Online PPL Reference/Tests

[planecrazy.eu]

Hey All,

Just a quick question, are there any online PPL tests and/or reference materials such as study guides or the sylabus or things to help you prep for the exams...

Also how much different is the FAA PPL content to the JAA Content, i mean, if i learn from an FAA Manual initially will i be learning the wrong stuff? I got to wait till pay day to get some manuals and wanted to start revision now, but i dont get paid till the end of the month =(

Thanks for any help...

[Seagull61]

I use Airquiz for mock exams. £20 buys the lot, and they mail the results and suggested revision topics straight to you after every test.

[Mercenary Pilot]

Contact Cranfield Aviation Training School, they have a PPL section on their online web based training system. They used to allow PPL students to access it for a nominal fee and I presume they still do. :ok:

[splatt]

Hi planecrazy.eu,

About the airquiz website. It is good but I have noticed that some of the questions it asks are not covered in the usual PPL textbooks. For example, while preparing for my human factors exam using airquiz I had a body mass index (BMI) question that required specific knowledge of how to calculate a BMI, and what BMI values were generally accepted as overweight, underweight or about right. BMI is not covered in the Trevor Thom text books I am using to study and so I got the wrong answer but I dusted myself off and searched the internet for the information to ensure they wouldn't catch me out again. In the end I didn't get any questions about BMI when I wrote and passed the actual exam 5 days ago. Does this indicate that airquiz has questions in its question bank that are over and above the level necessary for a PPL? I'm not sure. I enjoy reading widely and deeply so it didn't make much difference to me.

You asked what online content there is so you can study in the interim. Here are my ideas for you.

You can download the LASORS document from the CAA website (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/LASORS_06_WEB.pdf). In particular some of the safety sense articles are a worthwhile read for airlaw and operational procedures. The air navigation order (ANO) is the document that describes the rules we must adhere to in the UK. You can download it from the CAA website in CAP393 (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP393.pdf). Section 2, Rules of the Air Regulations 2006 is the most important part for a PPL student. Both these documents are useful references once you have your textbooks.

You can create an account on the UK MetOffice website (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation) and try to learn as much as you can about how to interpret the TAF and METAR information as well as F214, the low level spot wind chart. Those are the main weather resources used during the PPL but no harm in investigating the other items that are available there too.

You can also begin work on your radio telephony by reading CAP413 (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP413.PDF) the CAA's official publication on the subject.

Although not exhaustive, hopefully this list helps you and other's in similar positions.

splatt

[planecrazy.eu]

Thanks for all those links, they are a great help =) I have Jeppesen FlitePro CD and Text Book but they are for the FAA =( A friend gave them to me, will these be of any help to revise from for the moment untill i get the JAA Text books?

Those online tests look great but do questions start repeating? How many questions are in the actual exams and whats the time limit?

Thanks again...

[splatt]

Yes the questions on airquiz do repeat but you'll probably find the same if you use The PPL Confuser book to practice for the exams. Once you've tried a test once, unless you suffer bouts amnesia, you're likely to remember the questions you have seen before. Best to study until you feel confident that you would probably pass the real exam then use the practice exam to find out if you have left anything out during your study or are weak in particular areas.

The details of the real exams:

Air law and Operational Procedures: 60 minutes and 40 questions
Meteorology: 60 minutes and 20 questions
Navigation: 90 minutes and 25 questions
Aircraft General: 90 minutes and 50 questions
Flight Performance and Planning: 60 minutes and 20 questions
Human Performance and Limitations: 30 minutes and 20 questions
Communications: 40 minutes and 30 questions

Unfortunately I am not really able to comment on the FAA materials being only a humble PPL student myself. Obviously the scientific aspects of aviation are the same the world over and so is flying technique. If the FAA material covers things like flying technique, human performance and limitations, meteorology, and aircraft general then you can probably study from them. Where I think it would differ would be in air law and operational procedures as well as communications to some extent.

All the best

splatt