PPL Exams

[wbryce]

Hi people,

Some of yous may have read my aerobatics thread and understand im looking at America to do my training.

After scouting a few threads in this section, i notice big advice is do the PPL exams before going to america!

Can anyone put information on this for me? such as where can i get the study information? is the JAA PPL exams do for the FAA? i didnt think this would be the case? so wouldn't i need to sit the FAA exams in the uk?

Is there any self study websites, or self study books that i can buy?


cheers.

[Evo]

If you are doing an FAA PPL then you need to sit the FAA written exam - just the one exam, I think, unlike seven for the JAR-FCL PPL(A). You could do it in the UK, but as it is a single exam it's probably easiest to prepare before you go and sit it once you're there.

Plenty of study material -> http://www.sportys.com/students/

You'll also need to get a medical at some point; worth looking up the requirements and making sure you meet them before you go.

[FlyingForFun]

For the JAR exams, you can buy the books in any pilots shop. Trevor Thom's books are good - you'll need all of the series, except for book 1 (which is useful to have anyway - it tells you about the flying you'll be doing), book 7 (which is on R/T, and is crap - study from CAP413 instead) and, I think, book 5 (the instrument flying one, I might have got the number wrong).

Jeremy Pratt's books are just as widely used as Trevor Thom's, but I don't know them, so I don't know which of his to tell you to buy.

Not sure where you'd do the exams. I did them at my flying school - but if you want to do them before you start training, you won't have a flying school in the UK to do them at. But Evo is right, you will also need to do the (much easier) FAR exam when you get to America.

FFF
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[FNG]

I don't know the answer re FAA exams (though if you ended up doing the JAA course you could take the exams at any local flying school, even if going on to do the flying overseas), but whilst you are purchasing your basic textbooks (the Thom series, the Pratt series, or their US equivalents) you mght want to add to your list David Robson's book on aerobatics. I don't say this just because of your interest in aeros, as in my opinion the introductory parts of Robson's book include some very helpful stuff on aircraft manoeuvering, of value during the PPL generally. A lot of people recommend Alan Cassidy's aeros book, which is certainly very good on the competition approach to the discipline Get both or have a look at both and decide which style you prefer. Neil Williams' classic book on the subject is more discursive and partly autobiographical in approach, but belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in aerobatic flying: maybe one to buy in the future. Lastly, I know you're on a budget, but books are amongst the cheapest items of flying paraphanelia, and another classic worth a look is "Stick and Rudder" by Langewische. It's certainly an antidote to the worthy but inevitably somewhat stolid presentation of the basic textbooks.

[wbryce]

thanks for the info guys, i think ive had more info on here than ive ever had asking questions on here than other websites :-)

Evo,

I looked on that website and found this of intreast:

http://www.sportys.com/courses/dprivate.cfm#d

Is that sufficient for just learning ground studies? if it throws in a few flying studies too then thats no problem, just means i got a head start and as someone mentioned, id be able to relax and enjoy the flying more :)


FFF, thanks for the info on books too, i will take note of the titles and give a good look into them too.

[Evo]

Happy to help - besides, it's that last day @work before Christmas ... :)

First off, I have a JAA PPL, not an FAA one, so i'm not sure of the details. However, I have been using a borrowed FAA IR course on DVD - it is a good way of learning, but it is very expensive compared to a book or two. If you aren't a book person then the DVD or computer-based courses are good, but if you don't mind the old-fashioned way you can probably do it a lot cheaper.

Agree completely with FFF, as usual, but if you are getting a JAA licence i'd also get the PPL Confuser, which is a book of sample exams that are 'very similar' to the real thing. Also agree with FNG re David Robson's aerobatics book. I've got a copy (again on FNG's recommendation!) and it is very good. Basic Aerobatics by Szurovy & Goulian is also good. I've never got on with Langewische though.

[paulo]

Pratt's books are better tuned to learning, and passing the PPL exams. Thom's are more like reference pieces, and often go to more depth than is really necessary. This could be a good thing if you are going all the way, but for the basic license I think they are excessive. Good to have on the bookshelf though, to pull out from time to time.