Self study...where should I be?

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hyphen81

Pre-takeoff checklist
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hyphen81
I'm having trouble gauging where I should be in the study portion of my training, and I'm worried that I'm very behind. I just went solo last week, and I have about 10 hours this time through flight training, but about 35 hours total. I haven't done any cross country work, but my CFI advised that that's what we'd be working on next. I've only worked through the first 3 chapters of the jeppesen book, but i've also been reading/watching everything I can. I know the PTS tells me what I need to know for the written, but I'm just not sure if I'm progressing fast enough. This may be a hard question to answer, but I'd like to get some input.

Also, any training materials you'd recommend would be great. Practice tests or anything else that has helped you..
 
One thing. The PTS tells you what you will need to do on the checkride not the written.
Spend the 9.99 on the sportys study buddy practice test. It will prepare you for the written.

As far as studies, it is a good idea to understand the XC planning / weather before doing your XC flights.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
One thing. The PTS tells you what you will need to do on the checkride not the written.
Spend the 9.99 on the sportys study buddy practice test. It will prepare you for the written.

As far as studies, it is a good idea to understand the XC planning / weather before doing your XC flights.
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ok gotcha. I will definitely get the sporty's study buddy. Sounds like a good idea.

I skipped ahead in the jeppesen book and read the chapter on cross country flight planning, but it was fairly frustrating because they didn't actually go through the step by step process of doing all the prep, they just kind of tell a story of someone who's doing it. I'm assuming the actual nuts and bolts information is elsewhere in the book, but I haven't looked yet to be sure. Is there any good info out there on planning a cross country that really gets down into the nitty gritty details?
 
How are you doing your ground school?
You have to get signed off to take the written.

Example. I went the self study route as well but that meant signing up for the gleim online ground school course. It was $99 at the end of the course, you are given a certificate stating you are authorized to go take the written.

I could be wrong but I don't think you can just go study for the test and then go take it.

Are you enrolled in any sort of actual ground study program?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
How are you doing your ground school?
You have to get signed off to take the written.

Example. I went the self study route as well but that meant signing up for the gleim online ground school course. It was $99 at the end of the course, you are given a certificate stating you are authorized to go take the written.

I could be wrong but I don't think you can just go study for the test and then go take it.

Are you enrolled in any sort of actual ground study program?
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I'm doing ground school on my own. My school doesn't offer any ground instruction, although I imagine I'll have a little bit with my CFI as we prepare for the cross country.

I had also signed up for the Gleim program, but one day I was sitting at the flight school talking to my CFI and another CFI, and they both recommended I just go on to amazon and buy the jeppesen book because you can get it pretty cheap. Since I hadn't used the Gleim program yet, I emailed them, got a refund, and bought the jeppesen one. So my flight school can't authorize me to take the written?
 
hyphen81 said:
I'm doing ground school on my own. My school doesn't offer any ground instruction, although I imagine I'll have a little bit with my CFI as we prepare for the cross country.

I had also signed up for the Gleim program, but one day I was sitting at the flight school talking to my CFI and another CFI, and they both recommended I just go on to amazon and buy the jeppesen book because you can get it pretty cheap. Since I hadn't used the Gleim program yet, I emailed them, got a refund, and bought the jeppesen one. So my flight school can't authorize me to take the written?
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Ok, got it.
Yes, they can authorize it.

Sounds like your CFI will help you get where you need to be. I would sit down with him and ask him how to best prepare for the written and also your XC flights. Important to get some time with the instructor on the ground to cover this stuff.

If your flight school authorizes you to take the written, it is likely that you will at some point have to demonstrate that you are ready (guessing. I didn't have a flight school)

As far as XC planning, break it down and look up the information on the sub parts.

Wind correction
Airspeed / ground speed calculation
Fuel burn.
Enroute time calculation
VOR navigation
etc...

Learn those individual parts and you will have an understanding of XC flying. In the end XC flying is the sum of everything you are learning. Weather, navigation, airspace, etc.

But definitely ask your instructor for a path to the written and what items you need to know before starting your XC flights. If you are at a flight school, they probably know how to do all of this stuff.

I went the independent CFI off Craigslist route so I had to to the gleim course for that sort of stuff.
 
Good XC planning is something that sorta needs to be a ground school session with your CFI. Starting with two city pairs, have him show you the steps to creating the plan. Then once you grok everything, pick a second pair and you do it with his coaching.

If I remember correctly the Rod Machado private handbook has a very good discussion of how to plan XC's. If you don't already have a copy of this book in your library, you might consider adding it.
 
Bryan mentioned VOR navigation...which is a good point.

Learning now to use VOR's versus fancy GPS's (sly glance in Ed's general direction) is a good thing. If your aircraft is equipped with 2 nav radios, you can practice using one radio as the primary navigation course, and the second radio with a crossing radial to identify a checkpoint on your course.

If you need more explanation, ask.
 
That's all great advice, thank you!

I love my CFI because he doesn't sugar coat anything and won't hesitate to bark at me when I don't do it right, and I feel I'm a better pilot for it. And compared to my last CFI who I've often compared to Jerry Garcia (both in looks and attitude), I know I'm a better pilot for it. I will say one of his weaknesses is probably due to his skill level. He's a retired commercial pilot and air traffic controller with 15,000+ hours and I think sometimes he might forget how difficult it is for someone who's new to the game to get a handle on all of this. He had originally given me a syllabus and I made the mistake of leaving it at the school and it got lost. I recently asked for another one and he looked at me like I was asking for an instructional manual on how to tie my shoes or something, and then he was like, well its all in the PTS. Just look at the PTS. He's a very fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type guy (no pun intended). You're right though, I do need to sit down with him sometime when we're NOT in the airplane, and talk about things.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Bryan mentioned VOR navigation...which is a good point.

Learning now to use VOR's versus fancy GPS's (sly glance in Ed's general direction) is a good thing. If your aircraft is equipped with 2 nav radios, you can practice using one radio as the primary navigation course, and the second radio with a crossing radial to identify a checkpoint on your course.

If you need more explanation, ask.
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:yes:

I actually have a pretty good handle on VOR navigation. When I went through flight school before, GPS wasn't prevalent and we had nothing but VORs to work with, so I did a good bit of VOR navigation. I've also found that Microsoft Flight Simulator, while not great for everything, can be valuable for practicing working with VOR navigation.

I'm really thankful that I got all the training on VORs before GPS became the thing, because even with my limited time in the cockpit, I can totally see how easy it would be to throw out the old school stuff and just follow the magenta line.
 
Go to www.OnlineGroundSchool.com. You can register for free and this gives you full access to the quizzing engine, documents, and 1/3 of the multimedia lessons. Your instructor may also sign up for free and monitor your progress online. The Gold Seal Online Ground School has been running since 2006. It costs you nothing to check it out.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
You are supposed to do that after the checkride ;)
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Before Checkride, learn and practice all of the art/science behind the automation.

Post Checkride: use the automation. But still practice the art/science in case it goes Tango Uniform or you have Ed as a passenger.
 
hyphen81 said:
ok gotcha. I will definitely get the sporty's study buddy. Sounds like a good idea.

I skipped ahead in the jeppesen book and read the chapter on cross country flight planning, but it was fairly frustrating because they didn't actually go through the step by step process of doing all the prep, they just kind of tell a story of someone who's doing it. I'm assuming the actual nuts and bolts information is elsewhere in the book, but I haven't looked yet to be sure. Is there any good info out there on planning a cross country that really gets down into the nitty gritty details?
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I found the Jepp private material incredibly not-useful. And the books are very heavy - wonder if this is why they went to ebooks? Pretty colors, less content than most of us would like. The philosophy is to train people who aspire to flying big iron and not spam cans.

Personally, I like the Kershner books, altho they have more theory than most people like. Another excellent author is POA's Bob Gardner. I like his writing style and how he explains material.

No, I don't receive any kickbacks....
 
FAA Aviation Flying Handbook. It's a free online pdf made by the FAA and has a lot of good information
 
jordane93 said:
FAA Aviation Flying Handbook. It's a free online pdf made by the FAA and has a lot of good information
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I looked at that this morning, and while I agree it's a great book and free, it didn't directly answer the original question.

But, I do agree it's something we all need to have in our e-library.
 
murphey said:
Another excellent author is POA's Bob Gardner. I like his writing style and how he explains material.
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Another +1 to Gardner's "Complete Pilot" series. :yes: :yesnod: :yes:
 
Total self-study here other than some sporadic ground school from my CFI on the pattern, XC, VOR, and a few other things. All good advice on the books above. I got the most value for my written in studying the free books mentioned above and I bought a Gleim test prep study guide. Ended up missing one question on ADF. I emphasized not just memorizing the questions in the prep book (not the 'A' strategy in my opinion) but understanding the concepts as they were presented in the free books (PHAK, etc.).

For me, it took dedicated time at the kitchen table working through sample problems for flight planning (TC-MC-MH-CH), weight and balance, fuel required, flight time ETA/ETE, blah blah blah. The rest was just reading, watching videos, and reading more.

Keep at it. Things will start to click. If they don't, ask your CFI or ask the questions here. Best of luck!
 
Hobobiker said:
For me, it took dedicated time at the kitchen table working through sample problems for flight planning (TC-MC-MH-CH), weight and balance, fuel required, flight time ETA/ETE, blah blah blah. The rest was just reading, watching videos, and reading more.
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This! The old saying, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time," really applies here.

Do a little, several times each day, and more whenever you can.

I usually make it a goal to read X pages, or answer 5 questions (fully researching the answers if needed), or whatever, before I do something else.

I managed to work through 150 questions this weekend.
 
+1 for Study Buddy. Start doing at least 10 questions a day for the rest of your training and once you feel like you've got it down and are getting ready for the exam then start doing full 60 question tests to see where you are.

I found that working through the exam exposed my weak areas I needed to focus on. I used the internet / youtube videos to help me with most of the rest and when I really needed a hand I'd enlist my CFI.

Working through a navlog and understanding the process of using your E6B will take time/practice. You'll need to know that down pat for the written and of course to show your work when you get to your checkride and are walking through your simulated XC. It's all fair game there - your DPE can and probably will ask you how you came up with various numbers, how they might be affected by various weather conditions, etc... So, just memorizing Study Buddy answers won't be to your long-term benefit. Use the info you get from the tests to focus on where you are weak.

Another thing, hopefully you have a copy of the latest FAR/AIM. Mark it up...as you are studying use post-it notes to mark the most commonly used sections of the FAR/AIM. Know the different sections and what they refer to. If your DPE asks you a question about maintenance and you start digging in 91 you are going to get an earful.

As mentioned - this is really a 'one bite at a time'. It will seem overwhelming early and you will feel like you don't know what to look at next.

Focus on reading your Jeppesen book for concepts. Do at least 10 Study Buddy questions a day. For the ones you don't know or get wrong - work them out and keep your notes handy...review them. Get super comfortable working through a NavLog - get the process down like the back of your hand. Look on youtube and see how other folks are working through their VFR XC planning. I watched several videos (I used the calc not the wheel) and figured out my own process that worked for me.

For me, once I could get through that it all started coming together.
 
kenjr said:
As mentioned - this is really a 'one bite at a time'. It will seem overwhelming early and you will feel like you don't know what to look at next.
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This is absolutely me right now.

There's just so much to learn...I know I'll get there, but what I've realized reading all of you guys' comments is that I need to start putting a LOT more time every day into studying.
 
hyphen81 said:
This is absolutely me right now.

There's just so much to learn...I know I'll get there, but what I've realized reading all of you guys' comments is that I need to start putting a LOT more time every day into studying.
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Reading one or more of the well known text books for 2-3 hours an evening instead of watching TV will help in a big way.
 
I guarantee I spent at least 2-3 hours in the books or just reading various flying related information for every hour I spent flying. Fortunately, it wasn't painful reading for me as this was stuff that I (and I'm certain you as well) want to learn. It is a lot of information.

What you'll realize for the checkride is that you don't have to commit all this to memory. Some of it will naturally end up there but really having a strong understanding of the concepts (IE; whats the relationship between the indicated airspeed that you see on your ASI vs TRUE airpseed vs ground speed that shows up on your GPS?) will get you 90% of the way through the oral portion of your checkride.

My DPE told me that he knows within the first 10 minutes if someone is going to make it through their oral. The only way you can be prepared is to live this stuff for the duration of your training. As Mike said - instead of watching TV...get into a book or start cranking questions and then research the heck out of the one's you miss - find every bit of info you can to get every perspective...including this forum as a resource.

Here's a couple really good videos I used to help me prepare and get a perspective from the DPE on what expect on a PPL checkride. Definitely worth watching...probably multiple times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xz0kfBvEp4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVE-gIeZUpk

Good luck!
 
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Just watch your way through the King videos.

I give all my students those and there is a reason they are the industry leader.
 
James331 said:
Just watch your way through the King videos.



I give all my students those and there is a reason they are the industry leader.
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My flight school just got certified as a Cessna school or something like that, and they now have access to some kind of online curriculum made by Cessna and the Kings...sounds pretty cool, so I plan on talking to them about it next time I'm up there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
AggieMike88 said:
Before Checkride, learn and practice all of the art/science behind the automation.

Post Checkride: use the automation. But still practice the art/science in case it goes Tango Uniform or you have Ed as a passenger.
Click to expand...

And keep in mind that a good instructor in the right seat makes all the airplane systems totally unreliable. Especially when you least expect it.
 
Is there any good info out there on planning a cross country that really gets down into the nitty gritty details?
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Three things, Jon.

1. Don't get lost.
2. Don't run out of gas.
3. Stay away from bad weather.

There are other things (like TFR's, Restricted Areas, airspace, etc.) to consider, of course, but the gist of XC planning is summed up with those three things.
 
MAKG1 said:
And keep in mind that a good instructor in the right seat makes all the airplane systems totally unreliable. Especially when you least expect it.
Click to expand...

<grin> that does seem to happen too often.

I always new it was coming when my CFI pulled out a stack of PostIt notes.
 
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