Finally Starting Flight Training

[bqmassey]

Hello friends.

I'm finally, after years and years, going to have both the time and the money to get my license. When I start, I want to be as prepared as I possibly can be. I want the only thing standing between me and my FAA checkride to be flight time and those skills that can only be perfected while you're in the plane.

I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan. I have the "Pilot's Encyclopedia of Aeronautical Knowledge" and am currently reading that. I know a lot of the material—mainly the stuff I'm interested in—and I'm trying to learn the rest. So, in addition to reading the book, what else can I do to prepare for training? I have X-Plane flight simulator on my laptop, so I can do a little bit of flying (with the mouse). I usually have internet access. I can't really order any more books, as I have very little room in my ruck suck to store stuff. Can y'all think of any other things I can read/watch/listen to/do?

I actually started flying a bit before I deployed, but I only got about six hours or so before I left.

 

[Trapper John]

I don't really think PC sims are useful for Private Pilot training, but I'm sure the real CFIs will weigh in on that subject.

FAA has a lot of online training resources, like the Airplane Flying Handbook, the AIM etc. These will give you a good jump on your groundschool learning.

Airplane Flying Handbook: http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/

AIM: http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/ATPubs/AIM/aim.pdf

The price is right and you can burn to a CD so you don't have much to drag around.

 

[Areeda]

I agree with John that the PC sims don't help much for private pilots but you do get something and they are fun.

A good online resource is the practice written tests such as sportys.com (and many others). They can make going through the FAA books much more focused and less boring. Take a test, use the incorrect answers as a study guide to focus your reading and research.

The Airplane Flying Handbook (which I believe our very own Bob Gardner helped write) is an excellent resource one of the few that cover how to actually fly the plane and do the maneuvers on the practical test.

Joe

 

[dmccormack]

Great news!!

There are plenty of good books to help you learn the theory and head knowledge required to fly. You have a good one, another lightweight (and even downloadable) one is the FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook.

A flight sim can be helpful to pilots at any level of training, but is actually more helpful to more advanced pilot training. You're at the "gotta actually do it" phase, and the sim can inculcate some bad habits.



If you gotta fly -- just say no to landings and takeoffs. For these ops the sim is worthess, and in fact will instill some very bad habits.

Instead, work on turns, climbs, descents, and climbing turns and descents. Always start the simulation 2000' above ground level.

Also, if you use it, get out of "game mode" -- there are no instant revivals after a crash. Take the sim flying as seriously -- with consequences as deadly -- as the real thing.

You may find this limited sim flight regime boring. Good. Flying for real doesn't include zapping space aliens or flying under the Golden Gate Bridge.

But it sounds like you know that.

While the ideal situation would be to use the sim to complement actual flight lessons, you're not exactly in the ideal situation. So you'll have to be smart in the use of the sim.

 

[Areeda]

I second what Dan said.

Thinking about it a bit more, I think one thing that you can work on in a sim is using the horizon as a reference.

There are two philosophies for teaching visual flying. One is the "no instruments needed" approach and the other (which I teach) is "visual with instrument cross check (VICC)". Before I start a "mustard vs. ketchup vs. katsup" kind of thread, I believe a private pilot needs to be proficient in both, the question is which one do we learn first and which one gets emphasized.

To practice the no instrument mode, set the view to outside only, hide the panel. Try to fly straight and level for a few minutes using only outside references. Turn the panel back on and check heading and altitude. Then try turns with medium and steeper banks.

For the VICC, you get to look at the instruments A LITTLE. This is not an instrument maneuver (although that is easier on a sim) the trick here is to do the maneuver with visual references (just like the no instrument approach) but every once in a while check altitude, heading, bank, ball and fix it.

The problem with the no instrument approach is that it is imprecise. The problem with VICC is that the pilot tends to depend on the instruments too much. The instructor's problem is to define "too much".

I agree with Dan practicing landings in a sim is counterproductive, but I think there is a benefit to practicing adjusting your glide point by visual reference. The glide point is the imaginary point where the plane would contact the ground if there were no round out and flare in a landing. There is a series of articles on the web called on landings (I'll try to find the link) that discuss the stabilized approach.

I also support Dan's suggestion to NEVER CRASH A SIM. The suspension of disbelief is an important part of getting the most out of a sim. The more realistic you can convince yourself the exercise is the more you will take it seriously and maximize learning.

Joe

 

[bqmassey]

Thanks for the replies!

I'll download those books, and study them as well.

As far as the sim goes, I can tell from just a few hours in a real airplane that the sim just can't replicate how the maneuvers feel, especially in the critical phases of flight. I was thinking about using it more for cross-country flying. I can use a site like Skyvector for sectionals. I wish I had an E6B around to practice with, cause I know I need to learn that. Maybe I can find one online that simulates the non-electronic ones.

Any tips on learning the book material? There are some sections I could reread a thousand times and never lose interest—mostly aerodynamics and other things that related directly to flying the plane. But some sections I can only make it a few pages into and I can barely stay awake or I get frustrated. When I take the knowledge exam, I want to knock it out of the park, not just pass. Any other tips/strategies for the written?

Is there anything I can learn that's not necessarily required for the written, but would help training go more smoothly or just make me a more competent (student) pilot? For instance, I'll try to memorize the freqs for the airport I'll be training out of.

I just want to do as I possibly can now to make my actual flight training more efficient. Once I start flying, I want to be able to focus as much on that as I can.

When I have down time here, there's nothing for me to do, so it makes sense to use that time to prepare.

 

[rottydaddy]

As stated, for takeoffs and landings, sims (even X-Plane) are pretty useless for learning. But yes, you are on the right track about X-C stuff, IMHO... in-flight nav chores can be "rehearsed" in simulation, to good effect. It might help minimize the "oversaturation" factor, because you get a feel for how events unfold without the pressure of actually being aloft, trying to fly with precision. With a sim, you can pause it if you need a minute to ponder the E6B, the chart, or your nav log, or look something up in a book. As long as you understand the correct procedures, this can help you feel less overwhelmed during the actual lessons. And to some extent, any sim that has decent real-world mapping can be useful for "pre-flying" a trip... better to find out beforehand that some lake will not be a good waypoint (or whatever) after all than during an actual flight.

Again, though, it probably won't help you much with the subtleties of actually handling an airplane... but some things are simulated pretty accurately: determining best crab angle to fly a decent pattern, and other ground-ref maneuvers, in a crosswind; stuff like that. When I first started taking lessons in the mid-90s, I spent a little time with a very lo-res version of MSFS, and I definitely got some "aha! So that's what it should look like!" out of that. Obviously, you can learn this stuff while flying, but for me, the sim had some value in helping me get the gist of it.

Another useful thing about flight-simming is that it cheers you up when you can't fly, and inspires you.
I started simming regularly while on a long hiatus from flying, and it helped me muster the will to finally get back into it. FWIW, when I did go back for that flight review, I can't say the sim-flying helped me much, but it didn't seem to hurt, either. But for a primary trainee, the benefit may be more noticeable... judicious use of a sim could possibly save you some money and frustration.

As for studying, my favorite tool is flash cards. Old-school, but they work. As you read the material, highlight key things, especially stuff you have trouble with, and make question/answer cards for them. Keep that pile of index cards handy, and just go through them over and over. Don't tie yourself down to the computer when it comes to studying.


Another thing that helped me do very well on the written was mock tests... Gleim and others make great workbooks with mock written tests, and I highly recommend that.

And if you can find another trainee at your experience level, or a licensed pilot who hasn't studied in a while, spend some time with them challenging each other with questions.

 

[dmccormack]

As far as the sim goes, I can tell from just a few hours in a real airplane that the sim just can't replicate how the maneuvers feel, especially in the critical phases of flight. I was thinking about using it more for cross-country flying. I can use a site like Skyvector for sectionals. I wish I had an E6B around to practice with, cause I know I need to learn that. Maybe I can find one online that simulates the non-electronic ones.

Any tips on learning the book material? There are some sections I could reread a thousand times and never lose interest—mostly aerodynamics and other things that related directly to flying the plane. But some sections I can only make it a few pages into and I can barely stay awake or I get frustrated. When I take the knowledge exam, I want to knock it out of the park, not just pass. Any other tips/strategies for the written?

Is there anything I can learn that's not necessarily required for the written, but would help training go more smoothly or just make me a more competent (student) pilot? For instance, I'll try to memorize the freqs for the airport I'll be training out of.

I just want to do as I possibly can now to make my actual flight training more efficient. Once I start flying, I want to be able to focus as much on that as I can.

A warning....

(oh no!)

Smart, well-prepared folks (such as you seem to be) are often in for a rude surprise when some phase of flight becomes a Brick Wall.

Figuring out landings -- for instance -- has stymied more than one aspiring aviator (even those with superb reflexes and great minds).

You have lots of time to study and prepare -- great!!

Just keep in mind everybody goes through learning slumps (even the wunderkinds on here who soloed in 1.7 and took the private checkride with 38.0 logged and just put up with a CFI in the right seat because it was required ).

If you know that going in, it will make it much easier to handle when you hit the inevitable - yes, inevitable -- Brick Wall.

And then you will have the Aha! moment, and stuff will fall into place, and you'll wonder how or why you could ever have a hard time doing X (and it varies -- some folks have a hard time with steep turns, others with stalls, others with landings -- every phase of flight except takeoff, it seems).

 

[crash7]

Growing up (I'm 39) I played (note "played") many flight sims. Even flew R/C airplanes for a year or two. At 30 I finally took my first actual lesson. I thought I knew how to fly a plane based on all the simming I did. Took off. Plane rolled off to the left. Didn't know why. 3 seconds later, I gave the controls back to the CFI and began the fun process of learning.

Now that I am a CFI, I see soooo many new students "playing" the video game they see in the panel in front of them. I have to spend several lessons with sticky notes covering everything to remind them where the plexiglass is.

Many of these people haven't even played sims. This day and age, we're just so used to heads-down, all-the-info-I'll-ever-need-is-on-this-little-screen. Coming in with previous sim "playing" makes it even worse.

Other than IFR training, and only after several lessons with a CFII to learn a proper scan, I see no use for PC flight sims. That's just me...

 

[Trapper John]

Any tips on learning the book material? There are some sections I could reread a thousand times and never lose interest—mostly aerodynamics and other things that related directly to flying the plane. But some sections I can only make it a few pages into and I can barely stay awake or I get frustrated. When I take the knowledge exam, I want to knock it out of the park, not just pass. Any other tips/strategies for the written?

It's hard to learn effectively when you're tired, hungry or otherwise distracted, so try to schedule your study sessions accordingly. For the less than thrilling stuff, keep the sessions short and take notes to summarize the material. Take a short break if you feel like the material isn't sinking in and come back to it.

Is there anything I can learn that's not necessarily required for the written, but would help training go more smoothly or just make me a more competent (student) pilot? For instance, I'll try to memorize the freqs for the airport I'll be training out of.

Try to learn the material with retention in mind, rather than just learning to pass the test.

My 2 pesos...

 

[Areeda]

I'll make a comment on the less than gripping reading in the process.

For me this tends to be reference material, like the AIM or the FARs. They are as much fun to sit down and read as a dictionary or a phone book, for me. On the other hand if I have a question they are the only place to go.

So the first way I suggest, is start with a practice test and if you can just do questions on one topic or area. Then take the questions you got wrong or weren't sure about and look up the answers. This not only gets the answers it also helps learn what's there and how to find it.

Another technique is reference surfing. This is the only way I've got through the AIM. Pick it up, scan the table of contents, find something that is relatively interesting (which for me means not sleep inducing) and read a few paragraphs.

Joe

 

[SCCutler]

Many good tips here. Since you're deployed, you can get plenty of excitement from something other than flight simming, I'd imagine.

So, what can you do while you're over there?

If your Internet connection will handle it, you could listen to a reasonably busy frequency at www.liveatc.net - there, you can get an idea of what does and does not work well on frequency, thus avoiding student pilot mike fright.

Reading a good study guide (Gleim, Sporty's) and taking practice tests i s a great way to prepare for the PP written - I used Sporty's practice exams on-line for both Private and Instrument, and in both cases, when I took the actual test, it was just like another practice.

If you feel like it, you might post a mailing address - I bet someone here (I am thinking, "me") has an E6B to spare. Also, if you know where you'll be doing your training, you might get a copy of the Pilot Operating Handbook for the plane you'll likely be flying, so you can be reading up on the plane, its characteristics, performance figures and the like.

When do you come home... and will it be in Houston? If so, where in town?

 

[Areeda]

I like Spike's suggestion for liveatc.com. If you can't stream you can download a 30 min archive and play locally.

 

[t0r0nad0]

If you have a computer headset, I'd say use the sim on VATSIM at http://www.vatsim.net. This will help you practice your radio communications and become very comfortable with that - it helped me immensely during my private training.

Will you be doing your training back here in Houston? If so, send me a PM when you get back - let's grab a beer and I'll introduce you to a few flight instructor friends.

 

[steamee]

For a C172, I found that landings in FSX were actually harder to do in the sim than in real life. Of course you have no idea about how hard you may have landed or side loading. Could never get the rudder pedal feel right either and the torque is just wrong on take-off. Maybe it's just me not calibrating right, but I did put some effort into it.

I found that most useful aspect of FSX was doing VOR work and diversions. It was helpful to practice "flying" in real time while doing E6B and chart work on my kneeboard on my lap. No pausing and nothing I wouldn't have with me in the cockpit was allowed.

I've been thinking about poking around to see about how fiddling with a G1000 and seeing if I'll want to learn glass, but I don't have any real world comparison. Any opinions on that?

 

[bobmrg]

I agree with John that the PC sims don't help much for private pilots but you do get something and they are fun.

A good online resource is the practice written tests such as sportys.com (and many others). They can make going through the FAA books much more focused and less boring. Take a test, use the incorrect answers as a study guide to focus your reading and research.

The Airplane Flying Handbook (which I believe our very own Bob Gardner helped write) is an excellent resource one of the few that cover how to actually fly the plane and do the maneuvers on the practical test.

Joe

Thanks for the thought, but I had no input into the AFH. When the FAA first went to the industry to get its handbooks and manuals updated I wrote a couple of chapters for the Instrument Flying Handbook, but now that their books are more or less up to date the FAA has gone back to using their own personnel.

Bob


Bob