Having trouble studying for ATPL's !

[ABO944]

Hi there

Wanted some tips for studying for the ATPL's !

I have never been very good at sitting down and studying for hours on end, and im finding it difficult to get the momentum going!

I have always wanted to be an airline pilot and have the drive to get there, but when it comes to studying, I just cant find a good technique to fill my brain with it all!

Has anyone got any tips for me, or could anyone tell me how they study / studied for it ??

Thanks a lot

Seabass

[six-sixty]

Just started the bl**dy things myself, distance learning + commuting + job, blah blah same as everyone else I spose. Anyway, I'm only 2 weeks in, and I have already found the nice regulated regime I had planned (mon - thurs 2-3hrs then 5 hrs sun) has gone the way of the pear. It is just not realistic, despite the fact WAGN railway's incompetence is actually helping me (stuck on a train = study time!!).

What is going to get me through (and I too have been a useless student most of my life) is basically my interest in the subject matter. I actually want to learn this stuff - not just because I need to to jump through some hoops to move on to the next stage. Despite its limited relevance in some places (so far) to pressing buttons on a 747 (not what I'm after anyway btw), it's mostly stuff that has been relevant to pilots at some point during history... though I am really struggling with all this which way-round-does-a-straight-line-bend-on-what-type-of-map stuff!! You have to be interested in it.

Anyway, that's probably not much help since you either are interested or aren't, so here's a tip that got me through a part time postgrad degree:

Mozart. Pretty much anything by him. Play him in the background, quietly. It's been scientifically proven that listening to Mozart makes your brain more active, something about the specific mathematical wave patterns all his stuff has. It could just be me of course! Good luck.
SS

[duir]

Its very hard to find a regime on your own let alone with stuff as tricky to learn/memorise. I was really struggling to work and fit it in until I saw the light and had an horendous crash on my Mountain Bike. Apart from multiple facial fractures, severe concussion, amnesia and a couple of weeks on a head injuries ward I have never done so much study!!!
Now I am not suggesting that you try this at home but certain sacrifices to create time are a must.
Funny thing is that I have lost my class 1 for a while but am finally getting through this and have now taken a part time job for much less dosh so as to have a more valuable commodity-time!
I think they hit you with that General Nav nightmare to start with so as you know what you are up against :8

[High Wing Drifter]

I manage at least a couple of hours a day commuting to an from London. So if you see a strange clueless geeky looking induhvidual with his head buried in a selection of Bristol notes at Bank station...that's me that is!

Seriously, the two hour train journey is a godsend. So if you drive to work, start taking the train :)

Frankly, being a geeky bloke I actually find most of this stuff quite fascinating and so far, very relevant. Although I do find that I have to keep revisiting previous chapters or the detail just seems to get forgotten for lack of use.

[PilotOnline]

Got the module 1 books from BGS on Wednesday and basically plan on using the daily 1hr commute to and from work to read over the material and then about an hour in the evenings making notes and working through the examples. Then at weekends I'm planning on doing 3-4 hrs each day. I think the main thing is to take each module at a pace that you can keep up to retain the info. But then again I've only just started and might re-think my study plan further down the line!

[FlyingForFun]

ABO944 - you don't say whether you are distance learning or residential, and if it's distance learning then it would also help to know what other commitments you have, how long you were hoping the exams would take, etc.

I can only advise with distance learning, since that's what I did. Decide on a realistic time-scale, let's say you decide to complete module 1 in 8 months. Remember that the last month of that will be spent on the brush-up and doing the exams, so that's 7 months. Allow a bit of spare time before brush-up (in case your schedule slips, or to spend going over things that you weren't totally happy about) - so you're looking to complete the studying in 6 months.

Now, work out how many frames (or chapters or whatever your school uses to break the notes up) you need to do each week to stick to that schedule. Take a calendar, and, for each Sunday over the next six months, write which frames you're going to do that week. Then, don't just stick to it, but aim to get ahead of schedule - and stay ahead!

(Being ahead of schedule is great, by the way - it means you can go to that party, or that airshow, or to the south of France for a few days.)

As for how to do each frame, the method that worked for me was to read the material once through. Then re-read it and highlight the bits that I thought were relevant. If you're with Bristol, you'll have a CD on which you can practice the tests - do that, make sure you understand any questions you got wrong, and repeat the test until you can confidently get 90% in it (and, for most subjects, remembering the answer doesn't count unless you know why it's the answer!)

Don't overwork yourself - you must take a break and watch some tv or something if you find yourself loosing concentration. But be strict with yourself: "I'm obviously not concentrating, so I'm going to have a sandwich and watch The Simpsons. As soon as The Simpsons finishes, I'll start studying again."

Good luck!

FFF
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[Midland Maniac]

well if you hate studying met theory and practical, I know someone who has some videos........

[Northern Highflyer]

Just got my Bristol notes on Monday (except the flight manual which is to follow) and have made a slow start. I am aiming for a couple of hours per night during the week and 5-6 hours over the weekend. I will read it all once, and then re-read at a later date making sure I can remember the key points. Like others, this may change as I get more into it though. I have a strong interest in the subject matter and want to learn it which I think helps, although I am sure there will be times when I will feel like throwing them in the bin too. Keeping a perspective and an eye on the bigger picture may help.

Nice to see I am not alone starting the long hard grind, a bit of moral support from others in the same situation can often help.

[ABO944]

Thanks guys !!

Flyingforfun ... I am distance learning, have family, little daughter and all that , so probably have more time than most!

Thanks for all the replies!! Very kind!!

Off to study!!

Seabass

[timzsta]

I am nearing the end of Distance Learning. Did 8 exams in feb and passed all, final six to be done Dec/Jan.

I am afraid Distance Learning is a long hard slog, with no substitute for time with head in the books. But it can be done and when the CAA send you the bit of paper saying you passed the feeling is incredible, one of the best feelings of achievement I have ever had.

I think it is best to do one subject at a time. This avoids having to go back over stuff which wastes time. It also allows you to finish a book and put it on the "completed" side of the shelf. I started the course how the training provided advised which was something like this:
Chapter 1-7 of PoF
Chapter 1-5 of Systems
Chapter 1-4 Perf
Chaper 1-3 Mass and Balance
Chapter 1-4 Air Law
etc etc etc

Trouble was after three months of hard study no subjects completed, it felt like I hadnt got anywhere if you follow.

The brush up weeks are vital for DL and you must know your stuff when you get there. Feedback questions are vital too. LGU (who I am studying with) are very good at providing feedback now, and I would say that without the feedback you will struggle to pass the exams.

As you get through the course you will find though that at lot of stuff comes up in different subjects. Namely a lot of stuff in air law is repeated in Ops and Procs and Flt planning. So if you can learn it once and retain it, the "what is lowest DH for a Cat 1 approach" that is in several question banks can become money for old rope. There is quite a bit of overlap in Instruments/Gen Nav with regard too magnetic compass and IRS etc.

PM me if you want any more thoughts or help. Good luck.

[FlyingForFun]

Timzsta,

Interesting post. Congrats on passing your first set of exams - you obviously have some techniques which work for you. I have to admit I'm not sure about them myself, though!

Comleting one subject before going on to the next - is there not a danger that you'd forget the first subject before you sit the exam? Of course the brush-up would help a bit with that, but I would have thought it would be easier to follow the course structure that your school suggests. Like I said, though, if it works for you then that's fine.

Also, the overlap between subjects - yes, you are right in that you can learn some things once and then not bother with them for the next subject. But this only works in some cases. In others, you have to (for example) learn JAR rules for one exam, and ICAO rules for another, and the two may be completely different. Fire extinguisher rules is the only one that immediately springs to mind, although there are others. And within Air Law, you need to learn both JAR and ICAO for the same exam, and not mix the two up, in certain areas at least! So be careful out there... and if you thought you knew the answer to a feedback question but it turns out you got it wrong, then this may be the reason - it oten was when I was doing the exams.

FFF
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[spitfire747]

I have various sets of feedback for

performance
instruments
gen nav
flight planning
met

send me a pm if you want some..

DO NOT fall into the trap like some do and see feedback as a saviour to pasing the exams without knowing the stuff, its an aid only


best of luck
Spitty

[George Tower]

I agree it can be very difficult to get started and I think to great extent it is all about momentum, and there is really no way to start the process other than by actually doing the study. Personally I find it very useful to do some exam type questions straight after having read a particular chapter - that way I'm cementing what I have just learnt.

Just recently I saw a documentary on the BBC with that Professor Robert Winston - apparently learning becomes easier if your diet contains a reasonable amount of Omega 3 a chemical often found in fish. Apparently there's a lot of evidence supporting this.

[strafer]

Omega 3 is an oil and is (unsurprisingly) most prevalant in oily fish (tuna, mackerel, sardines, etc). As George Tower says, there is a lot of evidence that fish is 'brain food'.

Strafer (Amateur aviator and fish connoisseur).

[Northern Highflyer]

I saw that programme too. I eat quite a bit of oily fish already but have been looking to see if omega 3 was available in capsule form. So far I haven't seen it available over the counter.

Anyone know if it's possible to buy it as a supplement ?

With my brain I need all the help I can get. :hmm:

[Send Clowns]

You can buy eggs from chickens fed so as to enrich them in these, I believe :uhoh: The vegetarian way of achieving high intake!

[Malc]

Try Cod Liver Oil capsules - they're full of Omega 3.

(They vary in strength, so check that what looks like a good deal is actually comparable in strength to a more costly item).

[ABO944]

Just eaten 6 tins of tuna and read all about Gyroscopes and remembered everything!! Just kidding!

Thanks for all the comments guys! Will be trying the oily fish thing though! Living in Portugal whilst studying is a good thing as tuna etc etc is cheaper than back in Blighty!!

Smelly breath, here I come!

Tim

[batty]

I have a family and kids, and did when I took my ATPLs. I went the integrated route, and moved away for the year since I knew there was no way I personally could have studied at home.

I studied 5-6hrs a night on top of the ground school so that my weekends were free for family stuff.

I found that I studied best by making bubble charts of the topics as I went along. Come the end of the topic I had a set of very consise charts that allowed me to revise the complete topic for the exam in about 1-2 hours, so just a quick brush up. I also found it helped me to learn since I was actively learning, not just reading but writing as well.

It works for me and ended up with all 14 at first sitting. Do I still remember it :{ Did I need 90% of it? :rolleyes:

Good luck

[QNH 1013]

What are "bubble charts"?

[batty]

say the heading was Pressure..Pressure would be in a bubble and a line off it to another bubble with QNH in it another off pressure with QFE , can be further bubbles off QNH etc etc can be as involved or simple as you like...works for me...:)

[glider]

One word:

Coffee :ok: :8

[proxus]

Is it common practice in the UK to take the ATPL in two phases.

I've seen it so many times in your posts that you finished module 1 and started module/phase 2.

I think it is almost vital to split these 14 subjects into two parts, however, that is not the practice where I study.

We are suppose to take all the subjects in one session, so in some cases we have to take up to two exams per day.

My question is therefore: do nearly all the schools split the subjects into two segments or not ?

Proxus

[Send Clowns]

All the UK schools do, proxus, although they choose their own split by subject (I teach for one of them). It is a distortion of the rules introduced by the UK CAA that I believe they forced the JAA to accept, so as to make the system more reasonable. Note on some days students might still take 4 exams. The 14 are sat on a 4-day timetable; for first sitting the student will only take half, but 4 might be on the same day.

[proxus]

So is this the trend throughout Europe maybe ?
If it is so, some things has to change where I come from.

Having the policy that you have to take all 14 subjects in one go is just calling for poor grades allthough it is still possible to make it in one go.

proxus

[redsnail]

When I studied the JAT ATPLs to help me revise I would make cards with the subject topic on top (makes sense that, doesn't it) and all the relevant points underneath. So, when reviewing the topic, instead of wading through pages of notes, I had little memory cards to use. Cover up the info and try to remember all the points. Lift up your hand, see how you went.
I got lots of these little cards and it makes reviewing a topic quite easy.