Help Wanted: JAA PPL-ATPL "Confuser" Authors..
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Help Wanted: JAA PPL-ATPL "Confuser" Authors..
Hey there all,
I hope this is appropriate for this forum. From what I've read, I believe it to be, but if you take objection, please accept my sincere apologies.
Anyway, I make some modestly popular FAA test preparation software that helps US pilots prepare for all sorts of written tests. You can see the software at
www.faatest.com
What I am looking for is for one, or probably two european pilots to help me make a european version of the software with the plan being that we'd start with PPL and move up to ATPL.
Basically, we would not be writing theory books per se, but rather simply lists of questions along the lines of the popular "confuser" series of books. Each question would have a well-written explanation that pilots could learn from. I figure that we'd need to create somewhere between 1000-1400 questions or so for a decent PPL study guide covering all of the exams.
Pilots would use this software in complement with their other study tools / courses.
If you think that you (or I) would get rich from such a venture, you're probably mistaken. However, if we do a good job, we can make a bit of extra cash on the side. This would be done on a purely profit-sharing basis--I currently do this as well with my US authors - shortlist candidates who have their doubts will be welcome to contact them (for example, one is a Lear 60 captain and ex-USAF fighter pilot) to get some sort of independent analysis of what working with me means.
Here's the sort of person I am looking for:
- ATPL pilot (frozen ATPL might be fine - you need to have gone through the course).
- preferably, you have some GA general aviation experience.
- preferably you also have or have had some prestigious sounding job such as pilot examiner, airline pilot, or the like.
- you have a university education
- your first language is english
- you have significant down-time that you can contribute to the project. almost all of the faa guys that have helped me on similar projects are pilots who have too much layover time in hotel rooms where they are happy to do some work.
- you have a laptop that you take with you and can use on the road.
- required: basic PC literacy. nothing crazy, but you should know which end of a mouse is up.
- required: you will need to be able to connect to the internet regularly.
- required: you can come up with high quality, independent work.
- required: you can do the independent sort of research and thinking necessary to create a complete set of PPL (CPL, ATPL) questions.
- preferred: you occasionally are at or near Cambridge, UK (Stansted, anyone?). Why? because I live in Cambridge for much of the year and it would be nice to meet face to face every once in a while.
- preferred, but realistically I dont think I'll find too many people with such experience: experience with PC image manipulation software, such as Photoshop, would be very nice, though not having it is not necessarily a detraction.
I think if i bring on two people to work together as a pair, this might yield the best results.
how would it work?
My FAA test prep software is popular for a number of reasons - it's much better in terms of features and price than that put out by the major usa brands. I have gotten more and more users over the years--it's a nice product. Check it out.
I'd say more about it, but then I'd be accused of writing an ad for the software, which I dont want to be doing.
What makes the system work is a back-end content management system that I wrote. it lets pilot authors log-in from wherever they happen to be and add, remove, and edit questions. You'd be working via this system to create a database of questions. When we got a sufficient number, we'd publish the software on some websites. We'd sell it through web sites for a few months to assess popularity and to make changes that users request. Once the software is settled, we'd maybe try selling it on CD-ROM form through flight schools and flight shops (I have some existing distributor contacts).
The time for this job is very flexibile and compatible with your existing job. however, of course, I'd like to find people who are enthusiastic and work hard to get the product done in a reasonable amount of time.
If you have questions, please send me an email to [email protected]
If you're interested in applying for this, please email
[email protected]
with the following:
1. your CV. Don't tailor it for this position unless you really want to. I understand that you are a pilot first and maybe dont have any particular experience with this sort of thing.
2. a note to me introducing yourself and telling me why you think you're right for this.
3. one or two sample questions that you have created. that are similar to that which would be seen on the PPL AIR LAW test. Include an explanation that you have written as well.
One final note: the question arises: CAA or JAA? Or, more specifically, who is the target audience for this? The long and short answer is that I'd like to discuss a plan of action with you so that we can fully define who is is for.
Sorry about the long note - I look forward to hearing from you!
Blue Skies!
Adrian
dauntless-soft.com
FAA M/CFI/I AGI/IGI
Author: GroundSchool, SimPlates, SafeLog, etc.
I hope this is appropriate for this forum. From what I've read, I believe it to be, but if you take objection, please accept my sincere apologies.
Anyway, I make some modestly popular FAA test preparation software that helps US pilots prepare for all sorts of written tests. You can see the software at
www.faatest.com
What I am looking for is for one, or probably two european pilots to help me make a european version of the software with the plan being that we'd start with PPL and move up to ATPL.
Basically, we would not be writing theory books per se, but rather simply lists of questions along the lines of the popular "confuser" series of books. Each question would have a well-written explanation that pilots could learn from. I figure that we'd need to create somewhere between 1000-1400 questions or so for a decent PPL study guide covering all of the exams.
Pilots would use this software in complement with their other study tools / courses.
If you think that you (or I) would get rich from such a venture, you're probably mistaken. However, if we do a good job, we can make a bit of extra cash on the side. This would be done on a purely profit-sharing basis--I currently do this as well with my US authors - shortlist candidates who have their doubts will be welcome to contact them (for example, one is a Lear 60 captain and ex-USAF fighter pilot) to get some sort of independent analysis of what working with me means.
Here's the sort of person I am looking for:
- ATPL pilot (frozen ATPL might be fine - you need to have gone through the course).
- preferably, you have some GA general aviation experience.
- preferably you also have or have had some prestigious sounding job such as pilot examiner, airline pilot, or the like.
- you have a university education
- your first language is english
- you have significant down-time that you can contribute to the project. almost all of the faa guys that have helped me on similar projects are pilots who have too much layover time in hotel rooms where they are happy to do some work.
- you have a laptop that you take with you and can use on the road.
- required: basic PC literacy. nothing crazy, but you should know which end of a mouse is up.
- required: you will need to be able to connect to the internet regularly.
- required: you can come up with high quality, independent work.
- required: you can do the independent sort of research and thinking necessary to create a complete set of PPL (CPL, ATPL) questions.
- preferred: you occasionally are at or near Cambridge, UK (Stansted, anyone?). Why? because I live in Cambridge for much of the year and it would be nice to meet face to face every once in a while.
- preferred, but realistically I dont think I'll find too many people with such experience: experience with PC image manipulation software, such as Photoshop, would be very nice, though not having it is not necessarily a detraction.
I think if i bring on two people to work together as a pair, this might yield the best results.
how would it work?
My FAA test prep software is popular for a number of reasons - it's much better in terms of features and price than that put out by the major usa brands. I have gotten more and more users over the years--it's a nice product. Check it out.
I'd say more about it, but then I'd be accused of writing an ad for the software, which I dont want to be doing.
What makes the system work is a back-end content management system that I wrote. it lets pilot authors log-in from wherever they happen to be and add, remove, and edit questions. You'd be working via this system to create a database of questions. When we got a sufficient number, we'd publish the software on some websites. We'd sell it through web sites for a few months to assess popularity and to make changes that users request. Once the software is settled, we'd maybe try selling it on CD-ROM form through flight schools and flight shops (I have some existing distributor contacts).
The time for this job is very flexibile and compatible with your existing job. however, of course, I'd like to find people who are enthusiastic and work hard to get the product done in a reasonable amount of time.
If you have questions, please send me an email to [email protected]
If you're interested in applying for this, please email
[email protected]
with the following:
1. your CV. Don't tailor it for this position unless you really want to. I understand that you are a pilot first and maybe dont have any particular experience with this sort of thing.
2. a note to me introducing yourself and telling me why you think you're right for this.
3. one or two sample questions that you have created. that are similar to that which would be seen on the PPL AIR LAW test. Include an explanation that you have written as well.
One final note: the question arises: CAA or JAA? Or, more specifically, who is the target audience for this? The long and short answer is that I'd like to discuss a plan of action with you so that we can fully define who is is for.
Sorry about the long note - I look forward to hearing from you!
Blue Skies!
Adrian
dauntless-soft.com
FAA M/CFI/I AGI/IGI
Author: GroundSchool, SimPlates, SafeLog, etc.
