When should I start reading?

[thing]

PPL books that is. Met, Air Law etc. I'm hoping to start my PPL probably either next Easter or summer when I can do some intensive flying over 6 weeks (provided I can get an intensive instructor of course...) I want to have read all of the exam prep books before I start the actual flying bits. Are there any recommendations as to which set of books I should actually get wrt authors?

Also is it worth going to the States any more to do the PPL what with the exchange rate etc and the hassle involved? If it was 3K cheaper it might be worth it but if it only saves a few hundred it wouldn't be worth the bother to me.

[JW411]

When Should I Start Reading;

As someone who went solo in 1957 and who has just retired after a fantastic career spanning half a centuary, I have to tell you that you should have started reading five years before you asked the question!

I am still reading (for I still fly for fun) and I am on my way through "Fate is The Hunter" for about the 15th time.

[Molesworth 1]

I read the AFE books by Jeremy Pratt.

Start reading NOW!

[darn]

I agree with start reading NOW! You will probably find there's so much information to absorb that you'll need all the time you can get.

You want to be in the position where you can concentrate on the flying when you start the PPL, knowing that you'll only need a bit of a brush up come the written exams.

That said, some exams e.g. Nav you may find it makes more sense once you've started doing it for real and have a human being to explain it all to you.

Also agree that Jeremy Pratt's books are the best.

[darn]

As to whether you should do the PPL in the USA, in my experience NO, because (in brief):

Once you've considered the visa fees (and hassle), flights, accomodation etc its barely any cheaper

More importantly, I found the standard of instruction very poor. Im sure this varies between schools but it seems to be a common theme having spoken to others

Its good to learn in the same environment (weather, airspace, RT etc) that you're going to fly in once you have your PPL

The weather is overrated (in Florida at least)

That said, it was great fun and im sure the US flight schools have plenty of happy customers.

[mcgoo]

Why just read, get the exams passed now, then just concentrate on the flying, the exams are valid for 2 years once you have passed them all.

[thing]

Didn't know that! Do I have to join a club or anything to do the exams or can you just sit them anywhere? Anywhere you can sit exams that is.........I'm not too bad at nav and stuff. I used to be an instructor on nav/theory of flight/radio aids etc. Plus if you can navigate a glider with an E2B that veers 30 degrees if you push the stick forward you can navigate pretty much anything I imagine...although I feel I may have just started digging a hole there...........

I had the feeling that training in the States would have it's drawbacks. There is a school in San Diego, Anglo American I think which has been highly recommended but then being as I'm going to be flying in the UK I may as well learn here.


Thanks for the replies everyone, much appreciated.

[Jan Olieslagers]

get the exams passed now

ISTR you cannot pass the exams unless you can prove you took the required ground class time at an approved facility (JAR standard). And took it recently, too.
Also, I got the recommendation to first pass the initial medical - would be too bad to do all that studying then to learn you can't become a pilot anyway.

[mcgoo]

There is no required ground class time for the PPL, you can sit the exams at any school that provides them, neither do you have to train at the school where you take the ground exams.

The tip about the medical is worth following though.

[screetch]

yeah I did my exams without any groundschool. I read the books, did the sample tests, watched videos and then took the exam. It possibly took longer as I didnt study when I had other tasks to do, but I could study at my own time of choosing.

I have now finished my PPL but will definetly start to read the books again.

[Jan Olieslagers]

There is no required ground class time for the PPL, you can sit the exams at any school that provides them, neither do you have to train at the school where you take the ground exams.

Well, that must be another thing the UK does other than JAR - or JAR should have changed. Here in my cosy continental country, you have to take ground class for a minimum hours either at a recognised school or a "registered facility", typically a flying club. A list of these is available from our CAA.

And you don't take the exams at the school either, but only at our CAA.

Excuse me for taking the UK to be JAR-compliant in this respect! I'll be more careful next time.

[HighFlyer75]

I have just spent the last 4 days doing all 6 theory exams plus my FRTOL practical and I passed all quite comfortably. I am still about 2 months away from actually starting flight training (in the USA) but I wanted to take the pressure off so I did the exams in the UK before going.

For the theory exams, I did them through a combination of self study (AFE books) and then a 2 day revision course / exam sitting with a ground school. The ground school also provided a set of summarised notes which were very useful. The revision course basically assumed I had done self study and gave a run through of key areas or areas where I wasn't clear. I would strongly recommend starting to read early as I found it took a while to get my head around some of the things without a practical working knowledge.

For the FRTOL, I also did a two day course with the exam at the end of the second day (today). This was invaluable to me as I had no experience of UK RT procedures and some things were very hard to visualise out of a book.

In the end, if you intend flying next year then you should consider doing the exams sonner as suggest by mcgoo. I am not a member of any club in the UK (in fact I don't even live in the UK) but there is no problem with doing the exams anyway. I can't tell you what a great feeling it is to know that I won't have to worry the exams when I start the actual flying. Flew into UK on Wednesday night and leave Monday morning with all exams (and medical) out of the way. Woo hoo.

[englishal]

If I had known at the time, what I know now, I'd have gone to the USA and got the FAA PPL rather than the JAA PPL. There are numerous advantages with it (non expiring, no re-issue fees, includes night, valid world wide...etc....).

Actually you will save a bunch by going to the USA, that is for sure, even after you have paid for flights and a hotel.

Don't go to Florida though. It is flat and boring and full of fat rednecks. Go to California where you have deserts and mountains to fly in, it is a much better experience.

Flying back in the UK afterwards is a non issue. You'll probably be better prepared than some of the UK PPLs who learn at small "radio" airfields.

So my advice is that if you have time to take say 5 weeks in the USA, do it in the USA. You will have hell of an experience, get your ticket, and enjoy a fabulous "holiday" at the same time. Plus the instructors won't wear stripes and won't talk down to you ;)

[IO540]

If I had known at the time, what I know now, I'd have gone to the USA and got the FAA PPL rather than the JAA PPL

If I had known at the time what I know now, I would have -

- gone to the USA and did the FAA and JAA PPLs together (in southern California)

- done the FAA IR

- bought the plane I now have (TB20) but ASAP and without wasting 5 figures hiring old wreckage

- bought the plane as N-reg (which is actually how it left the factory) not as G-reg, saving myself another 5-10k or so

Always wiser afterwards :)