PPL Study!

[martyngorton]

Hi,

I'm off to OFT in August to do my PPL.

I would really like to do as much PPL ground study as possible before I go, makes sense really.

Just wondering if anyone could suggest what topics I should concentrate on before starting the training.

Thanks,

Martyn...

[Genghis the Engineer]

If you've got until August, I'd knuckle down and try and get the lot done - any local flying school should be happy to let you sit the exams.

But, it seems traditional to start with air-law and principles of flight.

G

[gcolyer]

I done them int his order:

Human Performance
Airlaw
RT
A/C gen
Flight planning and performance
Nav
Met

Human Performance is certainly the easiest and it gets you in to the frame of mind needed to sit the exams. I would leave Nav until you are close to doing solo cross country as you will have a good understanding of it by then.

[Happy Wanderer]

Assuming you're doing a JAR PPL (not sure what they offer at OFT or if the same applies for a FAA PPL anyway), you'll need to pass Air Law before going solo. I know you've got time before August to knock the exams on the head so it shouldn't be a problem, but I hadn't picked up on this until about 10 hours into my my PPL here in the UK - it meant getting Air Law out of the way pronto.

HW

[gcolyer]

If you are doing the course in Florida then you don't need to get airlaw done before you solo, but you do need to get the FAA pre solo written done, it is a similar paper to JAA Airlaw.

[smala01]

...and said FAA solo prep is a lot differnt to the JAA stuff, especially when its handed to you 1 hour before your first solo - no-one had mentioned it was needed when i signed up for the JAA course :)

[gcolyer]

No one mentioned it to me either. But i was handed the FAR/AIM and an example paper on the day i signed in with my flight school in Florida. I was told that i have to have the paper done before i solo, in reality on a 3 week course you want to have solo'd sometime by the end of the first week (weather permistting).

[b1ggl3s]

I would definitely advise you to get as many of the exams completed before you fly out to Florida.

I was at OFT for the whole of June last year and did 6 of the 7 exams in the first 2 weeks (starting from scratch, no study in the UK first).

Although the material is not hard to understand, it was mentally exhausting and learning it all and it certainly affected my capacity to soak up everything I needed to on the actual flying side of things. In addition to this, intensive studying at the school itself isn't very easy, there are always distractions, so you'll need to do most of the study back at the apartment/hotel, but, on the other hand, being away from the school means that you may miss opportunities to fly (if you're on a 28 day course you'll need to grab *any* opportunity that comes your way, you'll need them!).

Also, as you're going to OFT, be aware that they may tell you that accomodation is included in the price, but when they get busy you may find yourself, at the last moment when you're already committed, being told you're paying for your own hotel room.

Anyway good luck !!!

[BroomstickPilot]

Martyngorton,

If at all possible, try to have ALL your written exams out of the way before you go as that will remove a good deal of pressure from your sojourn in Florida and make your success in the flying training within your timescale more likely.

You can get FAA study material and a copy of FAR-AIM from the various pilot shops in the UK.

There is now a newly opened FAA examination centre at a company called 'Flight Safety International UK Ltd' at Farnborough. I know for certain that they now have terminal facilities there for taking FAA 'writtens' for CPL, IR, and ATP, so I imagine they may well offer facilities for taking PPL writtens also. (Until recently, you had to go to some place at Le Bourget). Give them a call: these are the details.

Flight Safety International,
Farnborough Airport,
Farnborough, Hampshire,
GU 14 6 XA
Tel: 01252 554500

They also provide facilities for having your fingerprints taken for the benefit of the TSA.

This set up at FSI Farnborough is brand new. I've been in there to make enquiries and it all looks very impressive. Clearly a lot of money has gone into setting it up. If you do use them, do report back here on Pprune to let us know how you get on.

Broomstick.

[aw8565]

I found it hard to study so scoured the back of Pilot magazine. I can personally recommend Derek Davidson for groundschool. He's down at Bournemouth and him and his wife will do a subject a day with an exam in the evening. It is intense, hard work and you'll need to put the effort in but in a week I had all my exams done bar Air Law which I already had. And I got 100% in a couple of them!

Local B&B to stay in, small classes, (it was just me and one other guy all but one day when there was a third) and gallons of tea and sandwiches. Highly recommended...

[alvin-sfc]

I am a 51 year old male and I first did my ppl back in the seventies.I have n't really flown(except as a passenger) since then.I really would like to start over again and do it to todays standard,however my eyesight is generally good long distance but I do wear glasses for reading and also I am very slightly hard of hearing in my left ear.Can anybody advise me,do people pass the medical with these slight impairments?:confused: :ok:

[aw8565]

I guess the only way to find out about your medical is to bite the bullet and take it or maybe phone an AME for some advice. My doctor reckoned you'd need to be almost dead to fail it but he might be pulling my leg...

I wear glasses to look at this computer screen, I'm partially colour blind, and I get airsick doing steep turns. I have to fly with 2 pairs of glasses, I can't fly at night or in IMC and I guess I can't do aerobatics either but I passed and I'm learning to fly!

[BroomstickPilot]

alvin-sfc,

I am 65 and like you am long sighted and wear glasses. A month ago, I successfully re validated my PPL originally obtained in 1960.

The best idea is to have a medical with an AME. He/she will soon tell you if you meet the standard for PPL. (My guess is that you almost certainly will). If, however, you should fail the medical, go for the new NPPL licence. There is information about this on the Net and also on the AOPA website.

NPPL is however restricted to flying in the UK, and there are some other restrictions on it, which I know little about. You also have to reach the same standard of flying skill to pass the NPPL as the PPL, so the cost is the same. The one advantage of the NPPL is that you have a medical at your own doctor's surgery, the pass standard of which is about the same as that for an HGV licence.

BP.

[alvin-sfc]

Thanks for the advice guys.:ok: