Books for Instrument Rating
 

Hi,

Can someone please recommend a good reference book for an instrument rating. I am busy building up the hours required for the rating, and would like to start reading up on the subject.

Thanks

FAA or JAA?

You cannot 'build hours' for the JAA one - its all dual time and previous experience is disregarded.

For the FAA IR, the ASA books are OK for the exam but if you want to learn about practical instrument flight issues there are others - I am sure others here can name some.

For the FAA IR the instrument flying handbook is pretty good, and best of all it's produced and given away free by the FAA:

Instrument Flying Handbook

Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual is good for the practical side of instrument flying. ASA do a good range as well (for FAA) with books and computer programmes containing FAA questions which you can test yourself with.

McGoo, that FAA book is wonderful!! Very nicely written.

Never heard of it before....

Yes I liked it, you can buy them in paper version but the downloads are free, if you look at the menu box at the side of that link page there are quite a few in there worth a read.

I like the Jeppesen books the most...but for FAA you only need the FAR/AIM book :E

I just gave the TOC of the FAA book a quick glance and although it seems to be really complete, what I seem to be missing is something on how to fly the different instrument approaches (NDB, NDB/DME, VOR, VOR/DME, ILS, ...).

Am I correct or should I just print the book and then find it's all in there?

Edited to say that I've now also found the Instrument Procedures Handbook which has those. So never mind.)

what I seem to be missing is something on how to fly the different instrument approaches

Unfortunately much of instrument flying is a practical skill. It would be a bit like trying to learn to play a musical instrument from a book alone.

The books will give you the technical understanding and limitations of each of the aids, but nothing can replace practical instruction. Even MS Flight Sim is an invaluable tool to see how things fit together, the rate of closure of a bearing/localiser etc. Also try the RANT simulator.

Much also depends on which licence you are planning to add the IR to. I am currently reading the FAA ASA Test Prep book to add my IR to my US licence. It's completely different from the CAA ticket.

Thanks for all your relpies