Study tips

[Tonyd49]

Morning all,

I've recently started training for my PPL (up to exercise 7 and 8 currently) and my instructor has told me I need to get cracking on my Air Law exam as I'm working through the training relatively quickly - years of playing drums have given me good enough co-ordination skills to pick up most elements pretty quickly. But I am struggling like crazy to get this Air Law stuff to stay in my head.

From the highly experienced folks on here, does anyone have any tips on how to approach this dry and heavy subject? All suggestions are welcome!

Tony

[batninth]

Tony,

Air Law is probably the hardest exam as it is mainly fact based and doesn't follow in a logical progression.

I did mine for the NPPL(M) and I used the AFE book which I found was better laid out & then I used the Wriggleys test papers which really helped to get me revising the content.

For your PPL exam, I see plenty of folks suggesting the PPL Confuser, again for the questions. If you aren't using the AFE books, by Pratt, then it may be worth seeing if you could borrow one as the page layout is much easier

Either way, it's mainly keep reading and memorising

Good luck

batninth

PS An afterthought, for NPPL(M) we have a specific Air Law book written by Geoff Weighall which I found easy to understand. If you ignore the Microlight bits, most of it is common. I wouldn't buy a copy, but if you've got access to anyone flying m/l then see if you could borrow a copy as a starter?

[nickyjsmith]

I found the books the best for me, its just a matter of time. Do the practice questions after each chapter and keep going over it untill you know it.
I also go hold of the Oxford cd, didn't suit my style of learning but he questions are a good tool as they assess where your weaknesses are. The ppl confuser should put the iceing on the cake as you run up to the exam.
There are lots of trick questions used which is a bit daft but thats the way its done, so make sure you read the questions and answer them, not what you think you saw.(took me a couple subjects to get my head around that)
Save yourself a nice easy one to take just before your skills test or at the end of the 18 month spread you are allowed. I made the mistake of getting them all done in 3 months then had a nightmare with weather and timing which ment i had to retake them all where as if i had left HPL unitll the limit it would not have been a problem.
Have a great time learning it all, it is all useful, just not all at once.

[flyingpony]

as boring and tedious as air law can be, i think the best way to approach it is to force yourself to develop a genuine interest in it. As P/UT we tend to just rely on the instructor knowing the laws, but put yourself in the position of PIC flying cross-country, you will WANT to know exactly what you are and aren't allowed to do, otherwise its you who takes the heat. You'll remember and understand things much better than if youre just trying to memorise terms and definitions for a test.:}

[BackPacker]

At the actual Air Law exam, just like with the other PPL exams, all questions are multiple-choice. And a lot of questions in Air Law can be answered by asking yourself one simple question: "If I were to write the laws, weighing the various interests of various parties against each other and putting safety first, how would I write this law?"

If you then add a little understanding about how aviation law is based on international treaties, and how it's embedded in the legal structure of the country you're doing your exams for (UK I assume), then you're virtually home free.

[GogglesOnTarget]

I used the AFE book and that got me through, I would have done better if I'd got my hands on a confuser before hand though; those Civil Servants at the CAA have a sense of humour when it comes to writing questions.

However, as BackPacker says, understanding why the rules are there rather than learning them parrot fashion is the best, long term solution.

Good Luck!!

[Tonyd49]

Thanks for all the swift replies. Now that the weather has collapsed for the bank holiday weekend, I thinking coffee and the AFE Air Law book....

Tony

[jayeff]

I'm not experienced, Tony, but a student like yourself. Air Law's as dry as it gets, and the only way I found to din it into my noggin was to read, test, re-read, re-test until it began to stick.

The resources I've used to date have been the AFE books, coupled with Air Quiz (AirQuiz - Online Practice Examinations for Pilots! (http://www.airquiz.com)). Thus far, they've served me well on the two subjects taken (Air Law and Met) but as I've never encountered elements of either subject in everyday life they were a bit of a slog, it has to be said.

When it comes to the exam itself - READ THE QUESTION. When you've settled on your answers, READ THE QUESTIONS AGAIN. There's often a single word in there somewhere which gives the nod as to the way to tackle a question which will have you torn between two answers.

Best of luck with them.

[glush]

Some schools will run groundschool, so check out what's on offer with yours... I run groundschools regularly at our place and usually find that our guys can pass Air Law with some pre-reading and a days groundschool to top it all off. They're usually much more enjoyable and made more relevant to real life than just slogging through the book and a confuser.

Cheers
glush

[GogglesOnTarget]

Spot on jayeff READ THE QUESTION. This is what I found most useful about the Confuser, it gets you used to the types of question and the way they are posed.

Rule number 1: RTFQ!

[AndoniP]

i'm with glush.

i'm really bad with exams, if you gave me a book to read i just wouldn't be able to concentrate.

i paid for groundschool and exams at our school, and having a lecturer go through slides and explain stuff is perfect. i also have the pooleys air pilot books and they're ok but have too much other guff in them.

the lecturer gears the lessons towards passing the exam so you're better prepared.

that said, the PPL confuser, AFE Q & A simplifier, and the exercises at the end of each book are a great help.

[jetset50]

Hi Everyone,

I took the Air Law exam yesterday and scored 90%. I'm not one of these people who can just remember everything I worked hard and did all the prep and it paid off.

I used the AFE questions and answers simplifier and to be honest just using that would pass you the exam, or thats what I found, I did read the Air Law Air Pilots Manual also. I was suprised what didnt come up in the exam.

All the best


Jetset :-)