Post solo heading for PPL. Best way to fill in gaps?

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manlymatt83

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Matt
My course is two fold: there are books to read (such as the pilots handbook, FAR AIM, etc.). I have also purchased Rob M's "flying an airplane" book.

I did most of my training online through Kings Schools. I'll admit that there are many sections I breezed through and many, like weather, that I don't remember much of.

As I head into the cross country phase of my training I feel like I have a lot of gaps. Simple stuff really, like how much bank to use on a crosswind turn after I'm 1000 feet AGL. Or whether an instrument has a gyro or not.

I've thought about going through the online portion again. It's full of videos and bullet points and I figure that second time around would fill in the holes. But it's also kind of boring and I wonder if it would be better to find a different source. Maybe pick up a book and read it, or read the pilots handbook of aeronautical knowledge from front to back.

For those who have done this - any recommended strategy? Redo the online section from start to finish or try a different route for review, like reading a full book?

Thanks!
 
manlymatt83 said:
My course is two fold: there are books to read (such as the pilots handbook, FAR AIM, etc.). I have also purchased Rob M's "flying an airplane" book.

I did most of my training online through Kings Schools. I'll admit that there are many sections I breezed through and many, like weather, that I don't remember much of.

As I head into the cross country phase of my training I feel like I have a lot of gaps. Simple stuff really, like how much bank to use on a crosswind turn after I'm 1000 feet AGL. Or whether an instrument has a gyro or not.

I've thought about going through the online portion again. It's full of videos and bullet points and I figure that second time around would fill in the holes. But it's also kind of boring and I wonder if it would be better to find a different source. Maybe pick up a book and read it, or read the pilots handbook of aeronautical knowledge from front to back.

For those who have done this - any recommended strategy? Redo the online section from start to finish or try a different route for review, like reading a full book?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Are there any higher time pilot "airport bums" your CFI could recommend, or perhaps CPLs working on their CFI, who could tutor you over a comped lunch or something?
 
Every time you fly solo, write a plan of what you are going to practice. For one flight, that may be fly to practice area, locate a particular feature using two VORs so you can plot it on the sectional (find yourself over a recognizable feature), slow flight, steep turns, three landings.

This will help you figure out all the little stuff. Do some turns around a point, staying the same distance out all the way around. Go around three or four times, notice how the bank angle changes as you go. This is because the wind is changing as you turn. So there is no standard bank angle to use when turning, it depends on the wind.

In the pattern, I generally limit my turns to 20-30° banks. Remember that stall speed increases as bank angle gets larger. Do not stall in the pattern!!

Work a written plan, even if it's just a list of things to do. You can fly for fun and sightseeing after your checkride. You're almost finished, just bear down a little and you'll be there.

Do some pattern work, whether it's touch and go, stop and go or taxi back and go. Pay attention to your bank angles at all four corners. The wind will be hitting the plane at different angles for each. Are all four turns banked the same amount?
 
I went through the entire online ground school a second time toward the end of my training. (Long after I passed the written.) I found that I understood and remembered things a lot better the second time as I had flying experience that helped me understand things.

I also agree with Hank S. I did something similar. I had step by step descriptions of how to perform every maneuver per PTS. Every time I went up, I would perform each maneuver, checking the instructions after each maneuver to see if I did it correctly. (If I didn't, I did it again.)

I burnt a lot of gas (my own plane, so no rental fees) but it was worth it in the end as I was quite comfortable with my flying skills so I didn't have to think about how to fly during the checkride.

Another good thing to do is to have your CFI put you through mock oral testing a few times. He will probe the areas where he finds your understanding to be weak, thus making you aware of it as well.
 
Find a mentor to help you out. This isn't a replacement for your CFI but an experienced pilot that is willing to quiz you, answer random questions, watch you fly and provide feedback and basically be the person that is less intimidating than your CFI.

Again, a mentor is not a CFI replacement but might be able to not only identify holes in your training but also explain the things you have already heard in a way that you understand better.
 
Bank to turn crosswind??

More than 5 and less than 45 should do it...

Does an instrument have a gyro? Well, what's it do? If it tells you some atmospheric thing like speed or altitude then no. If it tells you your position in space like heading or attitude then yes.

(Mag compass an obvious exception)
 
Captain said:
Bank to turn crosswind??

More than 5 and less than 45 should do it...

Does an instrument have a gyro? Well, what's it do? If it tells you some atmospheric thing like speed or altitude then no. If it tells you your position orientation in space like heading or attitude then yes.

(Mag compass an obvious exception)
Click to expand...

FTFY (GPS tells your position in space with no gyro).
 
RotorDude said:
FTFY (GPS tells your position in space with no gyro).
Click to expand...

You broke it. Position in space is attitude / heading. Position on Earth is GPS.

Orientation = Position in Space
Orientation /= Position
 
Captain said:
You broke it. Position in space is attitude / heading. Position on Earth is GPS.

Orientation = Position in Space
Orientation /= Position
Click to expand...

That's an odd use of "position."

You can (sort of) tell position from a gyro -- that's what an INS does -- but most devices that tell you position do not use them. GPS, VOR, ADF, LORAN, Mark I Eyeball, altimeter, clock

Some secondary attitude instruments do not use gyros either. As instrument students, we learn to control the attitude of the aircraft with dead gyros. It's not easy, but altimeter, VSI and ASI can control pitch and mag compass can control bank and heading. It's (a lot) easier with a TC, but it can be done without it.
 
Captain said:
You broke it. Position in space is attitude / heading. Position on Earth is GPS.

Orientation = Position in Space
Orientation /= Position
Click to expand...

Disagree. Orientation = direction of a body's axes relative to a reference frame, while Position = location of its center of gravity relative to some reference coordinates. "Attitude" in aviation = orientation in the physics sense.
 
RotorDude said:
Disagree. Orientation = direction of a body's axes relative to a reference frame, while Position = location of its center of gravity relative to some reference coordinates. "Attitude" in aviation = orientation in the physics sense.
Click to expand...


Position /= Position in Space


Whatever, we're arguing about nothing. Okay, orientation...
 
OP, we're in the same boat. Cool!

So I just soloed on Wednesday. At my lesson today we worked on some short field landings / takeoffs and did a couple of soft field take offs (fun!). He said going forward we'll focus on XC

I'm going to go through the King navigation sessions again. Also just reading about navigation and other things to prep for XC prep. Prepping to prep. Lol.

Also going to read some other things, like Killing Zone or the new Wright Bros book
 
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