Good books for PPL?

WindyCityPilot

WindyCityPilot

Well-Known Member
What is everyone's opinion for good books to get to study for my PPL training? I have a friend who used the "Private Pilot Manual" from Jeppesen as well as a book from Gleim that has a big pool of questions for the written exam. Are these good study sources? What have some of you JC'ers used and what did you like/dislike about them?

Also I what is the best way to go as far as the E6B flight computer....the old school model or one of the electronic ones? Is good to learn with the old version then move on to the electronic version once you understand the old one?

Thanks again to everyone for all the info you have provided me thus far! This board is awesome!
grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have a friend who used the "Private Pilot Manual" from Jeppesen as well as a book from Gleim that has a big pool of questions for the written exam.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I used...ok, I didn't use the Gleim for my private....didn't even know what it was. I used computer test prep software. Way better than the book.

[ QUOTE ]

Also I what is the best way to go as far as the E6B flight computer....the old school model or one of the electronic ones? Is good to learn with the old version then move on to the electronic version once you understand the old one?

[/ QUOTE ]

Why understand the old one if you're going to use the new one? Really, although I know it's tearing some people up to read this, just go with the electronic one. If you should decide later on to become a CFI, then you can learn the old one. Otherwise, I really see no point.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I know it's tearing some people up to read this, just go with the electronic one. If you should decide later on to become a CFI, then you can learn the old one. Otherwise, I really see no point.

[/ QUOTE ]

Other than the fact that it costs 4x as much and does the exact same thing
wink.gif


For books, the Jepp one is nice if you like pictures (like me); to really understand it though go with Rod Machado's book.
 
Thanks for the feedback! Which Rod Machado book are you referring to? I've seen a few of his out there. By the way....nice article in Flying magazine!

What else is being used or has been used out there?
 
Hi--
A great book that I am now using in addition to Jepp stuff;
It is called the Airplane Flying Manual (I think), but it is definitely published by the FAA. It has the golden gate bridge on the front as well as some airplanes (who knew?) ... It was fairly inexpensive and has lots of good info on maneuvers. It also has a sections on transistioning to twins/seaplanes, etc.
If anyone can verify that I got the name right, I'd appreciate it (don't have my books with me right now).
 
Thanks!
smile.gif


I was talking about 'Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook'.

Also the new Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA) looks pretty good now that it's been updated.
 
For passing the written, the Gleim books can't be beat.

Beyond that, I thought the FAA handbooks were great: for PPL, Airplane Flying Handbook and Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge. I was worried about them being ridden with verbose, flowery, bureaucratic language, but was pleasantly surprised with how easy to read and digest they were. Great illustrations and succinct writing.

On the other end, I started reading ASA's Complete Private Pilot book by Bob Gardner, but only got about a third of the way through. Really did not like it. Maybe I was just having a bad day (or days) but I just couldn't wrap my head around some of the things in there. Difficult to process.

Edit: Oh, and as JJM pointed out, the FAA handbooks do seem to be, on average, less expensive than comparative books.
 
1) Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook
2) The Gleim Written Test Book
3) The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook
 
I used Jeppesen for Private, Instrument, and Commercial. And throw in there the Jepp software for test study, which follows right in line with their printed books (and actually includes the entire written text on the CD) and makes the test practice much easier.

Unfortunately, they don't produce their software for the CFI writtens, so I went with Gliem books to help on those. Ok, but just the same as the Jepp books I got with the kits I got for the other ratings, and I don't like flipping pages.

Speaking of kits, Jeppesen has a complete kit, has all the books you'll need, a flight bag, and costs around $120 I think. They throw in an E6B, and a plotter, and a PTS, and a few other things that are useful if you have nothing to start with.

Lately, I've been reading 'The Flight Instructor's Manual' by Willaim Kershner, and gotta say, it is right on par with the quality of the books Rod has (though Rod has some good cartoon-type drawings in his books
smile.gif
). I see on the back of the book, he has "The Student Pilot's Flight Manual".

There is a lot of good stuff out there to learn from. Some better than others. Not too many that are really bad. What may help is find out what your instructor likes to use, and go with that. The FBO or the instructor you use likely have a 'brand' they prefer to teach from.

Or, ask around. Those that don't go on to other ratings may not want to keep their books. Save some $$ there.

Finally, I strongly encourage you to check ebay. Search for 'jeppesen' or 'gleim' or 'asa' or 'private pilot' and you'll find a ton of stuff much cheaper than retail, if you can wait a few days to get a good deal.
 
Awesome info Josh! I figured most of the material available out there is decent...it's just a matter of finding which publisher suits your learning style. It's always good to hear it from people who have been there and done it!
 
Are those Gleim private pilot training kits worth getting? More
importantly are they worth the $100 they cost or is it better
to just piece together what you need?
 
I agree with Ed on the Rod Machado book. It is a great book. It will be something you can use through your commercial and CFI as well.
 
Another vote for the Machado book here. I used the Jepp PPL and Gleim books for my private, and I discovered the Machado book afterwards. For my instrument (in case anyone cares) I used the Jepp. Gleim, and Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual. I HIGHLY recommend the last one, even to experienced IFR pilots.
 
I like the Jepp kits. They are not cheap, but they are worth every penny. From the textbook itself to the test prep for both the flight test and the written to the illustrated guide to manuevers, everything they put together is very high quality and I highly recommend it.
 
Oh, forgot to mention, Gleim books typically used are not really used for learning. They are more of a written test passing aid. So you aren't going to "learn" anything more than test questions and answers. In fact, some phrase to that effect is printed in the book. They do have some 'manual' type of books in their kits, but that is not what the post here refer to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top