After the test is over- what's next?

Jaybird180

Jaybird180

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Jaybird180
I'm looking for good study material for the new Pilot (CD, DVD, book, etc). If possible, please also mention if immediate download format is available.

Thank you
 
Every flight should be to a new unfamiliar airport. Can't get better training than that.
 
I'll second the "fly to other airports", and I'll add, take someone with you, a pax, not a CFI. Its more fun when you share!
 
Jaybird180 said:
I'm looking for good study material for the new Pilot (CD, DVD, book, etc). If possible, please also mention if immediate download format is available.
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Barry Shiff's "Proficient Pilot" series is good if you actually go do the things he challenges pilots to do.

If you haven't read the "classics" like Stick & Rudder, and others... those are good too. Hopefully you've already read them.

There's also specifics like someone mentioned, the Glider stuff... or Sparky Imeson's "Mountain Flying" if you're going to go do that stuff.

But... books aren't where the real experience is. Go fly. My first flight instructor put it more directly... "Go fly your ass off."

Take one of those good books along in the flight bag for when you get weathered out somewhere and sleep on the FBO's couch.
 
steingar said:
Every flight should be to a new unfamiliar airport. Can't get better training than that.
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I learned something new last night doing this.

57C East Troy, Rnwy 08 uphill landing, go-around due to turbulence and wind (too high on downwind, misjudged the runway, floated forever). Took the flaps out too early on climb out (uphill). :eek:

Lets just say the trees at the end of the runway were closer than I wanted. Won't do that again.

First time I ever landed on a runway with that much slope (up or down). Definitely a good learning experience.
 
1200AGL said:
The Glider Flying Handbook :)

http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/glider_handbook/

That's what I've been doing since I got my certificate in March. Highly recommend it.
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The cool thing about flying is it offers different things to different people.

However one of the down sides is that quite a few people find learning to fly fun and they like the goal oriented challenge of doing so. However after getting their certificate they often find that flying is expensive and they really don't have that many places they need to go to. Some pilots will move on to additional training, Instrument, Tailwheel, Acrobatics etc.

Soaring will appeal to some as well. I find that Soaring more than any other kind of flying tends to appeal to the kind of people that enjoy the challenge of learning. Interestingly the glider rating consists of little more than how to take-off and land. While there is a little theory on how to soar, there often is little or no training done or required to get the rating. So once you have the rating you still have much to learn. The SSA/FAI has developed the Badge system to challenge pilots to expand their skills. Also the good new/bad news about soaring is that it often requires specific weather conditions for do a lot of soaring. So you can't just decide to go Soaring Early Saturday Morning. While you can probably fly it will likely just be a glider ride to ground. More likely it it will become Soarable about 1:00pm. Soaring tends to be a Social sport since most pilots fly about the same time of day and often tend to help each other out is assembling, launching, soaring/finding the best lift, storing the glider and beer :) at the end of the day. Best of all unless you are renting the glider once you release from the towplane you have the rest of day to fly at no additional cost, The longer you can stay up (my average is about 4 hours per flight) the cheaper per hour the flight becomes.

Every flight is a learning flight in that you can't just push the throttle foward and go flying. You have to be thinking ahead, figuring out what the weather is doing today and how to best use it. And you get to compare your decisions and skill to the other pilots doing the same thing.

Brian
CFIIG/ASEL


(I think I can see Japan from here:))
 
Similar "Recommend Books" thread happening over on the AOPA board. Check it out.

Like others say, get out there and fly. Even if it's just solo to a local airport, a few laps in that pattern, then return to home for a few more laps and 1.3hrs logged, do it.

Start exercising your wings and discovering what areas you're doing well in, and what areas you might want a bit more instruction. Go find a good CFI and sharpen the weak areas.

If there is a nearby airport with a good crosswind runway, head there and sharpen those skills.

Fly some more, focusing on skills that will serve you will in instrument flying. Namely holding altitude at +/- 50ft and then +/- 25ft; Holding a heading really well; good solid standard turns.

Fly some more to airports 2.0-2.5 hours one way, filing flight plans, talking to ATC with Flight Following, talking to FSS/Flight Watch. Gain comfort/confidence entering, operating, and exiting the system.

Go for a tailwheel endorsement. I have yet to do that, but friends who have it say its buckets of fun and helped sharpen other general skills.

Look for local GA "air races", kinda like Road Rally events. A link to such a group in Texas is here: http://sportairrace.org/index.html

Go to fly-ins, breakfasts, lunches, and more.

Gain the needed experience and ratings and fly for the charitable organizations. Such as Grace Flight, Pilots-n-Paws, and Veterans Airlift Command (veteransairlift.org).

As you can see, that bit of blue/green plastic is just a key to an entire new world of possibilities.
 
Everybody's next step is a little different, so all I'll say is do NOT assume that because you have the PPASEL ticket, you have learned all there is to know. :no:

But it's all good- learning on your own, building on your foundation, is part of the fun.

Nothing better than a fun flight where all goes to your satisfaction and on top of it all, you think "Wow... I think I just learned something important that wasn't found in my instruction or anything I've ever read or heard about flying!"

And of course if "completely different" challenges are what you crave, there's all the other endorsements and ratings... like the glider rating. :wink2:
 
You have your license to learn. So, the next step is going out and learning. Fly to different places, go start using your new privileges!

I'd suggest that after you do that for a few months, consider working on your instrument rating. It opens another world, and will help refine your skills further.
 
Build time towards a Complex endorsement.
Get a tailwheel endorsement, flying J3 Cubs on grass is a lot of fun!
Get a glider add-on rating.

All that time counts towards instrument and commercial ratings.
A lot of pilots going towards instrument or commercial fall short on cross country hours. If you go someplace, always try to touch the ground at least 50nm from where you started.
 
BillTIZ said:
... If you go someplace, always try to touch the ground at least 50nm from where you started.
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Perhaps I have mixed information about this. On one hand, I'd heard that you needed a certain amount of XC hours for training IAW the above.

On the other hand, I'd heard that any flight where TO and LDG are at different airports qualifies as logged XC time for additional pilot qualifications.
 
Start on the instrument rating. You're going to find low, not-so-thick layers of clouds a pain in the empennage until you do so.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Perhaps I have mixed information about this. On one hand, I'd heard that you needed a certain amount of XC hours for training IAW the above.

On the other hand, I'd heard that any flight where TO and LDG are at different airports qualifies as logged XC time for additional pilot qualifications.
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If you are going for your commercial and instrument, it's gotta be over 50nm to count as XC in airplanes. I thought the ATP was any distance, but that's still 9 years off for me, and I've already met all the XC requirements for it, so I don't bother checking.

61.1(b)(3) is where you will find the answer.
 
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So why the heck are there 2 definitions of XC time????
 
Better question- As I'm entering info in my logbook how can I differentiate XC time (TO/LDG) not colocated versus 50nm XCs. Isn't it cumbersome to review one's logbook and then calculate distance for every flight to determine if it counted?
 
Backup!!! Why do I care either way? I trained under FAR 141. As I understand I don't have the XC limitation requirements if I continue training under 141.
 
You have SOME limitations under 141, they're just DIFFERENT.

I only log the 50+ NM flights as X/C, just because that's the way I choose to do it. X/C time less than 50 NM has no real "value" (except maybe for the ATP, and by the time you have enough hours for the ATP you'll very likely have enough 50+NM X/C time).

You're not breaking any regs by failing to log every flight from airport A to B as an X/C. Insurance companies and such don't care about it. So in my opinion it's easiest just to log only the "longer" flights.
 
Jaybird180 said:
So why the heck are there 2 definitions of XC time????
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There isn't. There is only one.
FAA defines XC time as trips landing at another airfield greater than 50nm from the takeoff airfield. Allowing for certain exceptions for large military type aircraft that fly great distances out and return and only use one runway, as in my B-52 and B-1 days.
 
Jaybird180 said:
Perhaps I have mixed information about this. On one hand, I'd heard that you needed a certain amount of XC hours for training IAW the above.
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You do, but you need a lot more XC time logged than what is required for training. IIRC, for the instrument rating you need 50 hrs PIC XC, but less than 10hrs? With a CFI. (part61)
 
BillTIZ said:
There isn't. There is only one.
FAA defines XC time as trips landing at another airfield greater than 50nm from the takeoff airfield. Allowing for certain exceptions for large military type aircraft that fly great distances out and return and only use one runway, as in my B-52 and B-1 days.
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not true.

the definition section in 61.1 (I think) defines XC as any flight where you takeoff from one airport and land at another.

however there are further refinements that change that basic definition for the purposes of meeting various certificate experience requirements.
 
TMetzinger said:
I only log the 50+ NM flights as X/C, just because that's the way I choose to do it. X/C time less than 50 NM has no real "value" (except maybe for the ATP, and by the time you have enough hours for the ATP you'll very likely have enough 50+NM X/C time).
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I log only the 50nm+ flights in the XC column as you do... But then I also have my electronic logbook set to automatically calculate the total XC time for any flights with a landing at a different airport as well, so I have a record of both now.

The <50nm cross country counts for experience necessary for Part 135 PIC requirements as well as the ATP rating, and there are probably a LOT of CFI's out there who don't otherwise meet the requirements when they hit 1500 hours, since 1200 of those hours were probably spent in the practice area and doing bounce-and-go's with students.


Jay,

"What to do next" is to get your face out of the books and get out of the nest. Go fly places, the farther away, the better. One of the nice things about this board is the fly-ins that we have, such as Gaston's (3M0), Wings FlyBQ (KLOM), 6Y9, and Windwood (WV62). I highly recommend you make as many of those as you can - They're great fun, it's nice to meet the folks here in person, and the really long cross country flights are the BEST learning you'll get IMO.
 
Well, that's for you to answer really. What do you want aviation to do for you? When you started throwing hundred dollar bills out of the window aviating, what were you picturing it buying you?

Lot's of people end up quitting because it isn't useful enough to them to justify the expense of staying proficient. If you have a travel need and budget, just start flying places. It really is a great way to get around on those couple/few hundred mile trips especially where traffic jams can be a factor. It does cost more though.

A few people get into it for aerobatics, I suggest everyone take at least 5 hours of aerobatic lessons if not 10. If you like it and it's you, there are a lot of good 2 seat aerobatic airplanes for less than $35k, single seat under $20k.

Social Aspect? There are active clubs around some areas, look around and see who's doing what.

Most people who start flying though have professional aspirations still at the PP point so the best thing for them is to just go fly places and get their experience for the IR and Commercial ratings done. A pro program will get you everything abinitio to Com SEL, MEL, IR, CFMEII in 6 months.

So, it comes down to "What do you want aviation to do for you?"
 
What I did was start a goal to land at every airport in my home state (got in AOPA Flight Training magazine for doing it, too). Then, after that (I failed?, I started the CONUS challenge. Since both of those, I'm trying to find a new challenge. But that was some of the most fun I've had flying.
 
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