My Training is Fragmented - Advice Please

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Randall45

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Randall
Before I started with the instructor I have now, I flew with another instructor to the point of soloing the skyhawk for the first time. The training was accelerated (2 weeks) and laid a sturdy foundation in practical flying, but not so sturdy in theory.

I understand that there are courses (some commercial, others sanctioned by Cessna) that act as an interactive syllabus. You watch lessons, you complete a module, you fly, you reinforce the knowledge, etc. Since I did not start with one of these, my training is quite fragmented. I don't think I should spend a large amount of money on a course (unless that is your advice), so I'm seeking suggestions.

To no fault of my instructor (he's great), I'm kind of wasting money as we try and try to fill in the gaps and build on an uneven surface. What I'm looking for is a text (book) suggestion that will start from square one and give me all of the knowledge necessary for passing the written, as well as safe flight. I'm an excellent self-teacher in these things if there is a clearcut curriculum. Basically I'm overwhelmed without an exact step by step progression of pertinent knowledge (a problem that emanates throughout my life).

Thanks!
 
I posted this elsewhere so I hope I don't sound like a broken record, but the Jeppesen Private Pilot curriculum seems pretty well organized and thorough. My 141 school uses it exclusively.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I posted this elsewhere so I hope I don't sound like a broken record, but the Jeppesen Private Pilot curriculum seems pretty well organized and thorough. My 141 school uses it exclusively.
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+1

That's the book I used for ground school -- exclusively. I just bought my sister one for ground school self-study.
 
Talk to your current instructor. Ask for suggestions, such as books/courses he has used in the past and recommends.
 
Watch the king schools videos. Take a practice test or two. Then take the real test. Pretty easy.
 
Another good resource is the ASA Oral Exam Guide. It has a 'question and answer' format that makes it easy to understand. It is not comprehensive and won't answer everything you need to know throughout your training, but it helped me tie everything together.
 
Bob Garner (a member here) can speak to the "Complete Private Pilot" kit that ASA offers. (www.asa2fly.com)
 
If books are your preferred medium, Machado's books are very good. Personally, I really don't like the video course format, as the pace is all wrong. But that really does vary between people.

Machado's one page description of gyroscopic precession rivals the best physics textbooks out there. Having attempted to teach that to freshman physics majors before (not very successfully), I was very impressed.
 
Bill, thansk! I'm going to look into that.

Mike, another great suggestion. That looks interesting, and the site has some great resources it looks like (maneuvers guide).

MAKG, thanks, too.

Jim, CMathis: I've heard King Schools courses are pretty good. I actually might have access to the CD PPL course from 3 years ago. If it hasn't changed or been dramatically updated since then, I might start supplementing with that.

I really appreciate all of the suggestions! But there are many. I'm going to explore the products a bit more, and I'll let you guys know if I have a question. Thanks for being so helpful.
 
I used Sporty's. My brother used King. If you post where you are at, you might find someone wanting to part with theirs for a small fee. I would buy new as a last resort.
 
I used King for my PPL knowledge exam. I passed with a 92. King is great for the theory, and what I liked is that you could study in small bits. Problem with King is it is not integrated with videos to integrate the manouvers. Sporty's look great for flight stuff, don't know how good it is with the theory stuff. So maybe you would need a combination of the two. For the Sporty's, you can get an app to run on an iPad which I like. The King stuff will also run on the iPad, but you need a third party program as the King uses flash and the iPad doesn't support flash.

I am starting on the instrument. I like using both the King and Sportys. I also have ASA, but they just seem to drone on and lecture. Just my thought.
 
My school uses and recommends the Gliem course. You get the books and on line access as part of your "pilot training kit" when you sign up for there training. Comes with all the training manuals, a flight bag, E6B, charts, plotter, C172 POH, C172 check list, airport directory fuel stick and fuel sample bottle. cost was about $300 I think.
I also used the sporty's on line video training and found that what one lacked the other covered.
 
I just passed my FAA written studying exclusively the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, reviewing 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91, and then doing a lot of practice exams. I did not do much if any ground school with my CFI because like you, I'm an excellent self-teacher. IMHO there is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on other study materials.
 
I had never used Gleim until last month. Their flight instructor refresher was by far the best of all those programs I've ever used, to the point that I'll be looking at their stuff for all future needs. Just sayin'
 
The Jeppesen book and/or the Kings videos and/or Gleim books are the best and most efficient.
 
MAKG1 said:
Machado's one page description of gyroscopic precession rivals the best physics textbooks out there. Having attempted to teach that to freshman physics majors before (not very successfully), I was very impressed.
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Machado's tip for figuring entries into holds in his Instrument Pilot's Survival Guide is the best I've seen, too. I recommend his books.

To the OP, I think the key message here is that there are multiple resources available. Some work better for some people, others work better for another group. Your challenge is to find what works best for you without breaking the bank looking at them all.
 
Ghery, I think you hit the nail on the head. I think it would be wise to just splurge and invest in something like the Sporty's online training, but I'm also looking for that golden book that will do the same thing. I've gotten great suggestions, and I'm weighing both options and looking into all of the suggestions put forward.
 
Is the Sporty's specific to Cessna, or is it a broad ppl course?
 
I returned to flying after a long break, and encountered the same problem. With 20 20 hindsight, I should have just taken ground school again. If you can't do that, consider one of the packages described above. I tried Sporty's and found it to lack coherence...and it was very fragmented...like watching 200 or so unrelated video segments. This may work for some, but not for me. If you fear fragmentation, try one of the other options. I returned my Sport's courses.
 
LOTS of good advice here. The media you use.....it just depends on HOW you learn best.....
 
Ateaist said:
I just passed my FAA written studying exclusively the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, reviewing 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91, and then doing a lot of practice exams. I did not do much if any ground school with my CFI because like you, I'm an excellent self-teacher. IMHO there is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on other study materials.
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Ditto, you are in fact trying to get a FAA certificate not a Gleim, ASA or Sporty's certificate :dunno:

no offense out theres, I do use ASA test prep books for taking tests, but for knowledge I read the FAA text :yesnod: the AIM will become your new best friend
 
The issue here is as others have suggested is how you learn. If videos are your thing then either Sporty's or King's(the Cessna course is a relabeled King's course for the most part). The King's course is full of corny jokes, most of which will make you cringe but they do get the point across. If ou like computer assisted learning and not videos then Gleim is the way to go. If you like to read books then Machado, Jeppesen, or the FAA books are the way to go. Machado tends to be more humorous and tends to make the learning fun, and he is quite effective. FAA is somewhat dry but this is where all the answers are. Jeppesen (I am only familiar with the multengine book but assume the other books are quite similar) is much like a high school textbook, a little dry, but not so bad it puts you to sleep.

Good luvk
 
Because of my schedule, my lessons are fragmented as well, which makes self taught ground school a challenge. I'm looking for a ground school that will fit into my current schedule. In the meantime, I was fortunate to find a bundle on Ebay that included a Jeppesen textbook and workbook. I use a combination of the books, Exams4pilots.org and ASA's Virtual Test Prep aviation ground school DVD set, also bought on Ebay.
 
Brilliant advice guys! And thanks for putting it into perspective, Greg. You guys are right, my problem is far from new (didn't think it was), and you've given me really all the info and more I could possibly want. I'm motivated and ready to go!
 
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