JEPPESEN ATPL BOOKS

[Sergbon]

Hello, i'm starting the ATPL course and i'm wondering if there's some important difference between Jeppesen edition 1 books (2004) and Jeppesen edition 2 (2006) as a friend of mine would lend the entire set (2004) to me for the duration of the course. Anybody knows if they are still valid or maybe there's something updated on 2006 set?

Thank you

[Transsonic2000]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Well, flying hasn't been re-invented the past few years. I'm using books from 2001 for my recent studies and didn't discover any major changes, so I guess you'll be fine using the 2004 books, unless your school objects.

[Sergbon]

Hello thank for your reply! I think that you're right but if they made a new version maybe there's something different! That's why i decided to ask this thing here..i thought that someone would help me but it seems like nobody is studying for the atpl....:) the problem is that the 2nd edition costs more ore less 800euro and maybe nothing is changed..

[giggitygiggity]

I believe Diesel engines have been a recent addition to the syllabus so it may be worth trying to find a copy of the syllabus from say 2004 and that from 2013 to see what sections are different.

[hvogt]

Sergbon

Having never had a copy of the Jeppesen textbooks in my own hands probably disqualifies me from giving advice on this matter. I am, however, someone who has gone through a JAA flight training course and I think I can offer you some thoughts that might help you make up your mind.

Most of the common ATPL textbooks are written in an attempt to cover the whole training syllabus in a not too deep, easy to understand way. This way, students can gain a relatively good overview in a fairly short time. Less well meaning, one might say everything is utterly dumbed down. So, my first piece of advice to you would be to keep in mind the Jeppesen books will only serve you as something that gives you initial access to the required knowledge.

Transsonic 2000 has already mentioned much about flying, in particular technical aspects and the underlying physical laws, does not change. Furthermore, the JAR syllabus does not usually ask for the latest developments in aircraft design, but for an understanding of the steam gauge technology still used in many of today's aircraft. Bearing this in mind, I think there is nothing wrong in starting with older editions, a least not as far as the technical subjects are concerned.

Air Law and Operational Procedures, on the contrary, are two of the subjects where things tend to change rather often. I would warn you to use old books there. Oddly enough, I would warn you to use any textbooks in these subjects since all they seem to offer is to replicate the relevant rules and regulations, often just verbatim and without further comment. Incidentally, this tells me how terribly overpriced these books are, especially if you compare them to academic literature.

giggitygiggity just suggested to get a copy of the current syllabus. This is a very good point. You will see that, knowing what is required by the syllabus, you will very often find better references than the ATPL textbooks. From my personal experience, I can assure you it is possible to learn everything that is necessary to pass the ATPLs without looking at the usual textbooks more than once every while. My flight school provided me with the Bristol textbooks and I did not make too much use of them; some of them I never even touched.

Another point you might want to consider is the wide availability of PDF copies of nearly all common ATPL textbooks on the internet. In my flight school course there were one or two fellow students who could download almost anything from the internet. It wasn't long after the course had started that everyone had a hard disk full of learning material from all sources.

I hope these thoughts will help you come to a decision that will work best for you. If you'd ask me to sum up my post in one sentence I'd probably say I wouldn't spend 800 Euros for the Jeppy books.