What did you do to learn the ground material?

ajstoner21

ajstoner21

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I'm just curious about what everyone did to learn the ground type material for the written test (any written... private pilot...instrument rating.. whatever).

Did you do a home study computer program?
Home study just reading books?
One-on-one with instructor?
Actual ground school class?

Would you have a more preferred way to learn material than what you way you did?
 
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I used a VHS Tape course 20 years ago and made a 90. After laying off 20 years and having to do it over again, I bought an ASA study book for less than $20 and used the 20 year old tapes which were surprisingly useful in spite of the 20 year lag.

It depends on your budget. If money's tight, just get an ASA or Gliem book and work your way through it. If you can afford the equivalent of a few hours flying/instructing time, get the King or other computer/video course.
 
ajstoner21 said:
I'm just curious about what everyone did to learn the ground type material for the written test (any written... private pilot...instrument rating.. whatever).

Did you do a home study computer program?
Home study just reading books?
One-on-one with instructor?
Actual ground school class?
Click to expand...

The first 3.

Had an iPad / iPhone app for studying at work. Went through the book multiple times. And did repetition for memorization. I had a hard time remembering airspace rules, so got a sheet of paper and just kept writing it down.

The instructor was useful for finding things I didn't know that well. Write it down, study for a few days, and come back for more.
 
I bought an ASA study book and used sportys free online tests
 
I took a ground school class at the local jr college. Worked well enough for me - there are cheaper ways, but I really liked being able to have a live instructor.
 
40+ years ago, I took a ground school class at our local airport. Was very complete and had no problem with my written. In class you can ask questions and discuss things with other students. I think that's a plus. Otherwise, some of the video cources are very good.
 
In 1987 I took a ground school offered by a flying club within my company.

For my instrument rating in 1990 I did self study since I was working military ATC systems development.

And I used that book with all the questions and answers... yep, I took the written when it was still a written test.
 
For my Private, I use the Jepp encyclopedia-type book. Boring, but it got enough of the info across to pass with a 86% (IIRC).

For the Instrument, I used Gleim's test prep book which was basically the test questions with the answers in the back - take the 'test' over and over and over until you figure out what they're looking for - good enough for a 98% on the test.
 
Matthew said:
I took a ground school class at the local jr college. Worked well enough for me - there are cheaper ways, but I really liked being able to have a live instructor.
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:yeahthat: except, since I work at the college, it was free. Especially since Leslie already had the Jeppesen book from her earlier ground school!
 
My training (in general) was pretty haphazard...

Just read this and that - starting with a bunch of WW-II military manuals (that were around for reasons that are not clear) when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time making sure I understood the A-N ranges. :dunno:

Somehow I passed the written.
 
And just remember, if you're only studying for the Written Test, you're not getting a complete ground training curriculum.
 
A book (Rod Machado Private Pilot Handbook)
King Private Pilot DVDs
And stuff I wasn't clear about, my CFI

Worked out pretty well for me. I am a visual learner, so King DVDs helped out a ton.
 
With the exception of my ATP written, I did all of them as self-study from books ranging from the FAA Aviation Weather and Aviation Weather Products (now Aviation Weather Services) to Bob Kershner's Instrument Flight Manual (3rd edition -- I think it's up to the 7th now) to the Fundamentals of Instruction (now the Aviation Instructor's Handbook). For the ATP, I did the 2-day cram course.

That said, the internet, videos, and PC's didn't exist when I did all that, and the only choices were books or formal classroom ground school. And no, I did not do my PP practical test with Orville behind an OX-5 engine -- I'm not that old.
 
I'd read everything I could find that was flying related since I was a kid, so I had a good fundamental understanding of aerodynamics and some of the other material. I literally spent a half dozen hours going through one of the Gleim books, then aced the test.
 
Right now, I'm going through the Cessna online program (which is created by King Schools) and using an ASA book to study when I don't have computer access. I find the videos in the Cessna program quite helpful before I go up with my instructor. Review the videos, then apply in the air, and the instructor is quite happy.
 
write-stuff said:
And just remember, if you're only studying for the Written Test, you're not getting a complete ground training curriculum.
Click to expand...

Good point. Studying for the written does not mean you have the knowledge necessary to be a safe pilot - it just means that you are competent enough to pass a standardized government test.

AFTER passing the written, I used Kershner's 'Instrument Flight Manual', Machado's books, online resources, etc. etc. to become minimally competent to pass the checkride. :idea:
 
King Schools video (DVD) for the written prep. If you can stand their humor their courses are very effective at one thing - getting you prepared to pass the written exam. Scored 100% on the PP written (and 97% on the IR written a year ago, again using King and other sources).

In addition, I had the Jeppesen book for private pilot, along with a number of other books from various sources. PoA didn't exist, but the predecessor to the red board did and there were a number of useful discussions there, as well. Now I'd hang out here.

Pass the written and then do the fun stuff - fly.
 
To what I said above, let me add that the best learning method for one person isn't necessarily the best for another. Nobody here knows as well as you what method works best for you. Use your previous experience learning in the various methods to guide you to a selection for your aviation learning process.
 
Because of the way the FAA written tests are managed, I have always treated 'written test' prep and 'oral' prep separately.

For the written stuff I have always gotten the Gleim books and gone through them highlighting the correct answers. I would then read the question and the correct answer and do that over and over until I was ready for the test.

For the oral, I read all of the appropriate FAA pubs and charts, the ASA oral prep guides and also the 'Everything Explained for the Professional Pilot' book in addition to the aircraft POH. I woudl typically take each separate aircraft system (powerplant, propeller, hydraulic, electric, vacuum...etc) and detail it separately so that I could thoroughly explain it/draw it out if necessary.
 
MBDiagMan said:
After you've done some studying, this site might help you practice for the test:

http://www.exams4pilots.org/
Click to expand...

+1


I used ASA books and this website for my Instument. ASA alone for my Private because I don't think this website was around yet...either that or I couldn't find it.

Before it was exams 4 pilots it was named Kips. I think that's what it was named when I was doing my instrument training.
 
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Thanks for all the replies so far, but just to clarify...

I should have mentioned this in the first post, but I am not personally taking any written exams.

I am an advanced ground instructor, and instrument ground instructor, so I was more or less trying to see what has worked for most people for learning the ground material to see how I can better help some students; understanding that everyone learns differently.


That is, do most people prefer a self study, or live instruction or what.
 
For my private: No computers in 1960. No other students in Juneau at the time (that I was aware of). Instructor was busy air taxi pilot and I never saw him except for scheduled lessons. No ground school, obviously. What's left? Reading, reading, reading.

Classroom ground school for the rest.

Bob Gardner
 
Sporty's ground school plus a live 2 day test prep class. Took the test the evening the test prep class was over and got a 93.
 
I did my PPL studies through my local college, doing something I wanted while getting college credits. I also liked getting all the ground school out of the way first so that I could focus on the flying when that time came.
 
For my private - Sporty's DVD, then ASA Test prep, then Exames4Pilots.
Got a 100%. No real prep for the Oral. I did pass though.

For the IR - Sporty's DVD, Then ASA Test prep, then Exames4Pilots and webexames.
Got 92%, I screwed up 2 somewhat easy questions .
I've been using this - http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45134&highlight=flashcard

Planning on reviewing the DVDs again, and that's about it.
 
Formal groundschool, Gleim, self-study, auditing groundschool. During the groundschool portions I focused on understanding the information. During my Gleim study I was only interested in passing the test.
 
We had the King videos. We read the FAR/AIM. We had tapes that I listened to on the train into work. We had flash cards. We had the ASA book. By the time we got to the end of training, it was falling apart. We had several books. We took the online tests and had a test prep book. Forgot which one, but it has a red cover. Overkill - but we passed.
 
I took a ground school class at my FBO while concurrently taking flight training. My CFI was one of the instructors. Worked well.
 
AuntPeggy said:
We had the King videos. We read the FAR/AIM. We had tapes that I listened to on the train into work. We had flash cards. We had the ASA book. By the time we got to the end of training, it was falling apart. We had several books. We took the online tests and had a test prep book. Forgot which one, but it has a red cover. Overkill - but we passed.
Click to expand...

Gleim perhaps?
 
I forgot to mention that part of my groundschool curriculum also included the Cessna Multimedia series (King).
 
For private and commercial I used Sanderson's 33-1/3 rpm records and slide presentation along with the FAA's textbooks.

For the IFR it was Cessna/Jeppesen's cassett and film strip along with text material from them and the FAA.

For the FOI, CFI-A, AGI, CFII and IGI it was strictly FAA text material, no formal ground schooling.

Flight Engineer and ATP were done via weekend crash courses, Bill Phelp's ground school.

I believe that is all the writtens I have taken for certification or ratings, and in the order they were taken. Lowest score on any written was a 92. FE was 98 and ATP was 100.

As a DPE, inadequate ground training really has always been a pet peeve of mine. Well over 2,000 students have attend my ground schools for private, commercial, instrument, FOI, CFIA/GI, CFII/IGI and ATP. (I have over 360 hours of ground school lesson plans and lecture outlines). Only 2 have failed to pass the written on the first try. Not too bad for a crotchety ol' bstrd from out in the boon-toolies, huh? :lol:

...and above all,
FLY SAFE!

WileyP
 
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To actually learn what was important, I read books. I like Machado's, but there are plenty of good ones to choose from.

To pass the FAA tests, I used the Gleim prep. It's about the least expensive of the test-prep options. After successfully answering all the questions in the test bank, you can print an "instructor endorsement" to go take the test.

I used this approach for both my PP and my IR.

Kind of monotonous to work through every question in the test bank, but effective. Just don't fool yourself into thinking that a good score on the FAA test means you've got the knowledge you need for your cert or rating. (Unfortunately, I believe the converse is true, as well.)
 
I had started reading stuff like the TAB series before starting training... did take some ground school classes, but found that I didn't really learn anything new there. I've always felt I was getting more from books than from classrooms, especially if I'd been "reading ahead".
Textbooks at that school were all Jepp stuff, and I liked the format: different booklets and workbooks, distilled for students, with mock tests, a breakdown of the various maneuvers, etc.

To prep for the written and oral, I read through the relevant parts of the FAR/AIM, making my own flash cards as I went... those proved to be invaluable. I would review those cards every chance I got. I also used the Gleim books to do mock tests... that material was also spot-on, to the extent that the actual written seemed like just another Gleim test to me. Would have aced the written had I not ticked off the wrong multiple-choice answer (proof that knowledge does not equal intelligence, LOL).
 
I used the Gleim books, and test prep also. I thought they worked really well.
 
I have the Sporty's DVDs, but don't find them particularly useful for the ground school stuff. But, I already knew the basic stuff (aerodynamics, flight controls, engines, etc). I'm using the Sporty's "Study Buddy" online for practice exams, and studying the AIM and PHAK for areas in which I'm still a little weak. Right now it's mostly weather reports and such.

I also worked through several of the free lessons at http://www.faa-ground-school.com. They are really quite good. I may pay for access to the rest. They have some really good stuff.

I'll know how well all of it worked pretty soon. I'm consistently in the 90-96% range taking the Sporty's practice exams. Some time in the next few weeks I'll take the plunge and do the test for real. I won't be crushed if I don't get 100%, but it sure would be nice.
 
I did a 141 ground school over 2.5 years before "really" starting my PP training (money).

To refresh, I read PHAK, and The Airplane Flying Handbook cover to cover. Weather and Airspace I used King Video's (very helpful) and finally actual test prep, Sporty's Study Buddy (If you commute to work on public transportation, it's a great way to pass the time.) My CFI wouldn't sign off on me (didn't actually need it with the 141 paperwork, but ehh, I'd rather keep him happy, and it worked out well for me) to take the written till I was consistantly scoring better than 90% on the practice tests. I got my best score on the actual test, a 98%.

-Matt
 
Jepp books on the private - got a 78

IFH, Rod Machados book for IFR and exams4pilots (Thanks Tim) - also got a 78

On both the checkrides the examiners didnt have much to complain about. A lower written score isnt indicative of flying ability.
 
The question pertained to ground material, which isn't the same as studying for the written. For ground material I had some great CFIs. But when there's so much information coming at you so fast, and it's all new...I'm not sure much of it REALLY soaked in. I could recite most of it, but looking back I don't think I fully understood it.

As for the written, in addition to the CFI's help, I read the Jepp and ASA books over and over. And back at that time they put out workbooks that had the bank of questions and I went through the workbook several dozen times until I could answer every question. My wife thought I was nuts (still does) but when enjoy something as much as I did it wasn't a chore at all.

I'd be watching the King videos and she'd walk in the room and bust up laughing at how goofy they were. But I'll say this for the videos - they work. They get a lot of information across and they do it without boring you to death.
 
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