(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best piloting & flight instruction manuals

That is a bunch of questions :P I'll try to hit all of them.

I'm going to assume that you are in the US, at least for some more specific pieces of advice. I also hope you read my reply to dprimedx, because a lot of what I said there applies, in general, to you. At least in terms of getting into a grad school and making yourself look good.

>Do designing and (somewhat) building go together automatically or >will I have to approach it in a certain way to attain the type of job I >want?

They do not automatically go together, unfortunately. Aerospace projects are, typically, very large. It's not common for a designer of the big sexy things to have any part in the building. Exceptions are smaller companies, such as Scaled Composites or any of the private space companies. Robotics may also offer some design and build opportunities, and that includes UAV companies.

If you are really set on being able to design and build, I would focus on UAV design and control. There are numerous labs in the US (Georgia Tech, Maryland, Penn State, University of Kansas, Wichita State, I think one in Wiscoson?, etc.) that develop UAVs. These labs will tend to focus on the controls aspect, since that's the tough part about UAVs. Dr. Johnson's lab here at GT is currently building micro UAVs and testing them with different controls. You may have also seen videos of the quadrotors flying through windows and all that sexiness, that's a similar kind of thing (but I forget where it's at).

Since you are an applied math major, here's how I think you could use that to your advantage. Study neural nets, study control theory in your spare time. Get familiar with the general concepts and then start getting more particular in your understanding. Look at the book I recommended to dprimedx, it will orient you better to how airplanes work, and also to the design process. Those things you won't have coming in to grad school in a formal sense, so anything you can do to build your engineering intuition and understanding will be highly beneficial. Also, find THIS BOOK. It's not perfect, but it will give you a crash course in aerospace concepts. It will also familiarize you will all the different sub-disciplines.

Summary: UAVs is the best place, IMO, for doing both design and build. Specializing in controls will probably get you a good chance to get into a lab that does UAVs. That's certainly not exclusive, though. Don't be afraid to call up a department and ask them questions. Grad schools like self-motivated people!

>What type of things does an Aerospace Engineer do day to day in there job? What is the variety of jobs I could get look like?

It depends on their discipline. There's structures, controls, aerodynamics, design, propulsion, flight test, etc.. It also depends where they work. Engineers at large companies may have more specific tasks, and less flexibility. That's dependent on the company, though. I have a little bit of experience working in the Air Force (internship), and I saw people there working on evaluating designs from industry as well as doing air force research into new technologies.

The variety of jobs is pretty big, and most are 'available'. People with a bachelor's in AE can go do pretty much anything, since they've seen all the disciplines. The companies they work for will then provide some more specific training and mentoring for the engineer to orient them to the company and their specific tools/methods/designs. Grad students tend to go work for a company/government in their specific area, which makes sense :P For you, I would say that (depending on where you did grad school, and what grants you had) you'd probably end up working for the people who were funding you. The Army has contracts for micro UAVs, and the Navy also has research into UAVs. They tend to not design their own vehicles. Industry does that, but the military will push research into technologies to make them better.

A sobering note about the industry, though, is that it's pretty sensitive to the economy. Many people do not get their first or second choice of work. They still have the knowledge and engineering smarts to do other things (which is nice), but not everyone gets their dream job. I knew of a gentleman who did his master's in hypersonic propulsion and got a job managing an aircraft maintenance depot for an airline!

>Naturally, my dream job is working with NASA or getting a civilian contract with the Navy, and I will work at those will all my might, but they aren't exactly likely, either. Are there many other government firms worth me looking into?

NASA would be a good place if you like research. Doing research for a living is a great way to keep yourself much closer to the design-build process. I don't know much about the Navy's research structure, but the Army and Air Force both have research opportunities as well. Look up AFRL, AFIT, AMRDEC, and ARL. Consider also that for some of those organizations (and most of the DoD) you could get them to pay for your school in return for working for them right after! Look up the Air Force's "Palace Acquire" and the DoD's SMART program.

>What other ways (or in what other fields) could I apply my degrees?

Many other ways/fields. Engineering, especially grad school, teaches you how to have a structured thought process, to be able to problem solve, make plans of attack, etc. Those skills are useful anywhere. Many engineers go on to management/get an MBA as well. If you are also good with controls, then you could probably cross over into robotics as well!

I hope this helps. Good luck to you :)

If you're starting the training process, the first thing you should start doing is preparing for the knowledge exam, and the PPL test prep book (2020) is the best place to start. These are effectively the questions you'll see on the exam, if not THE questions. Most CFIs/pilots treat this as an SAT score, get >90% and you'll get taken more seriously. You'll need a FAR/AIM, which at first seems daunting but quickly becomes a bedside book. Jeppessen Private Pilot Manual is a good resource which consolidates a lot of the information nicely, and provides nice plots for things that otherwise feel a bit disjointed (e.g. medical certificate requirements, airspace).

Books that are helpful in terms of learning helicopter dynamics, my favorite by far is Principles of Helicopter Flight, as well as Cyclic and Collective. Many people like the Helicopter Flying Handbook, but as someone who knows better (I'm a PhD trained physicist), I found it to be garbage. The authors try to simplify things down to make it accessible to a lay person, but get a lot of things flat out wrong or are just plain sloppy with their descriptions. PoHF on the other hand isn't overly complicated, but provides a very clean and correct description of helicopter dynamcics. Don't be dazzled by the bright colors and pictures in HFH. Learning to Fly Helicopters is one I found to be a fun read, which lightly touches on flight details, but provides a lot of tangential tidbits around real world situations.

Study the Pilot Operating Handbook's for your training helicopter(s)! If you got some spare money, I'd recommend buying them (Robinson's can be found at their website, either free PDF or for purchase for ~$60). As you get closer to your check ride, you'll want to become more familiar with the Practical Test Standards which is the rubric the examiner will test you on, and there's several oral exam guide (general, helicopter) which are quite helpful.

I'd also recommend recording your rides and re-watching them. I did this and it was very helpful to go back and see what was happening, much like a quarterback watching film on Monday morning. You can find my PPL training videos on my YouTube channel, which includes my full check ride!

I also bought other books / resources, but these are effectively the only ones I used for my PPL, and I got 100% on the knowledge exam and also crushed the check ride. Best of luck in your journey!

I see you have the Student flair but I'm not sure how many hours you have under your belt. Is it safe to assume you have some flying hours? I still haven't attained my PPL but I'm at the end (practising for my check-flight test). You remind me of myself at the beginning of my PPL - I wanted to read as many books as I can.

I saw a similar post like yours long time ago on what books to read - top comment was a CFI who strongly recommended the OP to read over & over your aircraft's operator handbook. I'm passing that same advice to you - I just went for my first IFR flight with my CFI from one airport to another. From take-off to the approach, we constantly had zero visibility. It truly made me appreciate the fact that I spent a lot of time reading and understanding all the instruments & switches of the aircraft. Just being comfortable knowing where the "Pitot Heat" switch was without having to scan for it made flying IFR easier. And when in emergency?? You will be glad you have the procedures memorized.

In addition, I found this book "The Killing Zone" to be very informative. I heard the statistics are questionable but if you put the numbers to the side, you will learn a lot of small & valuable tips that can make every flight of yours safer.

Buy this book immediately: http://www.amazon.com/Pilots-Handbook-Aeronautical-Knowledge-FAA-H-8083-25A/dp/1619540207/ref=pd_sim_b_7. It pretty much has everything you want to know about all aspects of flight. Great continuous, repeated read.

After you're flying for a bit, right around when you're at solo status (either pre or post XC), you'll want to get this book: http://www.amazon.com/Visualized-Flight-Maneuvers-Handbook-Handbooks/dp/1560275219/ref=pd_sim_b_48. For your PPL license you'll need to demonstrate a number of maneuvers with proficency, and this is a great reference for all of them.

When you're studying for your PPL written, grab this book:http://www.amazon.com/Private-Pilot-Test-Prep-2014/dp/1560279788/ref=pd_sim_b_23. Helped me a ton.

When you're getting ready for your checkride, get this book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1560279494/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

Also, get an iPad and Foreflight. While you'll hear a ton from pilots about getting started too early with electronics during your training, the main thing to steer clear of is using it for in-flight navigation and relying on it for GPS. You have to learn dead reckoning, pilotage and old(er) school navigation like VORs. It's great for flight planning and the digital charts are incredible but I still plan out my flights using a paper flight plan. Also, it has a documents section that's just fantastic for downloading good FAA reads like the FAR/AIM, your aircraft's POH and a ton of other downloadable documents.

Love to hear some other suggestions.

Self Study for the 2017 - On January 10th I got a 93 on my FAA Private Pilot Written test. I have an independent CFI , have done 4 hours of ground school with him, and he endorsed me to do the self study.



I used the following: 

2017 Private Pilot Test Prep Old School paper book (kindle available) $13.36 http://amzn.to/2jwY29A This book gives you 5 full length tests with a code in front of the book on their ASA site. After the test, my review is that this book is the most closely aligned to the new format for 2017. I used it as my overall syllabus and I jumped off of each chapter to other sources.

Sporty's Study Buddy iPhone/iPad Aviation App (Private Pilot) $9.99 - This has the FAA database questions from the old tests that everyone else has on the internet. However, the format is such that you can do flash cards, short quizzes on individual sections of the FAR/AIM, and full timed tests. The graphics suck and are referring to the old FAA supplement book and they are less than clear especially with the map references. Would I get this again? Yes. I would use this for your first practice test to make a self evaluation.

Videos: I found the following free sites to be helpful and the first one to be a necessity:

Cyndy Hollman on Youtube for FREE!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQMrUsKrhTIx94S9JgkFM2w/videos

(I have never met this lady) Cyndy owns what looks like a flight school in South Carolina called Airwolf Aviation Services. What she lacks in animated presentation she makes up in clear and knowledgeable teaching of the fundamentals of flying. Every time I would read and do the quizzes in the ASA book, I would then watch the corresponding video(s) that Cyndy makes and that pairing was exceptional. Don't ever expect her to break out in a joke, ‘cause she wont. I saw her smile once in a video. Once.

Fly8MA.com https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCWbc38ZLnbvdFiFJKDawCQ

I would go to these guys for my second video to watch after Cyndy. The instructor shows you how to fly and why you are doing it in the cockpit. What I found especially useful was his demonstration of each of the 6pack gauges on a steam cockpit. He takes them out of the dashboard and shows you the inner workings and why they work and what you can do to screw them up. This way, you will never get an instrument question wrong on any test.

MZeroA.com https://www.youtube.com/user/MzeroAFlightTraining

Say what you will there that I have read about Jason, but this guy is solid. Yes, he does come across with his personality as syrup y sweet, but everything he says is good. Late at night while studying, I could not however work with his syrup sweet presentation. He is the opposite of Cyndy Hollman in presentation.

This AMA seems to have died, so I figured I would help out as much as I could (I'm currently training to get my private pilot license).

As far as books, you will definitely want to acquire a FAR/AIM and study parts 91 and 61 specifically. Additionally, my flight instructor owns of copy of this book, which does a fantastic job of explaining things. It would also be a good idea to get a copy of The Jeppesen Private Pilot Manual as your entire private pilot course will almost certainly be based on the Jeppesen curriculum that this book follows chapter by chapter.

I fly Cessna 152's, and climate is controlled by two knobs, one that reads "cabin heat" and another that reads "cabin air". There are also air vents near the top of the windshield for hot days. Be warned, neither the cabin heat nor air are effective until the engines warms up, and even then only marginally so. So if it's frigid outside you will still want to wear a heavy sweatshirt (pilots love their leather jackets) and gloves.

I wish I could give you warning signs about bad instructors, but I seem to have gotten lucky with a very good one. I would say to pay attention to how much they seem to know what they're talking about and how practiced they seem at instructing maneuvers (required airplane configurations, clearing turns, pilot action, etc.) as these are signs of experienced instructors. An instructor who has think about these things or look them up probably isn't very experienced. Also, watch how they land, the more control a pilot has over the plane, the better their landing will be. Talented pilots can touch down and you will hardly even feel it happen.

• Federal Aviation Regulations / Aeronautical Information Manual
  
• Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
  
• Airplane Flying Handbook
  
• Private Pilot Airplane Airmen Certification Standards
  
• Private Pilot Oral Exam Guide
  
  Keep in mind all the information you need to pass is available for free from the FAA. But I like having the books and in the grand scheme of things they're really cheap. The FARs are the regulations you need to know, mostly parts 61 and 91. The AIM has a ton of good information in it as well. All stuff that could show up on your written exam. The PHAK is going to be where a lot of your written material comes from. If you know the information in there forwards and backwards you'll do great.
  
  The ACS is the practical standards to which you'll be judged on the check ride. How close do you need to hold altitude? How close do you need to hold that 45 degree bank angle? All found in the ACS.
  
  The Oral Exam Guide's usefulness will vary based on who gives you your checkride. My DPE literally flipped through his copy of one and picked a few questions out of each section to ask me. If I messed up he stayed in that section longer. If I answered a handful near perfectly that section was done.

I've been studying to get a remote pilot license myself. I grabbed the FAR AIM 2017 book from Amazon, and I've been going over the relevant sections.

The FAA has several resources on its website as well:

Study Guide

Test instructions

Sample questions

Certification standards

Part 107 Advisory Circular

Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge

There is even a training course available.

I attended a conference recently, and this presentation was quite helpful, as well. You'll need either a LinkedIn account or you'll have to sign up with the slideshare website in order to download the slideshow. You can still view it at the link provided, however.

I haven't found any YouTube study guides yet, though I must admit, I haven't been looking for any. I'm sure there's bound to be some out there. There are several pay sites that offer training and test prep, but I believe the FAA has provided plenty of free resources to aid in passing the exam.

Best of luck to you!

The FAA Rotorcraft flying handbook (which is available for free to download) and "the Donk" aka "Principles of helicopter flight" by W.J. Wagtendonk are two books that you will likely encounter during your training and that are commonly recommended.

However, if you aren't attending a flying school yet, I highly recommend
Learning to fly Helicopters by R. Padfield (non-referal link)

The great thing about this book is that it is very readable - unlike the two mentioned above, which are more like school books.

You can hand it to your parents or partner when you are done with it, and they will be able to read it easily, too. It covers the basics very well without getting too technical, and it clears up a lot of the misconceptions the general public might have about helicopters.

My advice would be to acquire this book and this book, and then study them like this. That is what I did and it worked out great for me!

The other thing I would recommend is that once you have learned the basics with you instructor (which may take ~10-15 hours), find a simulator with a yoke - even something like Microsoft Flight Simulator or XPlane - and spend a lot of time working on procedures. I grew up playing MSFS and I realized early after beginning my training that it wasn't all that useful for learning to fly. However, there was quite a bit of value in using it for instrument rating training. In my opinion, simulators are often alot more sensitive than real airplanes, so if you can fly approaches in a sim, a real airplane is a piece of cake. For a couple hundred bucks, you can get a flight simulator setup that will save you a ton of money on real airplanes.

Make sure you have enough saved to complete the training to CFII without stopping for long periods of time in between finance lows.

Just getting your commercial severely worsens your chances of getting a job out of flight school.

I've seen it happen, but the chance are few and far between.

In terms of reading material get yourself a Test Prep Book and start memorizing the correct answers. The knowledge test is silly and your score on it doesn't affect your career at all as long as you pass. Best bet is to memorize the answers until you can pass the test. You won't be missing out on information or not learning stuff, your instructor will ensure you know what you need to know for the checkride. Also as /u/Cropgun mentioned, the Rotorcraft Flying Handbook is a good start. If you get it, don't read into it too seriously, just get yourself familiar with the terms, again, your instructor will teach you what you need to know.

If you can find 8 days on your schedule, do 4 lessons over an 8 day period. Spend as much time in the pattern as possible. There are varying opinions on the merits of early pattern work on this board as I discovered, but you need to have a deep immersion quickly. Put a day between lessons so that your brain can catch up. Then do the globetrotting routine. Watch ALL THE YOUTUBE while you're being flown around. Watch and memorize ALL of Cindy Holman's videos. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0EbtWieMNGzdtQ6fAfAQMiNvxG8F-gX7

Ask your instructor to help you put together a chair flying routine for the pattern. You can fly FOR FREE in the comfort of your hotel room. Feels stupid at first, but it works. Start your script at the ramp, call ground to get taxi clearance, steer with your feet and imagine going to the run-up area. Do the run-up. Hold short of the runway. Everything.

Buy this book and highlight the correct answers: https://www.amazon.com/Private-Pilot-Test-Prep-2018/dp/1619545209/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503585007&sr=8-1&keywords=asa+test+prep+2018

You can do it!!

Radio Mastery for VFR Pilots by Jeff Kanarish was pretty useful:
http://www.amazon.com/Radio-Mastery-VFR-Pilots-Everything/dp/0615723772/

Jeff also hosts atccommunication.com and the podcast "Radar Contact", which you can find on his site. Both are great resources that elaborate on many of the topics in the book.

I found "Radio Mastery for VFR Pilots" to be incredible for getting started on the radio; Jeff does a great job of putting each lesson in the context of real world scenarios. The workbook is useful reinforcement as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Radio-Mastery-VFR-Pilots-Everything/dp/0615723772/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615824234/

The Compleat Taildragger Pilot was a great resource. I re-read it after too much time off from TW flying.

And on the flip side the Jepp Private Pilot book was way too much money when compared to the free FAA materials. Never used it, but did get it. Graphics in it are nice though if preparing CFI lessons plans.

I posted this on another thread with a similar question.

I just took my PPL written the other day and passed with a 90% (I missed some really easy questions which I’m pissed about). I used Private Pilot Test Prep 2018: Study & Prepare: Pass your test and know what is essential to become a safe, competent pilot from the most trusted source in aviation training (Test Prep series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1619545209?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf and the sportys app.

I took practice exams from sportys until I was averaging upper 90s. I also went over their test bank 2-3 times.

In the link I posted make sure you only study the ones related to PPL. There are some questions in there you don’t need to know cause they pertain to sport or glider etc. There’s a code at the start of the book that tells you which ones you need to know for each written. The book also comes with the figures in a separate smaller book for reference (it contains the same pictures from the sportis app) which is the exact reference book I was given for my written.

I highly recommend getting the book because it TEACHES you how to do those math problems you’re having trouble with AND you have a physical copy of the references so you can use a plotter and stuff (you can’t really accurately use a plotter on the app or the web version and they also do a shitty job of explaining solutions step by step.


Good luck.

Low Speed Wind Tunnel Testing


Aerodynamics is a math heavy subject. You're not going to escape it.

There are books geared toward the pilot/hobbyist audience you might find interesting as well like Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators.

I found this one extremely easy to read, and it for sure came in handy.

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Fly-Helicopters-R-Padfield/dp/0071577246

https://www.amazon.com/Visualized-Flight-Maneuvers-Handbook-Handbooks/dp/1560275219 I bought the first edition used. Its good. I was always looking for something specific for a C172 since that is what my school uses. The book has space to fill in numbers specific to your plane. It spells out how to do the maneuvers whereas I feel like the ACS just has what you need to do and to what standards and not how to do them.

Two books worth reading every free moment you get:

• ASA Private Pilot Oral Exam Guide: lots of practice questions
  
• Private Pilot Checkride Preparation and Study Guide: a high-density "Cliffs Notes" type book for quickly reviewing concepts and memory items

Basically just search for whatever is confusing you but here are some of my favorites:
https://www.youtube.com/user/garrywing
https://www.youtube.com/user/MzeroAFlightTraining
https://www.youtube.com/user/undaerocast
https://www.youtube.com/user/FlightChops
https://www.youtube.com/user/KLAviationVideo
https://www.youtube.com/user/kingschoolsvideos

With these links there is no need to purchase anything besides an ASA book for memorizing the stuff that you don't quite understand yet. The written is all about wrote memorization. You'll tie it all together as you progress with your training.

EDIT: The book with all of the possible questions, the answers and brief explanations: http://amzn.com/161954234X

great book, got me through my systems classes at university, made by jeppeson

http://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Systems-Pilots-reprint-JS312686/dp/0884872149

Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators is a great one.

Remember to keep it straight! I highly recommend this book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0963913700/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

Heh, yeah, the Oral part is a bit disconcerting. It's the Instrument Pilot Oral Exam Guide.

When you "sit" your exam for a given pilot certificate (e.g. normal private pilot license, instrument pilot rating, etc.) in the States, it comprises of two parts: an oral exam, which can last anywhere from an hour to 5+, where the DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner) tests all of your areas of knowledge, and then a practical test, where you go out and fly.

So that book is a guide for the instrument rating oral exam. It's very good.

Some people say its fiction

e: More fun reading

I would highly recommend the Airplane Flying Handbook. It changed the way I flight simmed!

or my personal favorite "aircraft systems for pilots"


http://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Systems-Pilots-reprint-JS312686/dp/0884872149

To get an idea of what is possible, look at the WINGS program
https://faasafety.gov/WINGS/pub/learn_more.aspx

You could make a pretty interesting 8-10 hour course based on
https://smile.amazon.com/Killing-Zone-How-Why-Pilots/dp/007136269X/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=The+killing+zone&qid=1562503633&s=gateway&sr=8-6

supplemented with selected NTSB accident reports.

I agree with the others but these are also a MUST in your collection! Don’t let the titles fool you, tons of good info in both. These are the first books you’ll buy if you study aeronautical engineering (source: I’m an aeronautical engineer)

Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Testing

Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators

> line is a bear for me. I can't sit in one place for awhile, so even at home, reading on a laptop that gets hot is killer. I'll spend the money for the print.

ASA publishes the print versions, here's the lazy-link: PHAK, AFH, and the FAR/AIM but it looks like the Gleim kit already has that one.

http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Zone-How-Why-Pilots/dp/007136269X

The same is true for pilots. I bet there's some underlying theme about inexperienced people make mistakes.

I have. I used this book, which includes the FAA Test Booklet. I finished the test in 20 minutes with a 93%. Some questions were identical to the ones in the book because they use the same test booklet.

The FAR/AIM

Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators
http://www.amazon.com/Aerodynamics-Naval-Aviators-00-80T-80-Handbooks/dp/1619540177/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426028269&sr=8-1&keywords=aerodynamics+for+naval+aviators

I read this and it helped a bunch: https://www.amazon.com/Radio-Mastery-VFR-Pilots-Everything/dp/0615723772

Do you live in AZ? If it's reasonable to ship, you can have my copy. I'm in California. PM me.

This is dramatically incorrect. According to The Killing Zone:How and Why Pilots Die, the first 100 hours are actually statistically safer than the next 200 or so hours where complacency begins to sit in. First of all, 40-50 hours are under the care of an instructor and take place during a time when the student is well into "I need to learn" mode. The next 50ish hours seem to, statistically speaking, reflect a safety-mood inertia of sorts from the learning. After 100 and through about 300, however, the curve goes up dramatically as complacency and other killing characteristics come into play.

Please don't push inaccurate statements like "the first 100 hours are the highest risk", it's absolutely unsupported by data and potentially will on ITS OWN contribute to higher mortality as pilots blaze off past 100 hours thinking "Cool, I made it" and start accumulating risk factors.

Not an experienced pilot, but for someone like you I'd recommend The Killing Zone if you haven't already read it.