I haven’t been flying in a while. Since March, to be exact. Why not?
Plan A was to get my private pilot certificate before I deployed. That didn’t work out. On the bright side I’ve got $500 sitting on account at the aero club just waiting for me to use it.
Airspace classes, weight and balance, aerodynamics, charts, weather....
Plan B was to study while I was deployed, take the written upon my return, and finish up. That also didn’t work out. The free time I had for studying while deployed was taken up completing a side project…the proceeds from which will go towards flying, ironically.
Plan C, the current plan, is to study and pass the written before I hop back into the cockpit. While I thought my flying was coming along I’ve felt that my knowledge hasn’t kept pace - something I haven’t been comfortable with. Studying for the written (and oral) should address that.
Sounds simple enough, right? After all, I’ve got the Sporty’s DVDs (including study software) and Rod Machado’s “Private Pilot Handbook”, plus additional resources such as Bob Gardner’s “Say Again, Please” and ASA’s “Visualized Flight Maneuvers Handbook”. And the whole Internet, or at least the portion dealing with flight.
There are a ton of things to learn and the task is daunting. Honestly, I’m not sure how to approach this. Do I read, read, read? Take practice tests repeatedly? Flashcards? Sleep with the FAR/AIM under my pillow?
Pilots out there, share your tips please…how did you prepare for and pass the written and oral tests?
Have you checked out Gold Seal Online? It’s a free online ground school. I used it off and on (actually I got a paid subscription with some of their other products, like the Squawk VFR CD) during my own training and it was nice to have some multimedia incorporated into the training. Site is http://www.faa-ground-school.com/.
I read all of Machado’s Handbook although that was a few months before I ended up taking the written. I also used Sporty’s online test prep (the free version) to take a bunch of mock writtens. Once you do it on a regular basis, you pretty much know everything in the FAA test bank since it’s a limited set of questions.
As far as the FAR/AIM goes, I certainly read parts but I’ll admit to not spending too much time on the FAR side. Instead, I found other online resources (like another audio CD from Gold Seal and a printable guidebook, I think from them as well) that broke down the FARs you needed to know for the PPL. I still go back and read sections of the AIM from time to time – to me, that’s a much more interesting read. Say, Again Please is a great book – I reference that to this day on occasion to keep myself up on all the communication stuff.
Have you taken any of the ASF free online courses? They’re downright awesome – again, full multimedia on all sorts of topics. Plus, most count towards FAA Wings credit if you want to be a part of that program. They’re all online at http://www.aopa.org/asf/online_courses/. And speaking of Wings, there’s a whole boatload of online courses available directly thru the FAA as well at FAASafety.gov. Honestly, there’s all sorts of great online content available thru the ASF – I’d recommend browsing thru their site to see what suits you. From pilot stories to acccident reports to videos from seminars, it’s all on there.
Believe it or not, I found leaving study handbooks in the bathroom as “reading” material helped
Thanks for the tips, guys! I’ll check out those links, Steve. Mike, I keep Flight Training magazine in the bathroom…good idea keeping the study guides in there too. Sometimes that’s the only place I get some peace and quiet