practical knowledge retention works. Learn it in context, apply it in context, retain it in context.

….learning in reverse by failing quizzes to learn answers…

That’s not learning, it’s memorizing.

 

[Gilbert Buettner]

anyone know how many hours (on top of the 40 required dual) it takes most of us to get thru all this ?

The requirement is actually for at least 20 hours of dual instruction.

 

[TommyG]

I’m surprised sports is still in business.

 

[JScarry]

anyone know how many hours (on top of the 40 required dual) it takes most of us to get thru all this ?

i’d hate to guess but I could see getting to 100 the way i’ve been learning in reverse by failing quizzes to learn answers…

If you want to learn the material, instead of just passing the written, I’d say it’s probably more like 50-100 hours of study and reading. I know I put in way more than that for each of my ratings.

 

[SkyChaser]

anyone know how many hours (on top of the 40 required dual) it takes most of us to get thru all this ?

i’d hate to guess but I could see getting to 100 the way i’ve been learning in reverse by failing quizzes to learn answers…

No one tracks hours spent studying, as far as I know. I studied over the whole year before I started lessons by reading the PHAK and AFM and taking notes every day for 30 minutes while I ate my lunch at work, and sometimes doing some reading in the evening. About a month before starting lessons, I had a week off and spent about 25-30 hours that week going over both books, going through Fly8MA's youtube playlist and ground school on his website, and taking practice tests. I didn't have to study before the written, and my oral prep was very easy.

If you actually learn the information, you won't have to cram or panic-study before any of the tests. And you'll actually know it later when you need it.

 

[Randomskylane]

I have a stack of these awful books (IFR for me) and progress has stopped on all of them somewhere in the first few chapters.

For a pretest my friendly cfi asked open ended questions. Yikes, it’s like going back to college 40 years later.

Labor of love is the only answer for me. Otherwise it’ll never happen

 

[bluesideup]

Airspace, density altitude, some basics on sectional reading.... all of it really just glossed over in the videos with no real teaching and then the tests expect me to know this stuff ?

Should I just put stuff on hold and read a book ? WTF am I to do here, I just don't get it...

Hi.
As others have mentioned, start with the FAA books. There will be items that are not clearly understood, especially the first time around,
For those items as your CFI, talk to other pilots, visit boards like this, this is one of the best for Real World pilots, view videos from reputable sites.
Remember what you are trying to use, is Not for teaching, is for testing procedures methods, question lay out...
They all have their points that you can learn something from. Test are not different than Flying, "All available information".
Try some of the Gleim tests they have some explanations, but they also seem to be changing lately.

 

[ArrowFlyer86]

I'm spending a silly amount of hours trying to prep for my PPL written. I've completed the Learn to Fly course (online video, sporty's) and enjoyed the course. I've also done probably 30-40 hours of test prep.

When I take the quizzes I get better every time and am routinely in the 90's on the easier topics. Mostly thru learn-by-failure on practice tests.

-However-

Quite a few topics were never introduced or explored (ie: airspace was barely addressed, hot to calculate density altitude etc) so I'm failing quiz questions as I just haven't learned any of this. I can memorize proper answers after I 'review missed questions' and then trick the quiz into working but this is an incredibly frustrating way to learn. and I want the *knowledge* not the test score. If ya haven't been taught it, then learning by failing test questions seems really inefficient, like learning from wrong answers instead of simply hearing or reading what the topic even is about.

Has this been your experience ?
I know people want to say "go buy _______ course instead" but I'm pretty dug in on completing this without starting over on the whole damn thing. Airspace, density altitude, some basics on sectional reading.... all of it really just glossed over in the videos with no real teaching and then the tests expect me to know this stuff ?

Should I just put stuff on hold and read a book ? WTF am I to do here, I just don't get it...

It sounds like you made the same mistake as me when I started down that road several years ago.
I got sportys PPL gnd course and then I ran into a bunch of questions that I didn't remember from the videos. That's because.... It's not in the videos.
As everyone says here: it assumes you've also read the PHAK in parallel, and spent some time with the FAR/AIM book. If you haven't - then you're missing a good part of the lessons plan.

And even if you managed to pass the written exam using the trial/error method of test-taking and learning from mistakes, you would not perform well in an oral exam w/a DPE.

In short: time to hit the books.

 

[RyanB]

Sporty's video course is bad. Sorry, I said it.

Ditto. In my opinion, the worst of the offerings available. I stand by my old advice - use Sheppard to pass the test, and use King or Gleim to actually learn the material. Sporty’s isn’t great.

 

[BMan]

There are various vids on YouTube of "live" practice check ride oral exams with real PPL students only weeks away from their real check ride. I've been watching those and get a feel for how I may be called to task; a good thing, actually. Taking mock written exams (many free ones out there...I'm cheap) has made me go back to re-study areas where I'm weak. Also, "old school" alert, I made and am still making flash cards to exercise the mind.

Great suggestions on here from the POA members (some stated in this and other threads) that help me KNOW and understand the information. This should make us demostrably safer pilots (I'm still in PPL training) for the check ride and well afterward.

 

[VoiceOfReason]

SOme excellent perspectives here, thanks to all of you.

I don't care so much about passing the stupid test as I do wanting to fully absorb the information. I've got all the time in the world on when to start this, it's really just for fun. SO yeah--- I want to learn not 'pass'.

I think I'll put sporty's on hold while I go read up on the topics I'm not intimate with. then I'll go back to the Sportys thing for the practice tests which I do find useful.

Guess I fell in love with a dream of simplicity in that I didn't need books, I needed to sit on my ass and watch videos. I was wrong for sure ! What a let-down after so many hours of frustration and self-abuse about 'why am I not getting this' on the test quizzes

 

[ArrowFlyer86]

Guess I fell in love with a dream of simplicity in that I didn't need books, I needed to sit on my ass and watch videos. I was wrong for sure ! What a let-down after so many hours of frustration and self-abuse about 'why am I not getting this' on the test quizzes

I hear ya!
I suffered the same delusion and had the same dejected feeling when I learned there was no way around reading the boring PHAK and FARs...
On the bright side if you buy a copy of the FAR/AIM book it can double as a home defense weapon in a pinch. You can definitely bludgeon someone real good with that 1120 page behemoth. So it can continue serving you long after you've passed your PPL.

 

[Daleandee]

On the bright side if you buy a copy of the FAR/AIM book it can double as a home defense weapon in a pinch. You can definitely bludgeon someone real good with that 1120 page behemoth. So it can continue serving you long after you've passed your PPL.

It's also good to use when insomnia is a concern ...

 

[morleyz]

I did King for both PPL and IR writtens without a CFI anywhere around me and scored 89 and 91 respectively. I spent a lot of time in the PHAK and a little less time in the FAR/AIM as King does a good job of covering the regs you need to know. I also found the King practice tests to be VERY similar to the real exams.

Heck, I didn't even know enough for my PPL that I assumed you had to pass the written before you could even engage a CFI.

 

[JoeSelch]

Ditto. In my opinion, the worst of the offerings available. I stand by my old advice - use Sheppard to pass the test, and use King or Gleim to actually learn the material. Sporty’s isn’t great.

Sheppard is not an option for the Private.

 

[4RNB]

Sportys = test endorsement.

 

[robin ardoin]

I did Sporty’s ground for private but had read the Flying Handbook and all applicable chapters relating to private/piston in the PHAK prior and along with Sporty’s. The knowledge test was a non event. As mentioned, any ground school must be accompanied by the student reading the books. Oh, and include relevant FAR/AIM material in lieu of Ambien. LOL

 

[KE5BM]

Sporty's video course is bad. Sorry, I said it.

I agree. Used the Sporty's PPL course more as a refresher since I stepped away from my training for 20 years. When I took the exam, there were SEVERAL areas I had not been introduced to. Now, after having bought the Instrument course I'm finding I know very little of the information asked in the exams. Makes me wonder why/how American Flyers is using Sporty's courses exclusively. I'm actually about to buy a hard copy of the FAA instrument manuals to study from. I borrowed Rod Machado's book from our club library...it would be a third of the length without all the Dad jokes.

 

[AlphaMike]

@VoiceOfReason In the sporty’s app there is a tab at the bottom of each video called “related content “. That is where you can find the PHAK and pretty much anything you need. I’ve used sporty’s for both privet and instrument and never had any issues finding the information needed.

 

[AlphaMike]

I agree. Used the Sporty's PPL course more as a refresher since I stepped away from my training for 20 years. When I took the exam, there were SEVERAL areas I had not been introduced to. Now, after having bought the Instrument course I'm finding I know very little of the information asked in the exams. Makes me wonder why/how American Flyers is using Sporty's courses exclusively. I'm actually about to buy a hard copy of the FAA instrument manuals to study from. I borrowed Rod Machado's book from our club library...it would be a third of the length without all the Dad jokes.

See my above comment. Everything is in the Sporty’s app. Pick a topic and video. Click on the “related content “ tab at the bottom. You should have a digital copy of all the books you need or want.

 

[KE5BM]

Mike: Yep, I know it's there. I actually have electronic copies on my iPad but what I'm finding out about my own study process is that I learn much more quickly with a hard copy. I guess I'm in that sweet spot age between the old-timers and the all-electronic generation. I don't use paper charts anymore and I'm really efficient and confident with all manners of electronics but when it comes to learning a new subject, I find paper copies work better for me.

And for what it's worth, I'm not suggesting that the Sporty's course as a whole is lacking. The videos and amount of information within those videos are lacking, I think. But then again, I listen to audio books on 2x speed so I find it hard to follow along with their slow, deliberate speaking style.

 

[Randomskylane]

Pass your instrument check ride is an audio book ($5 iirc) with hours of typical questions and answers. Good luck retaining anything you don’t already know at 2x though

 

[MackMooney]

I'm spending a silly amount of hours trying to prep for my PPL written. I've completed the Learn to Fly course (online video, sporty's) and enjoyed the course. I've also done probably 30-40 hours of test prep.

When I take the quizzes I get better every time and am routinely in the 90's on the easier topics. Mostly thru learn-by-failure on practice tests.

-However-

Quite a few topics were never introduced or explored (ie: airspace was barely addressed, hot to calculate density altitude etc) so I'm failing quiz questions as I just haven't learned any of this. I can memorize proper answers after I 'review missed questions' and then trick the quiz into working but this is an incredibly frustrating way to learn. and I want the *knowledge* not the test score. If ya haven't been taught it, then learning by failing test questions seems really inefficient, like learning from wrong answers instead of simply hearing or reading what the topic even is about.

Has this been your experience ?
I know people want to say "go buy _______ course instead" but I'm pretty dug in on completing this without starting over on the whole damn thing. Airspace, density altitude, some basics on sectional reading.... all of it really just glossed over in the videos with no real teaching and then the tests expect me to know this stuff ?

Should I just put stuff on hold and read a book ? WTF am I to do here, I just don't get it...

Just take the test, all you need is to pass. It's really just a checkbox, checkride is where you need to perform.

 

[francisco collazos]

I used sporty's and got a 97% on the test. About 80% of the questions were word for word off of sporty's. I will say, I didn't get a lot of VOR or other questions I thought would have been asked but I think it's just a random test generator anyways.

 

[dragon_soldier]

I found both Sporty's and King's to be very helpful for my PPL and IR tests. I used Sheppard Air for IR, but it was overkill with the other two. I was in upper 80s and low 90s for written tests.