I agree with littco, use the Bristol feedback!!!

Rather than learn it, whivh i think will probably get you through the JAA's it's a lot better to understand how they got the answer, then if your mind goes blank or the wording of the question is changed - the JAA are notorious for this, then you're prepared!!

Best of luck,

JetSetJ:ok:

Don't just do the feedback. When you get to the IR, you will look a real dummy when the examiner asks you about the airspace you are taking him into and you say "B isn't it."
You need to be flexable and learning answers won't give you that.

One thing that amazed me in the exam halls was those people who were out of a 2 hr exam in 15 mins. I couldn't read the paper in that time, never mind answer the questions and check it. They will make great pilots...not. It's the same as paying for a TR. Why does everyone have to have it the easy way and tomorrow. It just screws everyone else. Same as the exams....once the questions are leaked, they just get more abstract as the CAA get everyone back.
Just get on with the job and work.:ugh:

1) BGS
2) BGS
3) Good nights sleep before each exam


L Met

Well, I'm certainly taking no chances. I'm also running on the assumption the authorities expect you to know this stuff for good reason. I'm also finding the vast majority of it fascinating anyway, and its actually answering a lot of remaining questions from the PPL.

Curious about your comments about "people paying for a TR". Whats wrong with that? are self-bought TR's inferior to those provided by an employer?
I have no qualms about paying for a TR. I saved up hard whilst working in jobs I dont enjoy for too many years to have a hang-up about paying for a TR.

WHen you say "Use the Bristol Feedback"...is that the answered papers where they show you the explanations to the answers (apologies for prob. stupid question - but am not doing BGS course)

Thanks:ok:

Shall I get a particular brand of sleeping pills or just any make?:)

Not necessarily! I'm sure there are a lot of pilots out there who don't need to use half the stuff they had to learn for ATPL. Anyone doing the ATPL(H) exams for a start!! Neither does anyone need to know the history and organisation of ICAO or actual annex numbers!

I did professional accountancy exams and we had to learn section numbers of The Companies Act 1985. Never needed to know them again. Know what's IN the section but the number is irrelevant. If you do need to know, you look it up and I would envisage that any circumstance in which you do need to know in reality would be of such importance that you wouldn't want to risk it!

Cheers

Whirls

The JAA ATPL syllabus is long and futile in many aspects. Just some examples are: The level of detail on A/C generators, certain (gyroscopic) instruments and many many more. Stuff more suited to people who design and build the damn things than us mere mortal pilots who are going to be pressing simple on/off/reset switches. No one on Earth can be expected to learn all that and retain it for life. This is the way the syllabus was written way back.

I don't believe for one minute you can pass the exams with a 75% grade just by reading the Oxford, Bristol or Jeppessen Course Notes/Books. It's fair to say that feedback questions push the average candidate's grade up by between 20-40%. On the other hand don't think following the above strategy alone is going to help you. Granted you'll pass the exams but it wont bring that peace of mind in preparation for your first interview. To me personally, there's no real telling of the candidates level of knowledge if he/she has a 85% grade or a 95% grade. Some just have the capacity to remember extremely well short term :cool: - Big deal.

Superpilot,
Not that many years ago there were no feedback questions. JAR was new and no-one had any idea what was going to be in the exams. Guess what? You actually had to know and understand the syllabus to pass the exams. Failure rates were, almost certainly, higher than now but you're wrong to assert that With a huge amount of help and guidance from Alex and the team at Bristol I passed them all first time so it is possible but not neccessarily easy.

Aha! If you read HPL rather than just go with the feedback you'll know that sleeping pills (and beer :() don't help you achieve the right kind of sleep :8

Actually, I've found myself reading HPL ahead of time - just out of interest. I liked the section on STD's with some typically British advice...

"How STD's are contracted is self-evident. As is to how to avoid them".:=

Hi there Bandit:ok:

Not to worry it's not a silly question, i also haven't studied at BGS. I have heard they offer a superb high calibre training as do Oxford, whom i study with.

When i say the Bristol feedback i mean the online database. It costs £50 for 3 months access. As has been said in earlier replies use the feedback to highlight and brush up on your weaker areas. Learn it at your peril!! I cannot emphasise how important it is to understand the method and how to work out the correct answer, of course it's nice to go into the exam and be presented with questions you've seen previously. Conversley this happened to me in my gen nav exam, virtually all the questions were word for word from the Bristol, but it really isn't worth taking the risk expecting the exam to be so!! Know your stuff and using the on line database will give you an idea of the areas the JAA tend to focus their questions.

In an earlier post you mentioned you purchased feedback from e-bay, i strongly suspect this is the Volare feedback!! I would advise you to use it very carefully as there are quite a few errors in their quoted answers!!!

My advice is stay safe and use Bristol's online database!!

Hope this helps and the very best with your training:ok:

JetSetJ:ok:

ppls
 

Hi

I was doing the same thing with my ppls , using the ppl confuser I went throw the book and wrote the question on the front and the answer on the back of cards. So before each exam I made shore that I got 100% right on each subject. And only then I went for the exam, and I passed with 85%.

This is a good way to learn if you are happy with 80%, but if you would like 90% or so you need to know the books inside and out. On human performance I did not even pick up the Trevor tom.:= I know that this was not the right way to learn but it does work.

I think that it is a good backup plan but you need to read the books, and learn the info.

Thanks

There is definately a place for the confuser as the Trevor Thom books do tend to skip over certain aspects, and you can 'hoover' these bits up from the practice questions and the explanations in the confuser.

I have been using both, and it works for me :}. I do feel it is important to have a good grasp of the subject, the practice questions then come alot easier and you feel you KNOW the subject rather than the just the questions. Same applies for ATPL I suppose... I hopefully will find out! :hmm:

On the phone now to BGS for feedback access. Cheers:ok:

The best of luck buddy:ok:

If you need anymore help or advice feel free to pm me:8

Regards

JetSetJ:ok:

CATS online ATPL/CPL study guides
 

Has anyone got any experience with doing a course using CATS online study guides?

Thinking about doing my CPL theory over the web...

/Glen

CATS
 

Signed up yesterday for the online ATPL course with them. Everything is good so far. Its a lot cheaper than anywhere else i have found and the books would probably just gather dust, but can be purchased as and when needed if working online isnt your thing.
I was advised to sign up for the ATPL for the same price as the CPL and decide before the first exams which route to go.
Any more info feel free to PM me.

Atpl Equipment
 

I'm due to start London Met in March and would appreciate help on what l need to purchase for the course, books etc??. :confused: ANYONE ELSE STARTING SAME TIME??

Any info much appreicated.

Many Thanks

Dan

Firstly, the very best of luck to you. I'm nearly through my 14 exams on a part-time, distance learning basis, and let me tell you - you're in for a hell of a time!!

Off the top of my head, you'll need...

Course manuals (being supplied by the school I presume and hope!)
Jeppesen student manual
Basic scientific calculator (check will your school as to the things it can't have)
CRP-5 (your basic whizz wheel you used for PPL isn't exact enough)
Chart plotting gear (ruler, dividers, protractor (sp) - that kind of thing)
CAP manuals (now available for download from the CAA website)
Red Bull -lots and lots and lots of it.
Notepaper - see Red Bull

I'm sure there is more, but its late and after a session today on Op. Procedures, my brain hurts. In fact, add paracetemol to the list....

Regards,
Blueskyrich

Add lots of folder to that list too, you´ll need them to store all the notes you´ll be taking!

Oxford Meteorology & Performance CBT's
 

Hi All,

Are these worth buying to supplement the ATPL study?

Many thanks.

RB

I bought the oxford CBT material for the ppl stuff and it helped me loads. A friend bought the oxford cbt stuff for the atpl's and he says its helped him loads...so yes i would say so :ok:

{Not normally a oxford fan but the CBT is awesome!}

I would definetely try and purchase the OAT Met CDROM. It was the most useful tool I probably had during my ATPL studies- a must in my book!
I also used their textbook for Performance, which seemed to keep everything simple and to the point. No wordy, meaningless crap which is only too present in other providers notes! So at a guess I would imagine their Performance CDROM is probably worth the investment. They are pricey though! :(

I bought the Oxford Met CD a few weeks ago and its made such a difference. I found Met really difficult just reading the textbook, but using the CD has made the subject a whole lot easier for me to understand.

Met Cd
 

I used the MET CD in 2003. The manuals we had for MET were not good at all. I can honestly say that apart from listening in class to the teacher, it was all that I used and if the feedback/exam hasn't changed much over the last few years you will do well. Its excellent!:ok:

Cheers Guys
 

Thanks for your replies guys. I think I'll go for them. At 50 quid each its cheaper than a repeat I guess.

Cheers.

RB

Get the CRP-5W with the wind arm. It saves at least 1 min per question, which on a bad day could be a pass or fail.

Enjoy the long slogg, and it will be.

To a degree the Met CD will add to the ATPL theory, but should not wholly be used as a replacement. Met is one exam where you will need to learn concepts and be able to draw the picture on the paper to gain the correct answer. With the diagrams and animations on the CD, you should be able to build up a picture of what is going on and apply that to any question by drawing your own sketch. For example, being able to re-produce the CD's jetstream diagram will allow you to answer which way the core is flowing, where the warm/cold air boundaries are and be able to assign heights to each.

Once you get into the swing of the groundschool it'll be okay .... :) (optimism)

But seriously it is possible and rather than the subject matter or content it's the dedication and time that will be the biggest drags on your motivation. But there is only one way forward and that's to get through and the sooner you start the sooner you finish

Having used both CBTs I would recommend them. In particular, the performance CD.

I personally found performance particularly tricky in some areas, the CD uses many diagrams and graphical illustrations that certainly bring the book to life and in my case, helped enormously. The price is steep, but I think you would find the cost a worthwhile investment

WD

Books for JAA Instrument flying.
 

Hi,
I was wondering which of the many books available covering this subject people would recommend? I have the Trevor Thom book which I am finding very useful, but are there any others?
Thank you for your help.

How about the IMC Confuser?

Is Trevor Thom a good reference in preparation for an Instrument Rating or is there something more advanced that people use?

OAT or BGS notes?
 

Leaving EVERYTHING else out, I would like your feed back on the pros/cons of the OATs books as compared with BGS's.

I have read a lot of feedback saying BGS notes are concise and will help deal with exams better while Oxford's are very comprehensive and detailed hence easier to read (like a story) but harder to study (get the facts in your mind).

I like to study things in details and fit things I learnt together to form a comprehensive view. Hence I don't like to understand things as "black boxes" nor take a fact as it is written. I have the impression that BGS notes are like "black boxes" : Letting you know whatever is needed for the exams without explaining things in details that won't come out for exams. I also thought (after reading a lot of feed back in the threads) that Oxford's notes are like an "aviation encyclopedia". In other words BGS notes are very exam orientated while Oxford's are knowledge based?

If anyone had seen books from both schools, Can I have your opinion on these?

Oxford's books are variable - fabulous in places, not so great in others. I've heard Bristol is the same. I guess this is inevitable when you have lots of different people writing on different subjects. Heaven knows why they don't hire a proper technical writer.
Anyways, what I would say on Oxford's books is that they're currently being re-written, and there are syllabus changes coming in, so unless you're absolutely desperate to get started it would be worth hanging on for a bit. I think the new books will be superb. Anyway, have a word and see how the timescales are looking for these changes.

I am doing the OAT course and find the books excellent. I also have the Bristol CDROM which is invaluable for its animations.
What I personally have found that is that OAT books are more comprehensive. If you study each chapter and get a good mark in the progress tests at the end of each topic..you're sorted on that subject. I have found questions from other sources easy after studying through the Oxford notes.

That being true for the most part, I have sometimes arrived at a page and found it just doesn't click. I then read about the subject on the web (e.g. wikipedia or the Bristol CDROM) and voila I get it.

If I dare, I would say that the Oxford notes are a bit like reading the Times compared to reading the Sun. One imparts more knowledge with fewer words than the other!

So, in my experience so far I would suggest having a back-up source of material for cross-reference. I expect this holds true for whichever course is chosen.

distance atpl
 

Any views on cranfield aviation atpl would be much appreciated.I am thinking of siging up for the distance atpl,of course the cost being my main factor in comparison to bristol and oxford.Anyone who went through happy to hear from you.
camprax

The Times VS The Sun
 

"...the Oxford notes are a bit like reading the Times compared to reading the Sun. One imparts more knowledge with fewer words than the other!"

That's a really funny comparison! I wish the BGS notes contain some pictures the sun has! ;) Anyway I get the idea. I prefer reading the Times.

Study materials for PPL/CPL?
 

Hi guys,

I'm just wondering if anyone can recommend any good books or study materials for the PPL or CPL? And where can I get them? I've done a search but didn't manage to come up with anything concrete (sorry if I failed here). I would like to read up beforehand as I've got some free time with me and not being cannot start training as soon as I intend to.

Secondly, are there any differences to the syllabus of the different regulations like CASA, JAA, CAA or the FAA for example for the PPL/CPL? What are the main differences if there are? I've seen that the JAA and UK CAA always come together. Are there any differences between the 2 syllabi?

Thanks for enlightening. I'm rather confused about the different authorities of the different staes or countries. Appreciate any help!