PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Is this what I need? (Help needed fairly quickly)
Old 7th Feb 2011, 19:53
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Air Pilot Manual Volumes 1,2,3,4, & 6: Yes, you'll need them. Make sure "Air Law" is up to date, but the others can be sourced from, for instance, eBay too. You also might want to check out the AFE "Jeremy Pratt" series as an alternative.
CRP Flight Computer: Any manual (not electronic) flight computer will do. Jeppesen does a cheap cardboard one which is entirely adequate - mine is 5 years old and still going strong
Chart Scale: You need something to measure distance in nm on the chart scale you're using. 1:500,000 is the most common scale.
Square Protractor: Yes. Or something else that measures angles.
Pilot's Logbook: Yes. But if you're doing a PPL (as in the present tense) you should already have a logbook in which your past flights have been recorded.
1:500,000 Chart: Yes but make sure it's the one from the area you'll be flying in. And check when the new one is due to be released vs. your training - you might want to wait.
Radio Telephony double CD pack: Not necessarily. Just make sure you listen to plenty R/T (lots of streams available on the internet).
Pilot's Flight Board: You need something to hold all your paperwork together in-flight. Easiest is a clipboard which has velcro/elastic loops so that you can velcro them around your thigh near your knees. Hence the name "kneeboard". I've got a tri-fold kneeboard which is 3xA5 in size but can be folded two times so that it becomes A5 in size. This not only holds a metal clipboard in the center pocket but also has some extra pockets for checklists, charts, the CRP, pens and a few other bits and pieces which you might need in-flight or during flight preparation. (*) But in some aircraft (most notably the DA-40) a kneeboard velcro'ed to your thigh is restricting the controls so in that case all you use is the metal clipboard which you stow next to your hips if not in use.
Flight Log Pad: If you must. I made my own sheets which I print off as and when needed. If you do get these, make sure your flight school agrees to the format - some of them might have specific wishes. And some flight schools prefer you to use their form.
Pilot's Flight Case: If you must. Any bag that holds the stuff above (minus the books) will do. A separate pocket for a headset is a good idea.
3 x 'Exam Secrets Guides': Is this identical to the "PPL Question and Answer Simplifyer" or "PPL Confuser"? 'Cause those are a good idea. Wonder why you need three of those though. The confuser was a single ~100-page A4 book and covered all exams.

(*) Actually my kneeboard also contains my license and such, the most common approach plates and a chart of the local area. If I fly aerobatics I try and take the least possible stuff I need. That's my kneeboard with contents, a headset and spare contact lenses. All I need to be legal, to execute the flight and even find a few alternates.
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