New pilot's theoretical knowledge
 

Hello everyone,

I am a fairly new pilot out of flight school. For now, I would say that my theoretical knowledge is ok so far but I am always hoping to learn more. Basically, in my flight school we were mostly listening to Oxford ATPL CBT courses and that was it. From that, I passed my exams in CAD, passed my practical exams and got my licence. Currently I am having a hard time finding what should I study next. While I was searching around the internet a bit I found ICAO Elibrary which has a lot of documents to read but to me it all looks cluttered and I am not really sure in what order I should do it. The things that are currently interesting to me are Jeppesen publications. Mainly, Jeppesen Introduction, Jeppesen ATC and so on but then I also ask myself if those publications are up to date in terms of following all the annexes and all the newest amendments to them? I wonder if going through all the annexes is the right way of doing it...I would also like to note that, as you already probably know, passing EASA exams in CAD is mostly going through question banks, clicking what you know and memorizing what takes too much time to learn so that gives me worries that I should really re listen to all the cbt's and go from there. What was your journey? What studying path did you take? Did you read the Annexes? Did you read Jeppesen publications? What would be the best thing to do in order to become a really proficient and well versed pilot (I really do not want to be a 'monkey see monkey do' pilot in my career)? What are the must read publications and in what order should I read them?

Thank you all for your opinions,
Safe flights!

It is important to learn all of the subjects well, and as you recognise the way things are run in Europe tends instead to encourage question spotting. If you've passed the written exams, firstly well done, secondly what new might you learn?

The first thing you can do is go back to the texts you learned from, and re-read those. Find a good library and read further into the most interesting topics such as meteorology, aircraft technology, aircraft performance.

Anderson's "Introduction to Flight", or Davies "Handling the Big Jets" are books you'll learn huge amounts from, if you'd like recommendations.

Frankly, reading ICAO annexes is for the aviation lawyers, don't waste your time.

And spend a lot of quality time on the manuals of aircraft you'll be flying - you can't know too much about an aircraft you fly, and that will do you a lot of favours.

G

The advice given above is pure gold! Just do that, now that the stress of passing the exams is gone, you will have a clear mind to concetrate on the important stuff. For example, you really don't care how many typhoons per year you get in HK, but a deep understanding of the significant charts, and working out the trends in TAFs is important indeed. The only thing I would add to the above post, is also emphasis to the rather new OPS subject. Well done on passing those awkward exams!

Vaz,

Congrats on getting your license. No small accomplishment from the sound of it.

You didn't mention if you're currently flying any particular airplane on a regular basis. Genghis is certainly right about knowing the airplane you fly. But if you're not flying a particular airplane at the moment, spending some time on generic aircraft systems might be interesting for you, e.g., how hydraulic/electrical/flight instrument systems work. You could pick a particular aircraft type you might be flying in the future and read up on whatever info the internet has on its systems. Also, a generic FMS system tutorial where you can load flight plans and see how they look and can be manipulated would be good.

Current airline manuals may be "dumbed down" a bit from those of the past and may not offer great depth of systems' knowledge. But studying generic systems might be enlightening at your stage.

If you're a glutton for punishment, you can Google a free copy of Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators and see what you make of that. And Handling the Big Jets is a must.

Good luck. Once you start the studying, there's really no place to stop...until retirement. :ok:

Vaz,

TheBat is onto something here.

I’d suggest Kermode over that at least Kermode is metric. Naval Aviators maths isn’t ideal being Imperial.

​​​​​​​… but it’s the Right Stuff! 😄

I agree with Genghis, D P Davis' book 'Handling the Big Jets' is a gold mine for really good common sense information. A C Kermode's books are also good, 'The Mechanics of Flight' for example. Also try this website:- https://www.skybrary.aero/ another good soure of practical information, especially about the relationship between pilots and ATC. And you may find more leads from there to other sources of information. Well done so far, and good luck.

These books will help improve your knowledge and skills as a pilot. You can choose based on specific interests or needs.

1. "The Turbine Pilot's Flight Manual" by Gregory N. Brown and Mark J. Holt:
   
   • An excellent resource providing rich information on flight operations, weather, and navigation.
2. "Instrument Flying Handbook" by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA):
   
   • This FAA handbook offers a deep understanding of instrument flying and related subjects.
3. "The Human Factor: Enhancing Aviation Safety" by Eduardo Salas and Dan Maurino:
   
   • Focuses on human factors and safety, emphasizing effective communication and teamwork in-flight situations.
4. "Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying" by Wolfgang Langewiesche:
   
   • A classic book on the art and science of flying, offering practical and intuitive insights into aviation.
5. "Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel" by Patrick Smith:
   
   • Covers a broad range of topics on travel and aviation, providing interesting insights into flight from a pilot's perspective.
6. "Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators" by H. H. Hurt:
   
   • A book with specialized and in-depth content on aerodynamics, enhancing your understanding of flight performance.
7. "The Killing Zone: How & Why Pilots Die" by Paul A. Craig:
   
   • Emphasizes safe flying practices and provides insights into safety-related incidents.
8. "Weather Flying" by Robert N. Buck:
   
   • Contains crucial information for safe flying in various weather conditions.
9. "Say Again, Please: Guide to Radio Communications" by Bob Gardner:
   
   • Offers important guidance and advice on radio communications.
10. "Airline Transport Pilot Test Prep" by ASA Test Prep Board:
    
    • Useful for preparing for the ATP exam with practical practice questions and explanations.