Books on Intrument flying (and flying in general)

[Mak]

I'm not yet doing a IMC or IR yet but am quite curious about instrument flying and plan to get confortable with it before I tackle the rating itself. So this weekend I spent some time in Foyles going through a few book options on the matter and am curious about what other people think of these or other alternatives. Since I didn't find a similar thread in the archive I though of presenting my opinions on the books I looked at.

In Trevor Thoms vol 5 I found the usual extensive but dry treatment common to the other volumes that I used during the PPL. The treatment of VOR and ADF tracking is extensive (and excessive in my opinion) while as with the other volumes there is very little in the way of tips and advice on what in the author's opinion are the best strategies. Maybe to someone else's liking but not to mine.

An interesting alternative I came across was Taylor's "Instrument flying". A less insistant treatment but with more character. FAA oriented which may be a drawback.


On another note I also came across "the killing zone" on why pilots get killed frequently in the first 350 hours and strategies to avoid this. I didn't have the time to look into this one carefully but I'll probably order it (given that I am in this zone! just in case). Has anybody come across it?

Mak

[vancouv]

I've read The Killing Zone and it is excellent. Every pilot should read it.

[MLS-12D]

Another good book is George Larson's "Fly on Instruments". It is American so some of the FAA stuff will not be of much interest, and it's now a bit dated (published 1980) so you won't find anything in it about GPS approaches etc. However, the style is quite readable and the book contains a lot of good information.

Another old book worth tracking down is John Hoyt's "As the Pro Flies" (1959). Chapter 17 is a very good discussion of ADF/NDB navigation. If you can't find a copy, here is an on-line primer that is not as good IMHO but should be of some help: http://www.planesimulation.com/adf.htm For VOR navigation (which most people find a lot easier to put into practice), see http://www.campbells.org/Airplanes/VOR/vor.html

I should mention that there are some decent procedure trainers available free on the Internet: http://www.fergworld.com/training/

Have fun!

MLS-12D

P.S. I'm not very familiar with "The Killing Zone", but it got somewhat mixed reviews on Amazon.com: see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/007136269X/qid=1051043591/sr=2-3/ref=sr_2_3/104-8409399-8853566. However, although it was criticized as being trite, none of the reviewers suggested that it was worthless or anything like that.

P.P.S. Two books that I have read and can recommend instead of, or in addition to, "The Killing Zone" are Jerry Eichenberger's "Handling In-Flight Emergencies" and Birch and Bramson's "Pilot's Guide to Flight Emergency Procedures".

[Julian]

An excellent book to buy is the Jeppsepen 'Instrument & Commercial Manual'. Ok it is geared towards the FAA rating but there is a lot of information in it.

Another item you may consider getting hold of is the 'King Instrument Rating' CDs, again its FAA but everything is well presented and I use it a lot for brush ups.

[englishal]

Agree with Julian, the Jepp ICM is excellent, each chapter is nicely illustrated with pics to help you understand whats going on. It is geared towards the FAA, but instrument flight is instrument flight wherever you are.

Rgds
EA:D

[Flying Tooth Driller]

Jepp book is lovely.

The FAA's own Instrument Flying Handbook is an excellent text - well laid out, with a lot of instruction on how to fly on instruments, as well as the procedures and so on.

Peter Dogan's "The Instrument Flight Training Manual" is full of really useful tips on the whole subject - heartily recommended (also FAA orientated - but, so what?).

Of course, Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual - it's fun to read, and very helpful.

There are loads of others, but I like these especially.

[DRJAD]

I'm just a recent PPL, but hoping to embark shortly upon an IMC rating. However, I'd like to offer a thought about books and ground studies.

Its simply this, that in the course of obtaining numerous qualifications in several (non-aviation) areas of study, I've always found it most helpful to read the sort of book which is, as some say the Trevor Thom book 5 is, "dry" and academic. That way, I do not risk becoming confused, or gaining quick but partial information, through someone elses methods of learning.

One person's thought processes (and I think storage of information and interpretation of same) can differ markedly from another's, so to receive full information as efficiently as possible, and to use one's own techniques for remembering that information seems best?!?

The criticism of Thom:5 which I have is that it seems to treat rather too briefly of the subject of holding patterns, and entering and leaving them. VOR/NDB tracking is perhaps exhaustive, but its surely important?

Very interested to learn of where any unadorned, complete texts might be found.

DRJAD