ATPL Electrics - Help!

[BroomstickPilot]

Can anyone please help me.

I have absolutely no aptitude for this subject, but must nevertheless learn it for the ATPL exams. (I even had difficulty learning it for 'o' level at school).

I want to obtain an interactive training CD Rom of the subject so that I can take it very, very slowly, going over and over the same lesson until it sinks in.

Amazon.com (USA) have a CD Rom called, 'Electicity & Magnetism Simulation' for $65 + shipping, which looks to have all the material I need. I am nervous about buying this CD Rom 'blind' just on the basis of Amazon's description of it.

Has anyone used this CD Rom for ATPL, or can anyone recommend an alternative.

[Token Bird]

There's a book in our library called 'Commercial Pilots Study Manual Series Vol.3 - Electronics, Logic and Auto-flight Systems', I think it's by Burton. I haven't looked at it myself but my classmates claim it's very good. Sorry it's not a CD-ROM,

TB

[Tucano]

Hi Broomstick,

Boy do I know where you are coming from! I've got electrics sussed now, but with some difficulty! Could I suggest you investigate the RAF Training Manual for Electrics and/or the Oxford/Jeppesen manual on the same subject. Both would be good help I think. Get them at www.transair.co.uk There was once a series of CD-roms on the JAA exams, which could have been by PPSC (but I have no specific knowledge on this) and they might have a Systems disk!

Good Luck anyway,

V=IR.. that's a good start!

Tucano ;)

[P.Pilcher]

Well, it looks like broomstickpilot is another unfortunate individual who either had a teacher who did not understand the subject properly at "o" level or the other kids in the class were making such a row that he couldnt follow the VITAL lessons on the first principles of electricity. I visualise a series of pipes connected together in a loop with a pump pushing a liquid around them for my basic concepts of voltage and current. It helped me get a degree in electronics, so if this CD graphically simulates this sort of thing then it is probably worthwhile. It certainly can't do any harm. It just depends on your budget.

Best of luck!

[JB007]

The books Token Bird is referring to are by Mike Burton and are a very very good read.

Mike taught me at ATA, Coventry and he was superb. Electrics frightend me silly but he taught it in a way that most would understand..

He does do private tuition at his home in Bicester, I still have his number, drop me an email if you'd like it.

Cheers

[No Cigar]

I guess the cheapest way is to obtain an old 'O' level physics textbook for reference. It helped me a great deal when it came to the basics.

These books also seem to have a great way of bringing things back to basics as they're meant for high school. Funny though how it makes more sense reading it when you're an adult and no sense when you're in high school. Different motivational levels I guess.

Also websites for high school students on the subject can offer graphics as good as what the commercially produced (and expensive) CDs would give you. Hope this helps. Good luck:)

[Fright Level]

Learning electrics for the exams is not the same as learning electrics! Unless the book/CD directly targets the ATPL subjects, they will be a waste of money. You want to be a pilot, not an electrical engineer.

Any good pilot study book (like those recommended) will introduce you slowly to the topic and teach you what you need to know to pass the exams.

I was a radio engineer before flying and confidently (red cockily) thought I didn't much study for the radio aids exam. How wrong I was. The exams asked questions that were either not straightforward, discussed old technology (Decca etc) or were just plain bewildering. A resit was needed and after a brush up at PPSC, they had me ready for the exam, 100% at second sitting!

Save your money and spend it only on the materials you need to pass that exam.

[BroomstickPilot]

Token Bird,
Tucano,
P.Pilcher,
JB007,
No Cigar,
EDDNR,

Thanks Guys, one and all.
All useful stuff - I'll consider it all with care.
Best regards,