Ppl Books? [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums

finals40

3rd Apr 2003, 22:55

Hi just wondering if any one has recent books for teh JAA ppl to sell i.e the trevor thom series or ppl confuser. Also wondering if i buy the confuser does that mean i do not have to buy all the of the trvor thom manuals as some are covered in the confuser, or will i still have to biuy some. trying to do this as cheap as possible. My mail is [email protected]

FlyingForFun

3rd Apr 2003, 23:11

Finals,

Sorry, can't help you get a copy of the books - I prefer to keep mine, I still find them a useful reference.

As for the Confuser, no it does not get you out of having to study from Thom or Pratt! All the Confuser contains is questions which are similar to those you'll get in the exams. The technique is to learn from the text books, then use the Confuser as a quick check that you're up to speed before paying for the real exam. If you don't pass the Confuser test comfortably, then it's back to Thom/Pratt to learn some more.

FFF
----------------

rupetime

24th Apr 2003, 17:23

What are the pass marks for the actual exams and for the exams in the confuser ??

RT

IO540-C4D5D

24th Apr 2003, 17:34

The pass mark is usually 75%.

The PPL Confuser contains about 4x as many questions as the exam paper, i.e. say 100 instead of 25 so by the time you can do them OK you are virtually guaranteed a good pass in the actual exam. The PPL Confuser is definitely worth getting.

The Trevor Thom books are OK, except book 5 (Instrument Flight) which is rather disjointed and was probably written in bits, by different people.

Evo

24th Apr 2003, 17:38

Yeah, I'm not impressed with Thom 5 either.

AerBabe

24th Apr 2003, 17:57

I'm a little concerned that you want to try and do this "do this as cheap as possible". Aviation is not a cheap hobby and never will be. During your PPL training is the worst time to try and cut corners. If you can't afford to do it properly, wait until you can...

Have you tried asking around your flying school to see if someone can lend you some books? You won't need them all at once, so maybe you could share a set with another student? You might also find studying together helpful.

Oh, and don't bother with the Thom book on R/T, get hold of a copy of CAP413 instead.

No. 2

24th Apr 2003, 20:03

finals40,

Definitely don't scrimp on this. Be prepared for the fact that flying's £££ and get yourself the complete set of books. When you finish your training keep hold of your books and don't sell them; I'm always referring to mine. I think most others would agree and that's why it's hard to find someone to sell you their's.

By all means get the confuser as it's really helpful for exam preparation but, as said by others, don't use it to learn. I don't understand why some people are so keen to cut corners on learning the theoy and pass with the absolute minimums. One guy who was doing his PPL with me was actually annoyed with himself when he got over 80% in an exam. He said that meant he'd spent too much time studying! I couldn't believe it:confused:

High Wing Drifter

24th Apr 2003, 20:16

Oh, and don't bother with the Thom book on R/T, get hold of a copy of CAP413 instead.

Methinks the Thom book is actually quite useful as CAP413 is not really an accurate representation of 'real-world' r/t (IMHO). The AFIS section is too light. The "Pass Your Message" instruction is a little over zelous and, more critically, there is no advice such as always requesting a zone transit even if you are above the zone. These things and the subtle changes that maybe applied to r/t are covered to a reasonable degree in the Thom book.

It is essential that CAP413 is studied as it is the primary text on the subject but I feel there is alot of room for a supplementary text on the subject.

Maybe there is a better alternative to Thom 7 that I don't know about?

Cheers!

ratsarrse

24th Apr 2003, 21:42

You don't have to get all the books straight away! You'll definitely want to have book 1 from the start so you can prepare for your next lesson and don't sit through your pre-flight briefing in a state of dazed confusion. You'll also need the Air Law book fairly soon - enjoyable bedtime reading that one...;) The first two books will keep you covered for your early flying and your first two exams. You'll be able to pick up the other books you need as you go along, as well as stuff like charts, protractors etc.
You could try second-hand book shops in your area - some have an aviation section, but make sure you get ones that are updated for JAR-FCL. It's also worth looking on Ebay - the Trevor Thom books appear quite regularly there.

Northern Highflyer

24th Apr 2003, 21:58

Learning to fly cannot be done cheap.

You only need a few books costing around £120 in total to get your basic PPL. As a percentage of what you will pay to pass, this is a very minimal cost so why try to cut corners here ?

Get the books and study them hard. If you learn what you need and learn it well, such as navigation and track error, etc, this is more likely to save you money in wasted lessons while you try to understand exactly what it is you are doing.

I used to "learn the stuff" then try it out in the air with the instructor and it didn't do me any harm.

One other point is that the books are being updated all the time. There may only be subtle changes but it is better to have the most up to date information as this is what will be in the exams that you take.

MLS-12D

24th Apr 2003, 22:02

No. 2, I can't speak for CAA exams, but if they are anything like our Transport Canada exams they have little to do with actual flying and are nothing more than a hurdle to be got over, rather than a test of essential knowledge. Certainly they (can) do nothing to evaluate judgment, which is far more important than exam-writing ability.

Book-learning comes relatively easy to me, so personally I have had no difficulty getting good marks on the examinations that I have written; but I would have no qualms flying with someone who scraped a bare pass.

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is".

No. 2

25th Apr 2003, 01:02

MLS-12D I agree there is no replacement for developing a good sense of judgement and passing exams won't achieve that.

However, I don't believe that someone should strive to scrape through. There's nothing wrong with being well informed and knowledgeable. I too wouldn't be worried flying with someone who scraped a bare pass, but if they deliberately set out to do so then I would find that a strange attitude to have.

Saab Dastard

25th Apr 2003, 04:18

Finals 40,

I've got a copy of the confuser - PM me if you are interested.

I'm holding onto my set of Thom, though!

SD

Kolibear

25th Apr 2003, 20:34

The words 'Cheap' and 'Flying' do not sit easily together in the same sentence. :(

Buy the books as you need them, birthdays and Xmas are great times to ask for them. If you can pick up second-hand copies then fine, go for them, but you will need a set to refer to.

Pilotage

26th Apr 2003, 06:10

If you want to save money, look on eBay - but buy a new air law book, because that's changing all the time.

Speaking as somebody who flies microlights as well as light aircraft and has done both courses in full, it's a source of wonderment to me that Trevor Thom takes 4 volumes and about £80 to cover what Brian Cosgrove does in 1 volume at about £16 with better pictures and much more readable text.

Oh yes, and don't buy CAP413, you can download it for free from the AIS website if you've got access to a laser printer to print it out, since it's reasonably long.

P

BRL

26th Apr 2003, 08:19

You can buy everything you need from Transair pilot shop. You can geta PPL 'kit' for about £180. This includes lots of books, kneeboard, map, flight bag, rulers, pens, in fact everything you need to start off on your ppl. Look at the web-site for more details.

If you cannot afford this then I would take the advice of others here and wait until you can. As for 'cutting corners' as has been mentioned here then where do you stop. If your trying to get your books on the cheap, I,E, cutting corners then where does this stop...maintenance, fuel, updated maps.....the list goes on and there are many of us on here who don't wish to meet you 'coming the other way'. Have a good look at your finances before you take the plunge. If money is a problem then wait. If not then do everything by the book like everyone else has. It will make you a better pilot for it.

Good luck and keep us posted here how you get on.

matspart3

26th Apr 2003, 16:44

Aren't we being a bit negative and snobbish here?
Does spending lots of money really make you a good pilot?
A big, shiny over priced flight bag full of the latest goodies isn't going to stop you from crashing!

The Thom books can be a useful reference but there are plenty of online resources these days which will answer most of your questions....Pprune being one of the best IMHO.

If you can't borrow a set (as it seems most posters here appear to have kept theirs), you can pick up the books (and all the other essentials) cheaply on ebay....that's where I sold mine...Watch out for the Air Law volume....as those laws do change...the laws of physics, however, do not!!

Happy flying

BRL

26th Apr 2003, 18:52

Mat. If you are refering to my post above then my point being is that if you are scrimping and 'cutting' corners then where does it stop.?

Pilotage

26th Apr 2003, 20:23

I'm somebody who unashamedly saves money whenever I can, since the money saved can usually be spent on more flying or on additional toys/books/material that otherwise I couldn't have afforded at-all.

Where to stop BRL? I'd suggest we stop at anything that has a shelf-life on it. A 30 year old Met book should be as good as a new one, but a 5 year old air-law book is likely to be out of date. And the shelf-life on maintenance is pretty clear to anybody who can read the schedule and maintenance log.

P

Andy_R

26th Apr 2003, 22:09

I think BRL's point was that flying in itself cannot be described as cheap, and to be beware of trying to find the cheapest route as this does not always turn out to be the best value for money. Cutting corners is not something that should be encouraged in any safety specific hobby/sport, particularly when one's life is involved.

However there is no harm in finding the best value route as long as safety or knowledge is not compromised. I am sure we will all agree on that point.

pilotage

Can't seem to find the correct web address for the AIS re the downloadable CAP413..... any clues???

paulo

27th Apr 2003, 08:02

Aviation experience is pricey and there's lots of accepted legit ways to do it at lower cost (FI for example), but decent theoretical knowledge is cheap in comparison, so not much reason to skimp.

When it comes to the books, get the right ones. IMHO Jeremy Pratt for learning, Thom for reference. Confuser only once you think you want to try the exams, just to make sure you are ready.