All aircraft have a supply of map cleaning fluid , all you have to do is slightly undo the screw at the back of that thingy in the centre of the windscreen with the numbers and letters that wander around on the face and it will despence a small amount of map cleaning fluid. The fluid dispenser is much better positioned on the Cessna (rather than the piper ) as it has a convenient shelf to let you position the map exactly underneath the fluid dispenser.

Ref Cleaning maps, i find that Jif is perfect!

Ref which books to use. I started off with Pratt but have found him too complicated and have gone over to Pooleys, much simpler to understand and closer to the exam questions!

Talking of exam questions, buy yourself a copy of the PPL Perfector..I couldn't be without it now! ;)

Ref starter kits, yeah, I made the mistake of getting the AFE one. Most of it I now don't use (including the bag!) In fact the only thing I do use now is the nav ruler :hmm:

Cheap (value brand) hairspray works great for cleaning maps - glider pilots have been using it for years!

I bought most of my materials on Ebay and I'm sure I did save money overall. However, in retrospect I'm not sure it was worth the hassle. The reasonably up-to-date books tend to go at perhaps half-price after you've included postage, so if you can get a package that saves significantly on the RRP then you may get some shiny new books and equipment without paying all that much more.

If I was to do it all over again, I would have bought a nice headset early on, with active noise reduction.

I have to smile. The cost of either of these starter kits is small potatoes when you are considering taking up flying as a hobby or career. Buying stuff on Ebay is fine if you don't mind other peoples' dog eared stuff, which may have been goodness knows where!

The bulk of the costs of both kits is in the books. Which of those two series is chosen is down to personal preference. They both say the same thing in slightly different style. Occasionally, you will find a small point which may be out of date. Your instructor will almost certainly put you right, and there is the internet, etc. You will buy other books - definitely!

Hardly anything in those kits will not be used in your training. You need the map. You need the logbook. Yes, the knee-board may be sub optimal, but it will do as a starter. Your needs will change as you progress in the hobby or career, and so you will replace it. You will love a new and better flight bag, so you'll eventually choose and get one, and then another one.... You'll rarely use your square protractor (a plotter is better!), the flight computer, and some other items later, because you already own a far more expensive iPad, a computer and so on - on which you'll have perfect wind corrected flight plans with the lines on the map that you will plan. Your flight log will be printed by you - but not yet! You do the PPL the traditional way... Some of it may seem (and is) somewhat anachronistic, but the principles learned will serve you well.

You will need most of the items in either of those kits - these have been standardised for years, and are similar in the USA. Both Pooleys and AFE have been in the business long enough to know what the basic requirements are. As I've already said, you will buy other bits when you see that you need or prefer them.

Get the best headset (ANR is really recommended!) that you can afford. A good one will last you for years. Do try and visit a pilot shop to try these out. One size does not fit all :)

Marker pens
 

I found the best way to get permanent marker pen off a chart is to go over the lines etc with a "White Board" marker pen and then wipe both off with a wipe or tissue. No need for any fluids. The white board marker is non- permanent and takes the permanent marker line with it. I carry one in my flight bag. Stragely enough the trick also works on a white board when someone has used a permanent marker pen!

Marker pens
 

For simple VFR hamburger runs, use a wax pencil/marker pen. They can be reasonably well sharpened, and you don't have to be accurate to one degree on the map for this sort of flying (if you could even fly that accurately!). A quick wipe with a damp cloth, and the map is clean.