Good books, with some notes:

Dierking's Building Outrigger Sailing Canoes Excellent reference for building any plywood boat, but you should be careful. This book will seduce you. Gary's an expert on making a single outrigger boat that works, is pretty, and is fast and easy to build. You'll buy the book to read and end up the next weekend heading off to Lowes to buy plywook, and ordering an epoxy kit from Raka. These boats are faster and more capable than anything but quite a big monohull, are simple to build, you can sail them yourself, on most of them you can take someone out with you, it's hard to see why anyone would build a ever build 15' dinghy instead of an Ulua or a Wa'apa, honestly, unless there was a racing class they wanted to get into. Highly recommended.

Payson's Go Build Your Own Boat Very good, very readable, some stuff that I still wonder about. Edge nailing into 1/4" ply, for example. How was that supposed to work? But the basic ideas of get it done fast and go sailing still apply.

Stambaugh's Good Skiffs Good, readable, interesting introduction to traditional heavy skiff construction as well as stitch and glue. The traditional methods are usually ignored, but if I were going to build a skiff I wanted to keep in the water I might pick that. The heavy skiffs sail really well, are enormously strong, are self-righting, they have a lot of advantages.

Andrew C. Marshall's Composite Basics Good intro to composite work. Technical but readable. Good reference.

Gougeon Bro's On Boat Construction Classic, necessary. Very good coverage of all kinds of stuff, really good.

Russell Brown's Epoxy Basics: Working with Epoxy Cleanly & Efficiently Expert level epoxy tricks. This is the stuff that will amaze people at the next messabout. Read the Gougeon Bro.'s book first, then read this.

Michalak's Boatbuilding for Beginners and Beyond Good. Kind of basic stuff, but if you need a book on figuring out centers of effort and basic rudders and boards and stuff it's fine. The boats are plain and kind of simplistic, but they sail fine. For the most part they don't go to windward in any kind of impressive way, but really who wants to be bashing to windward all the time anyway? They're not racing boats, and for dinking around they're great. Don't build his proa; no one ever has, and there's probably a reason for that. The rest of the boats range from fine to quite good (the Laguna is probably the best of his designs).

Bolger's Boats With An Open Mind Classic, great. A must-read. Even if you never build one you'll learn a huge amount from this.

Other Bolger books: 30-Odd Boats, Folding Schooner: And Other Adventures in Boat Design. Anything he wrote is worth reading. I mean, not the novel, but any of his boat books.

Parker's The Sharpie Book Very good intro to sharpies of all sizes.

Little known classics:

A 30', $6,000 Cruising Catamaran : Built, Sailed and Written About Hardcover – 1987 by Roy F. Chandler
I mean, don't pay $48 for it, but if you see a copy in a used bookstore it's worth a few bucks. Some of his 'tricks' for saving money don't translate very well ("My friend gave me this huge bucket of stainless hardware", hey, good idea! I'll try that), but it's a good general outline of turning a worn out racing cat into a small cruising cat on not much money.

Finally, for a lost classic: Chapman 's The Plywood Boatbuilder Vol 41 Excellent and readable look back at what early plywood designs and construction looked like forty years ago. I wouldn't build any of these, there are better designs around now, but it's fascinating to see how the thing developed. Designs for prams and dinghys, sailboats, outboard, runabouts, 47 designs, sailboats from 13 ft to 24 ft.

But really, a great and cheap way to read a lot about boatbuilding is to get hold of old copies of Wooden Boat or some of the other boating publications. You can often pick up a stack cheap or free. In depth articles, lots of pictures, I learned a lot from stacks of ten year old mags people gave me. In fact, I have a big stack of Wooden Boat and some other stuff I need to get rid of right now. Anyone want them? Free to good home, paypal me back the shipping when you get them. Send me a PM if you're interested.

>I'm not sure what kinds of other heavy scientific computing you've done, but CFD is a very difficult field and takes years to understand.

CFD isn't this difficult.

On one side you have partial differential equations (PDEs) describing fluid flow. On the other side you have numerical methods used to solve those PDEs. Put the two together, implement it in code, and you get a rudimentary CFD simulation. For CS students, who typically already have knowledge of numerical methods, coding one of these basic simulations can be done within a semester's worth of focused effort. Venturing into finer, more complex domains and trying to model more advanced flow phenomenons do indeed require years of study, but a beginner -- a 3rd year CS undergrad of all people -- has no need to deal with that stuff when all they want to accomplish is to get their feet wet with the inner workings of the simplest CFD simulation.

So let's not intimidate the poor kid and not oversell the profession. A lot of people love pretending like this stuff is black magic, presumably because it promotes job security, but it just isn't. There are lots of people doing CFD that come from CS and Applied Math backgrounds instead of Engineering or Physics. They all started somewhere. So can the OP.

-------------------------------------

@ /u/AnotherBrownBike

Khan Academy Physics, Fluid Dynamics lectures are your best friend in this.

I would recommend that you start with getting a decent physical understanding of incompressible (also called divergence-free) advection-diffusion equation. This is a simple PDE that describes how particles (or other quantities like energy) are transferred inside a physical system due to the process of diffusion and advection (aka convection). Solving this equation using a numerical solution method for PDEs (such as finite volume or finite element) will allow you to practice the fundamental underpinnings of a CFD code.

Finite Volume methods are more popular in CFD than finite element methods, because they're mathematically easier for people who have a robust understanding of fluid mechanics. That's not going to be the case for you, because you're not studying fluids academically. I would recommend that you focus on finite element methods instead. These are mathematically more challenging -- using them with fluid PDEs require stabilization terms (like SUPG or GLS) to prevent the solution from oscillating. However, the application of finite element methods to fluid PDEs require essentially no knowledge of the physics behind the PDE. It's pure mathematics, and you as a CS student should be well equipped to handle this.

If you're not familiar with finite element methods for solving PDEs, I would strongly recommend starting with a Python library called FEniCS. This is a brilliant finite element solver that allows you to input the bilinear form of your partial differential equation (Google what "bilinear form" is for finite element methods) in Python and generate a solution. This will allow you to practice the mathematics of finite element methods without getting tangled up in the code implementation of the solution process. Solve the Poisson equation first, and then the advection-diffusion.

Simple solvers you might like working with:

EasyCFD -- Educational program intended to teach the basics of a "black-box" CFD solver.

CFD Python -- A Python program designed with a 12-step lesson plan to solving Navier-Stokes equations.

PyFR -- Another Python-based flow solver. Documentation is a bit sparse, so you need an understanding of how CFD works to use it. But once you have that, PyFR's open-source nature allows you to break apart an actual full CFD solver and look at its components before trying to write your own.

Useful literature you might want to check out from your campus library:

White, Fluid Mechanics and/or Cengel and Cimbala, Fluid Mechanics -- Basically the two beginner level fluid mechanics bibles, depending on who you ask. An overwhelming number of engineers out there have had one or the other as their textbook in school. They're both fantastic. Flip a coin.

Moin, Fundamentals of Engineering Numerical Analysis -- Yet another undergraduate bible, this time on numerical methods commonly used by engineers (of all types). It covers material so crucial in all scientific computing that one of my doctoral qualification examiners specifically requested that I know this book from cover to cover.

Anderson, Computational Fluid Dynamics -- Superb introductory book that covers most everything related to CFD. If you're going to buy anything in this list, buy this one.

Hughes, Finite Element Methods -- The bible on finite element methods. The book focuses on structural applications (which do not require stabilization terms) but the mathematics involved are identical regardless of the physics behind the PDE, so this is still a very useful reference.

Zienkiewicz, Taylor and Nithiarasu, Finite Element Method for Fluid Dynamics -- Great supplement to Hughes' book for anyone using FEM on fluid flow. Covers stabilized methods, starting with easy equations (like advection-diffusion) and scaling up all the way to turbulent flows (which you shouldn't bother with right now).

Anderson, Fundamentals of Aerodynamics -- Just putting this down in case you ever need to specifically learn about aerodynamic applications of fluid flow.

Anderson, Introduction to Flight -- Used nationwide as an introductory aerospace engineering book. I recommend it to everybody outside of the industry who wants to work/study in it. Superfluously covers every aspect of the discipline, from structures to propulsion, from aerodynamics to flight control, from aviation to space.

Panton, Incompressible Flow -- Often used as a graduate level book on theoretical fluid mechanics. Focused mathematical approach. Not an easy read, required some prerequisite knowledge of fluid flow (overview of the fundamentals is very brief), but it's the next logical step up when you're ready to take your fluid work further.

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!

Why your plan is awesome

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I really like this topic. Hopefully this isn't so late that it's useless.

Most people will tell you that a home simulator is useless or worse than useless for PPL training. I disagree, provided you use it correctly. Let me break it down a bit. When you're flying, this is basically what's going on:

1. Every 10ms: Adjust control inputs in response to the feeling of the controls.
   
2. Every 100ms: Adjust control inputs in response to the sight picture of the cowling and wings relative to the horizon.
   
3. Every 1-5s: Adjust the sight picture you're trying to achieve based on the information on your instruments.
   
4. Every 1-5m: Check engine instruments, navigation, talk to ATC, etc.
   
   So, that basic model isn't exactly accurate in all phases of flight, but it's a reasonable approximation. Here's the thing. A good desktop sim can teach you all of those but the first one. Why wouldn't you want a tool that can mostly teach you how to fly for $0/hr after setup costs? I did this for my PPL training and had excellent results.
   
   

   How to use a sim effectively
   

   
   You can definitely build terrible habits in a home sim, and that's why they have a bad reputation for PPL students. However, there are some easy things you can do to avoid that.
   
   

• Get your feet wet with the XPlane Learn to Fly tutorial. You'll make lots of mistakes, but starting with something fun will keep you motivated.
  
• Read the PHAK.
  
• Read the AFH. The AFH details all the maneuvers you'll need to learn during PPL training. Learn how to do them in your sim!
  
• Learn how an airplane actually flies. I recommend Stick and Rudder and See How it Flies.
  
• Do not fixate on your instruments! Practice maneuvers with the instruments covered or failed, then check to see how you did. E.g. cover the instruments, do a 360 degree 30 degree bank turn, and then uncover the instruments to see if you gained or lost altitude. Do this until your error is < 50ft. You MUST learn to fly by looking outside.
  
• Don't fly with trim. This is hard in a sim because our yokes are dumb. In a real airplane, you set the yoke where it needs to be and trim until the pressure goes away. The yoke never moves. In a sim, it's a tricky dance where you hold pressure and then slowly ease it back to the center while trimming. It sucks, but it's way better than flying by trim, which will cause endless pitch and altitude oscillations.
  
• Once you can fly a pattern without embarrassing yourself, get online with PilotEdge. Trust me, it's a fantastic training experience and just plain fun.
  
• Once you start real flying lessons, ask your instructor what you'll be covering in each lesson a few days before. Then practice those tasks in the sim beforehand. This will save tons of time in the air because you'll be polishing and transferring skills instead of learning them fresh. For bonus points, practice until you can meet the Airman Certification Standards in the sim where applicable.
  
• Use the sim to practice things that would be unsafe in real life. Engine failure on takeoff? No problem in the sim. Elevator failure? Sure, why not. Lost coms procedure? Hop on PilotEdge and do it.
  
  

  Hardware recommendations:
  

  
  

• Yoke / Joystick: If you'll be flying something with a yoke, I'd get a yoke. I 100% agree with XPlane's recommendation of the CH Eclipse unless you're ready to drop $1500 on an Iris. Saitek's yokes look nicer, but their pitch axis sticks, which is infuriating. It basically makes precise pitch control impossible, which is the single most important part of a yoke.
  
• Rudder pedals: I have the CH rudder pedals and have no complaints except I wish they required a bit more force. I've also used the Saitek pedals, and they're fine too.
  
• Trim Wheel: Unfortunately Saitek discontinued their trim wheel, and it's now a bit pricey used. You definitely need one. I don't have experience with other options.
  
• Throttles: The Saitek throttle quadrant is great, and I love the fact that it comes with a nice row of buttons underneath. Alternately, you can use the throttles built into the yoke. I did that for a while, but found that reaching over the yoke to adjust the throttle was causing strain on my shoulder and giving me headaches.
  
• Head tracking: Not sure if you'll need this with 6 displays. I've got 3 set up for a 180 degree FOV, and I definitely need it. For pattern work, you really need a 270 degree FOV so you can look back at the runway. Also, it's really helpful to be able to lean forward, backward, and side to side so you can spot things that are behind the pillars. Obviously you won't go wrong with a TrackIR, but I've had great success with the DelanClip which is much cheaper.
  
• Switches and radios: Once again, Saitek makes some reasonably nice gear here. IMO this is completely optional for PPL practice.
  
• ATC: A subscription to PilotEdge is AMAZING for learning radio work and how to navigate airspace.
  
  Since you said money is not an issue, you might consider some more expensive hardware options. I have no experience with any of those, but they sure look nice :)

1. Determine where you are. This has an impact on requirements for boat registration, insurance, fire extinguishers, what PFDs you carry, possibly a license for the VHF, and possibly some sort of safe boating credential.
   
   
2. Make sure your boat won't sink on you. This means carefully checking all the thru-hulls to make sure they operate smoothly, are in good shape, and keeping them closed when not in use. It also means ensuring the automatic bilge pump is working, and that there's enough power to run it, either in the batteries or from shore.
   
   
3. Make sure your boat won't leave you stranded. Make sure the engine is in good shape and runs smoothly, make sure the steering cables look OK, check all the standing and running rigging, etc. Ideally the boat will have a binder documenting where everything is, when maintenance was performed, and also how old things are (e.g. your standing rigging probably has a service lifetime of 10-12 years).
   
   
4. Clean your boat. Seriously! Power wash it, sand it, paint it, polish it, whichever everything needs. Make it look like new. Not only will you feel better living on it and sailing it, but you'll get familiar with the state of everything and know what will be next up for maintenance or repair. Depending on how things are, set aside time regularly to clean or polish something at random. Ideally it's before things show wear; that's the best way to keep things that way.
   
   
5. Go over the electrical systems very carefully. Better, get a professional. You will want to know how much power you are likely to draw (think instruments, radar, refrigeration, radio, lights, water pumps, etc.) and make sure you have sufficient battery capacity, that the batteries are of the correct type and in good shape, and that the wiring done safely according to the proper standards (and ideally slightly over-spec'd; boats are no place for a fire). Finally, everything should be easy to follow and clearly labelled.
   
   
6. Ditto for the plumbing, etc. You'll need to determine your local pump-out facility, know how to check your holding tanks, etc.
   
   
7. Assuming you have a stove aboard, always switch it off at the solenoid, let the flame go out, and only then turn off the stove (again, fire bad!).
   
   
8. Learn how to use the VHF and what the local channels and rules are. Much is standardized, but some is local.
   
   Resources:
   
   

• Assuming it has a diesel, I'm told this is a very good resource: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071475354
  
• For sailing, you probably want a copy of this: https://www.amazon.com/Annapolis-Book-Seamanship-Fourth/dp/1451650191
  
• Get a copy of the ColRegs and local rules. This covers the rules of the road as well as lighting and other requirements. For example, the USCG publishes the local and international ones side-by-side here: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/index.php?pageName=NavRulesAmalgamated (by treaty, local rules will usually be similar to the international ColRegs).
  
• The RYA has a nice VHF textbook that covers DSC as well; it's mostly correct and the only items that might not apply are the UK-specific radio channels. The USCG radiotelephone handbook is also useful.
  
• Once you've sorted out the basics, the "Sailing Virgins" channel on Youtube isn't that bad; they have some nice (and concise!) videos on various techniques.

1. I never went to one of the pilot mill schools, so I don't really have an opinion. I did call them once a few years ago to ask about their multi engine rating program - which I believe has since been discontinued as an a la carte option - and the guy on the phone was a prick who seemed to think that a $6,000 multi engine rating was the cheapest I would find and that everyone takes out loans so I should too. That didn't sit well with me at all. Anyways, I have heard good and bad things about them. From what I have heard, you will do better there if you are very self-driven and can put up with sleeping, eating, breathing, and pissing airplanes for 6 or 7 months straight. They don't seem to be too bad of a deal in this hiring environment.
   
   
2. Glass cockpits are just more expensive. Some people will argue that "Everyone is going to glass and to stay competitive you need to know how to use it..." and to that, I say that you can go buy Microsoft Flight Simulator for $30 and you will have glass cockpits in there that are nearly identical to the real deal and you can learn them that way for now. More importantly though, for you Private Pilots License, you need to spend nearly all your time looking outside the airplane. The glass will invite you to stare at it because it is cool and powerful, but that will only hinder your abilities right now. IF you do want to go glass, wait until your instrument rating... and even then I would encourage you to get your IR in an airplane with no glass. It is MUCH easier to go to glass on instruments than to try to figure out how to fly a DME arc on analogue when you learned on glass. Heck, I did my IR training in an airplane with no glass, no GPS, and no distance measuring equipment, so we had to time all of our approaches or use cross radials and beacons. No, that was not in 1960 either - that was in 2015. I didn't care for it at the time but I am much more confident because of it.
   
   
3. All the Private Pilot books located here as well as Stick and Rudder. In that first link you can also find free PDFs of the FAA publications or buy them (which I would personally recommend, as having the physical book is much better).
   
   
4. Other questions would be anything that you are curious about. Let them know your priorities and see if they think you would be a good fit. When you get with an instructor, also let them know your priorities. If they are able to and are decent people, they will try to accommodate you. For example, I told my instructor during PPL training that money was very tight and that I wanted to be as efficient as possible so she told me that she would do what she could to minimize billable hours so long as I showed up 150% ready to go and studied up. Your instructor won't be able to help you with your needs - whatever they are - unless they know about them.
   
   
5. My John Travolta status dream would be to own and fly a battleship gray United 737-500 and I think that is because that was my earliest memory of airplanes, what I grew up on, and what flew over my house as a kid. That color scheme just wins and there is nothing today that even comes close to looking that cool. If I were to have a realistic dream flying job... I am not too sure. I've learned that the specific airplane is not so important. I would rather have good quality of life that involves being home nearly every night (maybe Hawaii/South Pacific/Europe a few times a year) and live somewhere like Central Oregon while being paid well. If I had those requirements met, it doesn't matter what I am flying, though I would prefer a jet of some kind. I think Falcons are cool, as are Globals, CJs, BBJs, and Gulfstreams.

/u/another_user_name posted this list a while back. Actual aerospace textbooks are towards the bottom but you'll need a working knowledge of the prereqs first.

Non-core/Pre-reqs:

Mathematics:

Calculus.

1-4) Calculus, Stewart -- This is a very common book and I felt it was ok, but there's mixed opinions about it. Try to get a cheap, used copy.

1-4) Calculus, A New Horizon, Anton -- This is highly valued by many people, but I haven't read it.

1-4) Essential Calculus With Applications, Silverman -- Dover book.

More discussion in this reddit thread.

Linear Algebra

3) Linear Algebra and Its Applications,Lay -- I had this one in school. I think it was decent.

3) Linear Algebra, Shilov -- Dover book.

Differential Equations

4) An Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations, Coddington -- Dover book, highly reviewed on Amazon.

G) Partial Differential Equations, Evans

G) Partial Differential Equations For Scientists and Engineers, Farlow

More discussion here.

Numerical Analysis

5) Numerical Analysis, Burden and Faires

Chemistry:

1. General Chemistry, Pauling is a good, low cost choice. I'm not sure what we used in school.
   
   

   Physics:
   

   
   2-4) Physics, Cutnel -- This was highly recommended, but I've not read it.
   
   

   Programming:
   

   
   

   Introductory Programming
   

   
   Programming is becoming unavoidable as an engineering skill. I think Python is a strong introductory language that's got a lot of uses in industry.
   
   

2. Learning Python, Lutz
   
   
3. Learn Python the Hard Way, Shaw -- Gaining popularity, also free online.
   
   

   Core Curriculum:
   

   
   

   Introduction:
   

   
   

4. Introduction to Flight, Anderson
   
   

   Aerodynamics:
   

   
   

5. Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, Fox, Pritchard McDonald
   
   
6. Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, Anderson
   
   
7. Theory of Wing Sections, Abbot and von Doenhoff -- Dover book, but very good for what it is.
   
   
8. Aerodynamics for Engineers, Bertin and Cummings -- Didn't use this as the text (used Anderson instead) but it's got more on stuff like Vortex Lattice Methods.
   
   
9. Modern Compressible Flow: With Historical Perspective, Anderson
   
   
10. Computational Fluid Dynamics, Anderson
    
    

    Thermodynamics, Heat transfer and Propulsion:
    

    
    

11. Introduction to Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer, Cengel
    
    
12. Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion, Hill and Peterson
    
    

    Flight Mechanics, Stability and Control
    

    
    5+) Flight Stability and Automatic Control, Nelson
    
    5+)[Performance, Stability, Dynamics, and Control of Airplanes, Second Edition](http://www.amazon.com/Performance-Stability-Dynamics-Airplanes-Education/dp/1563475839/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315534435&sr=8-1, Pamadi) -- I gather this is better than Nelson
    
    

13. Airplane Aerodynamics and Performance, Roskam and Lan
    
    

    Engineering Mechanics and Structures:
    

    
    3-4) Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics, Hibbeler
    
    

14. Mechanics of Materials, Hibbeler
    
    
15. Mechanical Vibrations, Rao
    
    
16. Practical Stress Analysis for Design Engineers: Design & Analysis of Aerospace Vehicle Structures, Flabel
    
    6-8) Analysis and Design of Flight Vehicle Structures, Bruhn -- A good reference, never really used it as a text.
    
    
17. An Introduction to the Finite Element Method, Reddy
    
    G) Introduction to the Mechanics of a Continuous Medium, Malvern
    
    G) Fracture Mechanics, Anderson
    
    G) Mechanics of Composite Materials, Jones
    
    

    Electrical Engineering
    

    
    

18. Electrical Engineering Principles and Applications, Hambley
    
    

    Design and Optimization
    

    
    

19. Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design, Nicolai and Carinchner
    
    
20. Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach, Raymer
    
    
21. Engineering Optimization: Theory and Practice, Rao
    
    

    Space Systems
    

    
    

22. Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications, Vallado
    
    
23. Introduction to Space Dynamics, Thomson -- Dover book
    
    
24. Orbital Mechanics, Prussing and Conway
    
    
25. Fundamentals of Astrodynamics, Bate, Mueller and White
    
    
26. Space Mission Analysis and Design, Wertz and Larson

For what it is worth, I had done a good chunk of my PPL work back in 1993/94 and had a very long gap when I started up again in 2014. The first couple hours in the plane/radio were comical, but it only took about four hours before they cut me loose to solo xc again. Once you have your license, you don't lose it - but you do need to do an every other year review with an instructor (or add a rating) so he is due for his biannual review.

They did switch to a plastic license, so have him spend the $2 and fill out the form to get the updated version. The paper license is no longer valid. (do this sooner rather than later)

The medical could be easy, or could be a blocker. If he is taking meds for blood pressure or an array of other FAA issue items, that may prevent him from flying without spending a bunch of money on testing.

Were I him trying to do it cheap...

• I'd look for a place that is doing PPL ground school. My home base ran a 'free if you attended most the sessions' setup. It would be good review for the new airspaces and other things he will need in his biannual review. Of of the King/sporties/etc videos might be worth the $100 or so too.
  
  
• Get a picture of the cockpit he wants to fly in and a copy of the checklists. Be familiar with the procedures and be able to chair fly the maneuvers. Know the core V... numbers for the airplane, fuel burn, weight and balances.
  
  
• If his home field is towered, see if there is a liveatc.net streaming of the radio traffic. I found a copy of Say Again Please was really helpful for getting on the radio too. If there is no tower, a good handheld radio makes a great gift idea.
  
  ... and then schedule time with an instructor to actually fly. Things get expensive when people try to learn/remember these sorts of things while burning 100LL.
  
  One of the biggest changes are the hand held gadgets available to him. An ipad mini/gps with foreflight provides an amazing amount of information for planning and executing a flight. (Another great gift idea) There are some android options too, but one of the best is only available on IOS.

I found that Stick and Rudder is a good book on actually flying the plane. There are some technical inaccuracies (I'm an engineer so this bothers me, but others it might not so much) but it is a great for pilotage and helping with getting a feel for the plane. It's also a very good introductory book for flying, nothing too technical, just flying.

You can always study and take your written exam, many people think this should wait till you have some flight experience and that definitely helps, but you could still take it. The FAA manuals linked by /u/theygoup are good and free but boring. Rod Machado's PPL Book has similar information but is a little easier to read and has lots of really corny jokes, only $40 or $60 bucks, I refer to it much more often than the FAA manuals.

Sims could never hold my attention very long but I imagine there is some benefit to them, even if it's just instrument prep.

EDIT: I forgot, get a copy of the FAR/AIM from sporty's or someone (I prefer a print copy) or just refer to the online version. A lot of good information is there

Please dont take offense to this, but from your post, I honestly cant tell if you are serious or a troll. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say you are serious.

If so, I would strongly advise starting on a smaller displacement bike. Too much power applied at the wrong time could result in a very expensive pile of twisted metal and broken plastic, not to mention a twisted and broken rider. A smaller bike will give you the time to build up your skills and confidence before you get the growling beast you really want.

Chances are you're going to probably ignore that advice. When I was buying my first bike, I knew I wanted something that I'd be able to ride for a long time without out-growing it in a couple of months. Plus I knew I didnt have the money to buy another bike later. I wanted the big machine NOW. But trust me, starting small is MUCH better than starting big and trying to get used to it as you are learning how to ride. Not to mention that starting small means a less expensive bike, so you can spend some of that budgeted money on gear and training without feeling quite so broke.

As for the MSF, TAKE THE CLASS. Its a structured environment, showing you exactly why and how you should ride. Unless your friend is an instructor, chances are they are going to give you some advise that will probably end up getting you hurt the minute you encounter something you were't told.

Just know that after taking the MSF course, you are really only skilled enough to ride in a parking lot. The transition from classroom to street can be a real eye-opener. Dont think you know everything there is to know because you have the endorsement on your license. Its going to take a lot of practice to even begin feeling confident.

Start reading. Get a copy of "Proficient Motorcycling" and read it cover-to-cover. Then read it again.

You might also want to get a copy of the DVD "Ride Like A Pro". The skills shown in this video are very helpful for new riders. Especially if on a cruiser.

Practice Practice Practice! Spend some hours in a parking lot working on your aggressive braking, slow slalom, and all the other stuff shown in the Ride Like A Pro video. The time you spend in the parking lot will greatly improve your survival chances on the road.

If you are hard-set on getting a cruiser, understand a little about the concept of rake and trail. The longer the rake (the more the front wheel sticks out from the bike) the more difficult its going to be to turn. Especially when you are a new rider. Shorter rake = quicker turning with less effort. This is not to say that turning a cruiser is going to be tough, but its much different than a bike with a shorter rake.


And finally, GET SOME GOOD GEAR. Dont buy into the idea that since you are a cruiser you have to look like a typical cruiser rider. You probably see lots of guys riding in the standard cruiser uniform: denim vest, half helmet, etc. IGNORE THAT. Understand that when you go down, you are going to want something that is going to keep you out of the hospital as much as possible. Armor up.

Good luck!

I've kind of amassed a library. I'm a rank amateur, but here's what I've found helpful in at least orienting myself so far (I'm still working my way through these on a "total readthrough" basis, but I've flipped through and skimmed all of them) in the order that you should probably read them. Also, I've spent the last six months skulking around every sailing forum on the Internet.

I've found the greatest barrier of sailing for someone trying to get into it for the first time is understanding the language, and the second greatest is understanding the mechanical workings of the rig and how it physically interacts with the wind. These books have been super helpful in that respect. I can't speak to how much in the way of practical skill they may have imparted, but I know infinitely more about the subject than I did a few months ago.

• The Complete Sailor, Second Edition (mentioned already)
  
• The Sailing Handbook
  
• Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual
  
• The Sailmaker's Apprentice
  
• The Complete Rigger's Apprentice
  
• The Gaff Rig Handbook
  
• Hand, Reef, and Steer
  
  Those last two are because I despearately want a Gaff rig. If you're not planning on ever dealing with a Gaffer, you don't need them at all. If you only want to buy one of the books on the list, make it The Complete Sailor.
  
  There's also a bunch of online resources, such as about.com's "how to sail a small sailboat" article and ESPECIALLY the boating section of Animated Knots which can teach you a ton of knots.
  
  Hope that helps!

Then definitely go for it.

Pick up (or get it from the library) a copy of Introduction to Flight by John Anderson (you can also get the international version on ebay for like $40-50). It was (is?) the book used in MAE 262, which would be your first aero specific class. It's actually a useful text even if it's not still used. We ended up looking up a lot of things in it during senior design.

Regardless of which major you end up in, get involved with a club like the Aerial Robotics Club, Rocketry, AIAA, ASME, Wolfpack Motorsports. They all look good on a resume, especially if you end up in a leadership role, and they're also lots of fun and a great way to put what you've learned into practice and a way to learn things you wouldn't learn in class. ARC and Rocketry would also be useful for aero senior design.

Also, get a co-op or internship as soon as possible and keep getting them until you graduate. They help a lot when looking for a job.

If you end up in aero, AIAA meetings are a great place to meet and network with people from industry. They have speakers fairly often and sometimes the speakers are there specifically to recruit.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

Hi, great that you're taking an interest to get him a book on cartography. I've recently began doing the same, and books are definitely superior over wikipedia etc.

• 'Great Maps' by Jerry Brotton: Very accessible, kind of a coffee table book that you can look into when you have some minutes to spend.
  
  
• 'A history of the world in 12 maps' by Jerry Brotton: Bought this one together with 'Great Maps'. Gives a more academic point of view on maps and on their origins/purposes. Haven't finished it yet though. Kind of unaccessible because there aren't really maps included (some maps, but pictures are way too small). Definitely recommend it, in combo with 'Great Maps'.
  
  
• As /u/churizurd mentioned, Atlas of Remote Islands is pretty fun too. Pricing seems kind of strange on Amazon (1130$ for paperback lolwat)
  
  
• Transit maps of the world is on my wishlist, looks cool

• Aerodynamics: Anything written by John Anderson. Specifically Fundamentals of Aerodynamics is a good general text. I have every book he's written and they're all pillars of excellent teaching. If you're just looking to get started, I teach incoming freshmen from his Introduction to Flight book which is very easy to pick up regardless of your level of knowledge.
  
  
• Jet Propulsion: Aircraft Propulsion by Saeed Farokhi. Don't let the name scare you away. This book is my engine bible. He's an excellent professor and his book is a labor of love.
  
  
• Rocket Propulsion: Rocket Propulsion Elements by Sutton & Biblarz is the standard and is the reference I keep on hand for rocket data and theory.
  
  
• Aircraft Design: Jan Roskam's Aircraft Design Series (8 books) contain an amazing wealth of information and serve as a 'cookbook' for aircraft design. Some of the information is dated and it's not always easy to read, but it's the only place you'll find a lot of the information. As a second reference, I keep Nicolai's Fundamentals of Aircraft & Airship Design Part 1 on hand as well. It's very easy to read and I feel it's superior in approach and presentation to Raymer's Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach which is what I originally learned from.

I learned a lot from Power Squadron classes, but that was more about navigation and safety than maintenance. Very useful however. It will put you in touch with a bunch of great folks who will love to chat maintenance. Other than that, I got the Nigel Calder book (http://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-Essential/dp/0071432388/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373317120&sr=1-1) and chatted up everyone in the Marina.

Also check out the Wollaston Yacht Club in Quincy. It's got a bunch very cool down to earth folks who love boats, boating, and maybe beer.

You can do that with the Ninja 250. It's all practice. Like V_Glaz_Dam mentioned you should watch the Twist of Wrist 2 series.

Here's something I wrote for one of my friends.

For books, I personally like this one the most. I feel like Nick took a lot information from the Twist of the Wrist books and made it more modern.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1893618072/ref=oh_o02_s01_i00_details



But I also learned a lot from Lee Park's book. Lee Park hosts a rider school where he runs over all the drills in his book and helps with rider technique. You have to google the class schedules but he comes around California at least once or twice a year.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0760314039/ref=oh_o04_s00_i00_details



The there is the Twist of the Wrist series
http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Motorcycle-Roadracers-Handbook/dp/0965045013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330372612&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Twist-Wrist-Basics-High-Performance-Motorcycle/dp/0965045021/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1330372612&sr=8-2

I haven't read those books but the Twist of Wrist II videos are on youtube so you can check them out.



The last book I would recommend is Proficient Motorcycling. I highly recommended reading that one because it focuses a lot on general riding. Techniques that everyone should learn just to stay alive riding on the road. The book can be found at some libraries so you can save some money by just loaning it.
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330372534&sr=1-1-spell

The rest is all practice.
Also youtube "ninja 250 track" and you'll see a bunch of videos of guys racing their 250s on the track.

I wouldn't get on a track until you are at least familiar with your motorcycle. Get some miles under your belt before you decide to do it. After you are comfortable on your bike I would try to hook up with some local riders who are better than you. That way you can talk to them and learn from their experience. But remember to take most advice with a grain of salt. I personally use meetup.com to meet a lot of other guys to ride with.

Warning long post.

It sounds blasphemous on a Motorcycle thread to suggest getting a car first, but I completely agree that a cage will help in learning street and vehicle laws which is the foundation of any good driver or rider. An automatic car is simple to drive. You push the pedal and the car goes forward. I understand you're a bit terrified of driving a car but on a motorcycle you have to deal with staying in the proper gear, utilizing the clutch lever, balancing your bike at low speeds, while avoid crashing with blind drivers that say they didn't see you. Also bike theft is pretty common if you live in a city. Learning in a car first removes all the stress factors you will encounter on a bike to fully understand road and safety laws.

Can I suggest a motorized scooter? They are easy to handle and forgiving in power and they will still get you from point A to B while removing the clutch and gear factor. It will also prepare you for when you do upgrade to a motorbike because you will have had experience dealing with cars on the road. It was a scary experience when I transitioned from car to motorcycle because I no longer felt protected by several feet of steel.

If you're dead set on getting a motorized bike read below:

Buy the book Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. Take an MSF class, usually $250 USD but since you're under 21 you can take it for $150. I also believe MSF is mandatory for those under 18 in several states and even if it wasn't, it's a 100x easier than taking the behind the wheel test at the DMV. Completing the MSF course is your behind the wheel test. Not only do you get to ride for two days, it will help you decide whether you want a bike or not. I knew biking was for me because I was practically speeding with a grin on my face during the bike exam. It was during the quick-stop test but I really wanted to know how fast I could brake since we were in a controlled environment.

For your first bike, please please please buy it used, don't be stupid like me, I didn't drop my bike but it is very possible and I had a few close encounters (at low speeds no less). Also I outgrew the power, I commute on highway a lot and half the time I couldn't keep up with traffic. You maybe lighter than me so a 250 could definitely serve your needs. I'm not sure of your height but if you want to be able to flatfoot a bike (which does give confidence to new riders) a Honda Rebel 250 cruiser could good. For sportbikes I suggest a CBR250R or Ninja 250. If you like the cafe racer/standard look try to find a Suzuki TU250X if it's legal in your state.

TL;DR: You should get a car first otherwise read Proficient Motorcycling and take MSF.

I'm sure you already are but if not, start keeping eyes on the local used boat market. Wait and watch then pick your pitch. If it's too good to be true, it probably is BUT there are motivated sellers. People buy 2nd boats before selling their current one all the time, people inherit boats they can't afford upkeep on, people leave them at boat yards. This is especially true for smaller and older boats where the annual storage and upkeep can exceed the value of the boat itself.

Set up a separate bank account and figure out your annual cost of ownership. Start getting used to setting that money aside automatically each month. It'll give you a head start on your sinking fund so any early upgrades or repairs don't sting as much.

I watched and saved for 3 years until I was able to make a late-season steal on a well cared for Cal 2-25. Owner bought it for 6k, was paying 3500 for a slip and 1600 for winter storage. He was asking 5k but I waited until late in the season and offered 3400 pointing out the fact that he's breaking even on asking price by avoiding the looking winter storage. We settled on 3800 and we took ownership with 2+ months of the sailing season left.

While you're preparing, read the following books:

• Buy, Outfit, Sail: How To Inexpensively and Safely Buy, Outfit, and Sail a Small Vessel Around the World https://www.amazon.com/dp/1456310038/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Hi8YzbQ3KFZYY
  
• Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo (International Marine-RMP) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071462848/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lj8YzbYPNZDPR

1. Get a small bike to start with. Most bikes are really overpowered, and frankly dangerous for new riders. A 1000cc Bolt probably isn't the best bike to start on, even if it is marketed as a "starter" cruiser. A lighter weight bike will be easier to handle and learn on, and much more enjoyable to ride as you start. You simply don't need that much displacement or weight. Start with a lightweight, low displacement bike that is easy to handle. Think easy to ride, reliable, inexpensive and easy to get parts for when you inevitably take a spill. Here is a good summary of better options. I've been riding for 30 years, and still prefer small, lower displacement bikes.
   
2. Buy good gear. Invest in a full face helmet, jacket, gloves, pants and boots. The cost of gear will be far less than the cost of medical care, and gear is especially important for a new rider. You will fall early on. Brain bucket style helmets don't cover the part of your head that is the most common point of impact. Impact Zones.
   
3. Take the MSF beginner course. It offers good practice in a controlled environment and will teach you basic safety.
   
4. Read up. There are some outstanding books that discuss the importance of the right approach to riding. Not so much technique, which is important, but the right mindset of riding defensively. [David Hough's Proficient Motorcycling] (http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359) books are outstanding.
   
5. Read more. There are some important motorcycle safety studies out there that can tell you a lot about safe riding techniques. Read [the Hurt Report and the MAIDS Report] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_safety) and see what you can learn.

Depends how much knowledge you're starting with. There are plenty of books. And lots of simulation software. I'm pretty sure you can even take classes, including the official ground school classes, and even flying lessons. The only age limit is on actually getting your license to fly solo, you can still fly dual (With an instructor) at any age. Of course, this gets expensive, and young age tends to limit your budget unless your parents are very supportive and generous.

That said I would say start with books and software. For books, assuming you are in the USA, the FAA publishes lots of free resources and here are some other useful suggestions. I am also a fan of From The Ground Up which is actually used as the official training manual in Canada (but this is the US edition).

For software, either Microsoft Flight Simulator or X-Plane are excellent choices. Once you have a little more experience, both can connect to the VATSIM network, which is a group of volunteer air traffic controllers who strive to provide as realistic as possible radio control environment, flight tracking, and navigation services to simulator pilots. The DCS series is also worthy of consideration, despite being combat focused, as it contains by far the most detailed simulation of all the boring and usually forgettable details that you will have to know when you actually climb into an airplane. You can easily spend a few hours just learning where all the controls and switches are, before you even figure out how to follow the checklist, nevermind start the engines.

Finally, if all that's a little bit too intensely realistic for you, or you're still just struggling with the basics, maybe look at something like SimplePlanes or Kerbal Space Program.

Your confusion is partially due to incorrect definitions of terminology you are using. As spacecampreject mentioned, there are four fundamental forces acting on an aircraft at any given time:

Weight - the downward force due to the aircraft's mass. This force always acts downward towards the center of the earth.

Thrust - the propulsive force due to the aircraft's engines doing what they do. In general, this force is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the aircraft, but some airplanes have their engines mounted at a slight angle for design reasons. Other airplanes (fighter jets) with thrust-vectoring capabilities can change the thrust axis slightly during flight, and many jets use some form of reverse thrust to assist in bringing the aircraft to a stop on the runway. But when the plane is flying normally, thrust pushes you forward and its direction is generally fixed with respect to the aircraft.

Lift - the component of the overall aerodynamic force that is perpendicular to the free-stream velocity vector (see below).

Drag - the component of the overall aerodynamic force that is parallel to the free-stream velocity vector (see below).

When an aircraft moves through the air, a overall aerodynamic force (sometimes called the resultant aerodynamic force) is created from the various pressure and friction forces imposed on the body. For engineering/math purposes, we separate this force into two perpendicular forces: lift and drag, defined in relation to the free-stream velocity vector. The free-stream velocity vector is the vector opposite the path of travel of the aircraft (sometimes referred to as the "relative wind"). (Here is a good force diagram)

In normal forward flight, lift is nearly parallel and opposite to weight, and thrust is nearly parallel and opposite to drag. If you were to point your airplane's nose straight up in an attempt to fly vertically, then with a purely vertical velocity, lift is now acting horizontally (not helping to keep the plane in the air) and the airplane's thrust must overcome the combined forces of drag and weight pulling the plane towards the earth.

To achieve/sustain vertical flight, an airplane needs a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than 1.0. Some fighter jets can do this. Many RC planes can. Most private and commercial airplanes cannot (a common ballpark thrust-to-weight ratio is about 0.3).

References: M.S. in Aerospace Engineering; if you want a great introductory textbook, I highly recommend Introduction to Flight by John D. Anderson, Jr. I own the 6th edition, I believe the 7th edition is current.

Putting a bluebook value on boats is really difficult. The equipment and condition can vary so greatly from one boat to another that it would be impractical to group them all together.

In my experience, the best way to get a feel for the value of a boat is to look at a lot of boats. Check out many listings of boats that are in your target size/style, and go and check them out. Even take photos and make notes so it's easy to remember what features were with which boats. Eventually you will come across one that just seems to be a good value when compared to the others that you have seen. It's a bit more time consuming this way, but I feel that you'll get a better boat in the long run using this method.

The problem with surveys is that many surveyors just don't do a thorough job. I wouldn't pay for a survey for a boat until I was quite certain that it was a boat I was ready to purchase. And even still, for a boat of this price a survey may not be worth it. Grabbing a copy of This Old Boat by Don Casey may be worth far more to you than paying for a professional survey since you'll be able to use the information on many boats, and you'll learn a lot about your future boat in the process.

I know I'm not really giving you a solid answer but I'm not familiar with the market in Seattle, and as you've mentioned, location can make quite a difference in the listing/selling prices.

Good luck!

As the widely varying answers in this thread suggest, the size of the boat is far from the sole criterion you should be considering; people have traversed the oceans in rowboats. It's not comfortable, but it CAN be done.

Instead, you should ask yourself the question "What do I want to accomplish, and what are the options available to me within my budget?" The Pardeys circumnavigated in a 24-footer that I would find extremely cramped, but they were competent sailors, knew what they enjoyed, and they did a great job of it.

If you're thinking about production boats, this book would be a good place to get you started. In the end, it's a combination of factors having to do with you, the boat, and the way you intend to sail her.

I'm not an engineer, but a technician. I fly R/C helicopters and flight simulators. The following are great resources:

"The Art and Science of Flying Helicopters" http://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Flying-Helicopters/dp/081382169X

"Principles of Helicopter Flight" http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Helicopter-Flight-W-Wagtendonk/dp/1560276495

From the FAA site you'll find a wealth of aviation documentation including 'Rotorcraft Flying Handbook' located here: http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/aircraft/

All three are great books. ('Rotorcraft Flying Handbook' can be downloaded as a free .pdf book.)

• 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.

Hey, congrats, you have a budget. The downside though is your budget is pretty small for a world cruiser. You're going to be limited to older boats in the 26-30ft range and even then you may need to save up some to equip some addons like a liferaft, windvane and maybe a SSB radio or something for weather.

A start would be here: http://www.atomvoyages.com/planning/good-old-boats-list.html

You can also start with this book: http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-Sailboats-Take-Anywhere/dp/0939837323

I wouldn't start collecting equipment now. I'd be looking a good solid core boat that you like the layout on that fits your current budget with some money left over. I'd then start cruising more locally on it first and then add the gear you want and need on her for an ocean cruise. Basically shake her down and learn on her with smaller cruises, then work up to bigger ones.

But you want that good solid base of a boat first. Something you can really trust to keep you safe in bad weather and rough seas.

Another option would be to just crew on other people's boats who are cruising the world.

Check out a couple of books by Nigel Calder. I recommend starting with Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook as it's a pretty good general overview of everything you need to know for cruising, then try Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual as a guide to all of the stuff that you will spend all of your free time fixing and maintaining. I also have Marine Diesel Engines. He does a great job of explaining everything you need to know in an accessible way. He manages to get to some pretty advanced skills without assuming very much previous knowledge.

What is it exactly that you've always wanted? I'm guessing the answer is not round-the-buoys racing :) Regardless, you're going to need to get some experience with the basics before people start trusting you with their lives on the open ocean.

Really though, sailing isn't hard. Check out your local sailing clubs, crew for a bit, see if you still love it. If you do, study up on piloting, navigation and the "rules of the road", then rather than being under some skipper's thumb, think about buying your own boat. Check out 20 Small Sailboats To Take You Anywhere from your local library. For the cost of a few month's rent you will have a simple, capable vessel that you can sail wherever you want. Living on a sailboat can be very inexpensive (though it can also be quite expensive).

Good luck, live your dream, and thanks for your service in Afghanistan.

The previously mentioned Helicopter Flying Handbook is probably your best bet for free reading material.

If you don't mind spending a little money for reading material, I recommend:
(book title links to amazon)
[Principles of Helicopter Flight by W. J. Wagtendonk] (https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Helicopter-Flight-W-J-Wagtendonk/dp/1560276495) for around $25.
[Cyclic & Collective by Shawn Coyle] (https://www.amazon.com/Cyclic-Collective-Shawn-Coyle/dp/0557090660/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1497929356&sr=1-1&keywords=cyclic+and+collective) for around $45.
Another good one from Shawn Coyle is The Little Book of Autorotations which focuses only on autorotations.
I own all three, and they're all good, but I would recommend Cyclic and Collective. The book is packed with damn near everything you could possibly want to know about helicopter flying. It also helps that Coyle's writing style helps hold the reader's interest even through dry and technical subjects.

> Any suggestions or ideas (or better yet plans or tutorials) would be greatly appreciated.

1. Start by building scale models. You can learn 90% of the essential concepts of boat building very quick and cheap this way. And, you can actually end up with a successful full size built boat more quickly by learning first by building small scale models. They can be simply made of cardboard and tape, too.
   
   
2. Read a couple books. I recommend Jim Michalak's Boatbuilding for Beginners and Instant Boatbuilding with Dynamite Payson. You can expect the price of both these books to be paid back via saving you a costly mistake.
   
   
3. Avoid the temptation to be a boat designer. At least at first, stick with a well known tried and tested popular design of a well respected boat designer.

From the Ground Up. Probably the greatest textbook for recreational pilots. Covers pretty much everything related to flight, from weather prediction, to radionavigation, to engine construction. Probably not exactly the kind of book one would expect to see in a thread like this, but I am sure the other pilots on reddit would agree with me that it's one of the best books in the discipline.

I was pretty much you last summer. Land locked state, no sailing club close by, no relatives or friends who sail, and a burning desire to get out on the water.

I was able to learn to sail in four steps:

1. Read a beginners book on how to sail. The book I chose to read was The Complete Sailor by David Seidman. http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Sailor-Second-Edition/dp/0071749578 This was a fantastic book that was only $10 bucks for the pdf version. It is well written and contains some fantastic illustrations. Talks about everything from keeping a sailors eye on the wind and weather, to docking and anchoring, and even has a chapter on trailering your sailboat if I recall correctly. Also Inspecting the Aging Sailboat by Don Casey was a fantastic read to help a brand new buyer have some idea of what to watch out for and what questions to ask when buying a used boat. http://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449298309&sr=1-1&keywords=inspecting+the+aging+sailboat
   
   
2. Buy a small, cheap boat. I decided to start small and limited myself to getting a dinghy sailboat that was under a thousand dollars. I have heard that starting on a dinghy is ideal. Learning sailing theory in small, responsive craft will help you when/if you move up to larger keel boats where it isn't as obvious that you are making small mistakes. A thousand dollars is easy to make at a summer job. The repairs on small boats are really cheap and if things break your not usually out much money. You will learn the fundamentals in an environment where mistakes like bumping into the dock are not overly disastrous.
   
   
3. Watch YouTube videos. I ended up purchasing a Hobie 16 after reading the books. I had the gentleman I purchased it from help me step the mast and raise the main before I finally bought the boat. No test sail, just did it right there in his front yard. Most people will be more than happy to help you rig it up the first time if you just ask. Afterwards I hit Youtube and watched videos on how to rig the boat to make sure I had it right. Searched for more videos about "How to sail a Hobie 16" and watched all the videos I could find.
   
   
4. Practice, practice, practice. After I had watched several videos, read the books, and set the sails up in the yard it was time to get out on the water. I literally just picked a day with 2-3 mph of wind, put the boat in the water and went for it. Once I was actually out and sailing, the details worked themselves out. I watched even more videos and asked Reddit the occasional question.
   
   I was able to go from no sailing experience to flying hulls in 20~ mph wind inside of a summer with this method. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c105II-L8OA Far from perfect, but we are having a blast. I think a teenager would be able to pull of a similar feat with no problems. You will find fumbling around on the water is far better than dreaming from the shore.
   
   
   
   
   

I always think it suspicious when people list their boat's condition as "fair" when selling online. I've seen Craigslist boats where the deck is one big maze of spider cracks and softer than a pillow in spots, where the stays are one puff away from snapping, where the rudder can spin freely on the shaft ("it helps to trim the boat") that are listed as "good". If a boat owner lists their boat as anything less than "good", they're either incredibly honest (which is unlikely) or aware of some awful drawback (soggy decks, failed chainplates, clothlike sails, rusty stays, frozen through-hulls, leaky hull-deck joint, or a hilarious and novel combination thereof).


That said, check out "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat", it's a great book that's helped me a great deal and I've spent most of my life on boats:

https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455

At the very least, google "Morgan 35" and see what people have to say. Most of what you read online about boats is by nincompoops so be skeptical (but should you be skeptical of me telling you to be skeptical? SKEPTICEPTION!). If you're going to make a big life decision by buying a large sailboat you should probably get it surveyed, especially if you don't know boats very well.


Anyways, you might try looking at a smaller boat? You don't need more than 30' if you're living alone, and you'll save a lot of money if that's your aim. Plus, a smaller boat is easier to maintain, berth, and sail!

Stick and Rudder is an old classic that really explains well the basics of why airplanes fly and how to fly them. I also enjoyed Bob Buck's North Star over my Shoulder and Wind Sand Stars by Antoine De Saint-Exupery for some good armchair flying.

As others have mentioned, the FAA publications are indispensable. They are available for free from the FAA website, and cheap hardcopies are available on Amazon. Get yourself copies of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the Airplane Flying Handbook. I think it's really worthwhile to get the hardcopy.

There are many useful websites related to general aviation. You can listen to air traffic control radio at liveatc.net, look up airport information at airnav.com, watch IFR flight paths on flightaware.com, and browse aeronautical charts in a google-maps-like interface at skyvector.com.

I'm currently studying for my 107 and want to add this to the list of things on here.

I didn't see a direct link to the FAA study guide. This is the one I found here. The problem I have with this guide is that some of the links go to the pilot section, instead of the non-pilot cert. Some of the sections contain only references to other guides so it can feel very confusing.

I'm currently reading the Remote Pilot Test Prep Guide. I think this book does a great job of breaking down some of the more complicated aspects of getting the 107 cert. The biggest headaches for me have been properly understanding airport rules, how to define source direction of planes, and reading air charts. The guide does a good job of covering these topics along with example questions. The other portions of the test about weather, maintenance, and acronyms is pretty straight forward.

For those of you who have never done a test like this before it's exactly like getting a standard IT cert like Cisco or Microsoft. The company who does the testing also does some IT related certs. These exams purposely try to trick you by giving similar sounding answers and an over use of acronyms. So make sure to memorize every acronym you can as these test will use them to trick you. If you fail the exam you have to wait 14 days to retake it so test when you're ready as the window to retake it is pretty big.

Read the FAQ, and this. If you are still interested take a class. Assuming you have a license getting a permit is as simple as taking a test, and depending on the state the MSF might work to get you a M1 straight away.

Pro: Fun as hell. Getting to your destination will likely end up being the best part of you day.

Cons: Weather, shitload of gear to carry around, and if you have a car it's an added expense.

If you treat it as a commuter only and get a small bike there could be cost savings. If you love riding and spend a lot of time on the bike then you found yourself an expensive hobby(gas/tires/oil/maintenance).

It's a hefty initial investment. Even with a cheap bike($1500-2000 range) you have to add in gear, insurance, and taxes/title transfer. You are realistically looking at a $3000 minimum entry fee, and most would recommend not going into debt over something that is essentially a toy(if you don't have a car).

>a low pressure zone which pulls on the top of the wing

There is not really a pulling effect, it merely doesn't push down as much as the air is pushing up on the bottom of the wing.

>The engines are responsible for this

Do you mean thrust vectoring engines (tilted up relative to the flight path)? If so, normally this isn't a significant contributing factor as compared to the lift from the wings, with some exceptions (I can only think of fighter jets with high T/W ratios that can pretty much ascend vertically). Upon reading it again I don't think you mean trust vectoring, but I still don't know what you're getting at with this...

>wings in level flight are pitched upwards

Uhh, you really don't want to do this as you drastically increase drag. Most aircraft have cambered airfoils such that you don't have to fly with the wings 'pitched upwards' (called a positive angle of attack). Some planes, however, do have symmetric airfoils which have to be flown at a positive angle of attack, such as many aerobatic aircraft.

Sorry I'm being nit-picky, but some things just seemed a little off so I went and dusted off my aero engineering book to make sure. Everything else you said sees correct, have an up-vote fellow aeronautics enthusiast!

I used the remotepilot101.com website. At first, honestly, I thought it was a total rip off because of the price. However, I will note that the guy running the site is actively updating it and does promise to provide that $150 as a resource for as long as he is in business for your renewal memberships. In essence, you're paying a lifetime membership for his course for a certification you have to renew every two years.

He is very good at listening to feedback and his questions and courses were the most thorough I could find. However, his teaching style is of a type some people may not like. He repeats basic information, A LOT. Some people love that, other people hate it.

He also provides real time practical feedback via e-mail on his website which is nice. After considering the fact he responds to e-mail and the fact he keeps this up to date for life I feel it's worth the $150. If I had known those two things I would've felt better about paying it. I will, however, note that the weather section and the regulation section were a tiny bit lacking and I had to supplement them with this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1619544687/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Book which my test center proctor mentioned was a reputable test resource producer. The remotepilot101 guy did not explain the "pilots operating handbook" does not exist yet. He also did not explain squall lines and fronts to the detail the exam wanted, nor did he explain the procedure for entering an air traffic pattern from the pilot perspective.

I ended up with a 98% using both of these for about a week and a half.

Cars (and engines) whose initials end with an "X" are owned by third parties. Those cars are frequently owned by shippers or leasing companies that operate as railcar pools that the railroads share. Cars owned by railroads are freely interchanged between railroads, but may be subject to demurrage, if they're delayed offline.

Railroads often share locomotives and keep track of horsepower hours. If one company owes another, they will often send engines specifically to be used as payback.

There is a great book out there, The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does, that does a great job of explaining this stuff.

Annoyingly, that link doesn't work for me because I'm currently in the Bahamas. Assuming that link points to Weather Flying by the Bucks (https://www.amazon.com/Weather-Flying-Fifth-Robert-Buck/dp/0071799729) then yes! Incidentally, the Bucks have had fascinating flying careers. If you yearn for the glory days of general aviation and/or like the history of aviation their other books make for fun reading.

Pretty prepared honestly. If you don't understand something in the ACS, chances are it will be what comes up. I read this book and I think it was super helpful. https://www.amazon.com/Private-Pilot-Oral-Exam-Guide/dp/1619544598

Get a copy of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Diesel-Engines-Maintenance-Troubleshooting/dp/0071475354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415398133&sr=1-1&keywords=marine+diesel+engines

My own boat is gasoline-powered, but I do enough reading about powerboats in general to be aware that this book is the Bible where caring for marine diesel engines is concerned. The author is the technical editor at PassageMaker magazine.

West Marine carries it, but you could get it cheaper by ordering a used copy from Amazon.

EDIT: You're welcome. Appreciate the upvote. /sarcasm

I think you're getting a lot of good advice because

1. You've identified your needs and background
   
   
2. You've pointed out a bunch of specific boats you're thinking about.
   
   In addition to what's already been said on this thread, I'll point out a book I try and always recommend highly to folks looking at buying older sailboats. It'll really help you zero in on what to look for as you're sizing up older boats in terms of condition.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455
   
   The other thing to realize is that there absolutely no need to be in any kind of hurry. Buy in haste, repent at leisure. It's ALWAYS a buyer's market for old 70s vintage 30footish sailboats. Even if any of these gets snapped up, another one will come along.
   
   EDIT: one more thing. Do consider where the boat is currently moored, and find out if you can transfer the slip to your name. Finding a place to keep a boat can be a hassle. And if it's already in a good location for you, that can be a plus and can save you some work once you own the boat. I wouldn't make that the overriding concern. But could definitely be a tie-breaker between otherwise comparable boats.
   

This is THE BEST, MUST HAVE book to read cover to cover and know by heart. You can probably find a used one for pretty cheap, although I don't know any pilot who would give their copy up!

Did something very similar to you OP. Built a rocket engine with KNO3 fuel, and added Fe3O4. Tested small scale with aluminum nozzles, screwed in with three screws 60deg around. The tests resulted in a decent burn, but the aluminum showed sligns signs of melting/shearing at the throat. Not terribly bad, but on a larger scale it would affect flight path quite a bit.

I do think that aluminum would be a good starting point for the nozzle though, then if it doesn't turn out too well, moving to graphite.

Also, check out "Rocket Propulsion Elements." It has fantastic details on solid and liquid propellents, nozzle theory, different analysis process, and tons of other stuff. If you look hard enough you can find a pdf of it on Google.

I would start with fundamentals

Hill and Peterson is pretty good for broad thermodynamics for propulsion systems:
https://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Thermodynamics-Propulsion-Philip-Hill/dp/0201146592

Gas turbine theory is pretty good start for turbomachinery:
https://www.amazon.com/Gas-Turbine-Theory-H-I-H-Saravanamuttoo/dp/0132224372

You can build a turbopump without looking to power a rocket. (Pump water with steam or something) and in the endeavour I can guarantee you will learn so much.

Yeah, I've been trying to find one as well and the only thing I could find was a shitty t-shirt on the WMATA site in google's cache. Alternatively, this is kind of cool as a coffee table book. One of the additional images shows it has DC in it. I do quite a bit of international traveling so maybe it's just interesting to me but I thought it was a pretty cool idea for a book. I think I may get it pretty soon.

The Microsoft flight sim line has always had a handful of tutorial lessons. I would start there, as it will teach you the basics of many of the things you are likely to learn/practice using what /u/loveofphysics linked to you.

Lesson one starts with straight and level flight, but by the end of all of them, you'll know how to fly the pattern, a VOR approach, shoot an ILS, land jets, ect, ect, ect...

Also, I always recommend this book to anyone interested in flying who is not very well educated in this complex field yet. Stick and Rudder is a must-read for student pilots and simmers alike.

Feel free to PM me if you run into any questions. 'Fly' safe!

"This Old Boat" by Don Casey is also an excellent resource on finding, fixing and maintaining your boat. Theres an entire chapter on what to look for and what to avoid. There's also chapter upon chapter on how to fix pretty much any problem.
It pretty much covers every question you ask, except "experiences". That will always vary from person and place.

Good luck!

I would also recommend picking up "Stick and Rudder" by Wolfgang Langeweische. Written in the late 30's, but breaks the complexity of aerodynamics and airplane flying down to the basic level and with a great writing style that makes it easy to read.

Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying https://www.amazon.com/dp/0070362408/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8YJMDbMG8TQC5

For a textbook, try and find a copy of Sutton.

NASA's technical reports server will throw more data at you than you can possibly use, but if you can narrow the search terms enough it's useful.

You can google for particular engines or propellant combinations and find reasonable, but not necessarily authoritative data. The best sources will be from the manufacturers.

Please be aware that if you are in the USA, and make too good a simulation, it can fall under the "International Traffic in Arms Regulations" (ITAR) and be export-controlled. Launch to orbit and long range ballistic missiles are essentially the same problem, so any associated technology can be classed as military. "Export" includes passing a copy to a grad student who is not a US citizen, or posting the code on GitHub where anyone can copy it.

It's a bit dumb, because computers, aerodynamics, and Newtonian mechanics are all public, but I'd rather you didn't get in trouble accidentally. When I worked at Boeing, all our good trajectory simulators were export-controlled, and you had to be a US citizen to work in those areas of the company.

Ok so I passed with a 98% (the one question still bothers me lol) and here is what I used in no particular order

• Youtube
  
• Google
  
• 3DR practice test questions
  
• https://jrupprechtlaw.com/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Pilot-Test-Prep-essential/dp/1619544687
  
• FAA official study guide
  
  I read the FAA study guide, did some of the 3DR questions, and searched google and youtube for anything I didn't get and watched multiple videos until it clicked. I did this for airspace, airport markings, weather, METAR/TAFS.
  
  Then I cracked open the ASA study guide and used that to reinforce everything I had been studying while also exposing me to more questions and concepts.
  
  I used all 5 practice tests that came with the ASA book and felt they were very helpful to my actual exam with out using the exact same words.
  
  Don't memorize the questions/answers, learn the concepts! They will try and trick you by changing stuff up, it's best to re-read every question. Learn how to decode METAR, learn where to drop 2 "0s" and make sure you know how to read sectional charts.
  
  The test only took me about 30 min to complete, however I started back at the beginning and re-read every question and answer to make sure I was going with the one that makes the most sense.
  
  Plenty of questions seem fairly obvious to any one who has been flying for a while and practices at least a basic level of safety.
  
  Spread your study time out over at least a week or two depending on how well you cram. I spread mine out over about 3 weeks. The practice test I spread out over 4 days, 2 the first, 2 the second, none the 3rd and one the 4th day, the day before my test.

A cheap subscription to Kitplanes is a great way to get into this whole plane-building thing in a measured way. I think you also get free online access to their past articles?

http://www.kitplanes.com/

I'm unaware of a "Kit Planes For Dummies" type book. But maybe the best, most general aviation book is one from 1944 called "Stick and Rudder." Most pilots end up reading it at some point.

https://www.amazon.com/Stick-Rudder-Explanation-Art-Flying/dp/0070362408

There are some pretty good resources on the web for free for college level Intro to Meteorology courses that I used. I don't have any specific links. Search 'Intro to Meteorology'. None of these courses are burdened by the traditional aviation products. You can see what the professor chose for a textbook.

It may help your motivation if you can make weather less abstract. Here is the definitive text that relates weather to flying. https://www.amazon.com/Weather-Flying-Fifth-Robert-Buck/dp/0071799729

Bit of trivia... Robert O. Buck (son of Robert N. Buck) teaches Aviation Weather at Vermont Technical College.

If you pull that off shoot me a message and I will email him all the pictures. Another thing I will suggest is a book called "This Old Boat" http://www.amazon.com/This-Old-Boat-Second-Completely/dp/0071477942 I have the first ed. but I am sure its all still there. It is a great reference on restoring all kinds of boats but especially older smaller sailboats.

There's a lot of things taught in the MSF course that veteran riders don't think about or do subconsciously. You'll miss out on all this information by learning from your experienced friend in a parking lot. MSF gives you a sound foundation to learn on for years to come. There's plenty of advanced courses that come after that like the MSF Experienced Rider Course and Lee Park's Advanced Riding Clinic. I also think David Hough's book Proficient Motorcycling is a must read for every street rider. His book saved my life countless times. There's also track schools that teach you high speed riding skills. 14 years and I'm still learning something new everyday!

This one is very good and pretty cheap:
https://www.amazon.com/Railroad-What-Does-Introduction-Railroading/dp/0911382585

It's a good survey of all the tech. The AREMA guide is OK, but pretty narrow.

Beware Google. Lots of railfans and model railroad fans put a lot of incorrect info online.

...all the FAA handbooks are available for free.

I suggest you start with:

• Airplane Flying Handbook
  
  
• Pilot Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
  
  
• Aeronautical Information Manual
  
  
• if you really get into it and want to know more about how things work, and are not afraid to get technical, The Aerodynamics For Naval Aviators is awesome;
  
  
• and one of my favorite See How It Flies by John S. Denker;
  
  
• and get yourself a copy of Stick And Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche while you are at it!
  
  When you are done reading this, you'll know more than many pilots out there! :-)
  
  

Good idea. I wish I kept more of my transit passes. I'll have to dig up the ones I've saved. BTW, this is an interesting book to accompany your collection.

I charter right now, OCSC is A-B-C docks. I don't know anyone who knows diesels, sorry. But I have worked on motorcycle engines (never cracked the case open, though). Between that, whatever you know, and this, you might be in good shape. I'm willing to give it a go if you are, anyway.

Best of luck!

I'm not sure about this book, but if you're looking for something to help understand the principles and physics of flight, pick up a copy of Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying It's one heck of a book filled with great information.

I would recommend this book Boatbuilding for Beginners (and Beyond): Everything You Need to Know to Build a Sailboat, a Rowboat, a Motorboat, a Canoe, and More! by Jim Michalak http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891369296/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I am just starting to build a Piccup Pram and bought the plans from this designer. I would also recommend you use designs of something that has already been built as the behavior of the boat has been vetted for placement of the mast/sail/rudder etc.

Also you are likely underestimating the expense of the materials. You have to use marine grade plywood as only that plywood glue will be water proof. A 1/4" thick 4'x8' sheet is $50 each and for a small sail/row dinghy it takes 5 sheets. The sail is $600 if you want to buy it from http://www.duckworksbbs.com/ or around $250 in materials if you want to sew your own sail. I expect I will have $1400 in material cost to complete the build but am doing it more for the experience and having a boat just the way I want it.

But by all means draw pictures and daydream. There are lots of fun times doing that. But when you get down to building it you may want to consider the cost and going with a known design that you can customize in your own personal ways.

Here is a complete youtube video of a gentleman (Martin Houston) building a Jim Michalak AF3 plywood boat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76nlJR-RSUM

I saw a lot of Jim Michalak boats in the Texas 200 which I did for the first time last year in my Catalina 22. http://www.texas200.com/

Design is really complicated and encompasses a lot of different areas of engineering. If you're looking for an intro book to get started with, I'd recommend John Anderson's Intro to Flight.

Get one of the older editions for cheap(like the fifth edition). It's a good text that is focused on students that are not necessarily engineering. It'll get you started enough that you can start thinking about design principals if you want to tackle something like RC aircraft, a Flight Simulator, or Simple Planes.

I used this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1619544598/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_L8DNAbTCRX32Z

The layout is great, and a non-pilot friend can pick it up and ask questions and let you know if you're right. If you've done your written and studied what you should, this is pretty much all you'll need to be ready.

Don't worry about the type of boat. Educate yourself to make an informed decision

http://amzn.com/0071445455

http://amzn.com/0393033112

Make a list of the characteristics you absolutely MUST have when purchased or cost you must factor in to modify the boat. E.g.

1. Must be able to cross the atlantic (factor in costs of life raft, storm gear, epirb, ais, etc)
   
   
2. Must be able to be sailed single handed (e.g. does it come with a self steering windvane or will you have to purchase one?)
   
   
3. Must have headroom of at least _ ft in.
   
   
4. Must be able to sleep ____ many people at sea
   
   
5. etc
   
   
   Practical matters:
   
   
6. You are willing to sail the boat back ____ many miles from where you bought it to where you're keeping it considering that it most likely won't be offshore capable when you buy it.
   
   
7. Go to yachtworld.com and browse the boats in this area and on craigslist. Create a list of boats you like, what the gear is, and how much they cost. Watch the markets for at least 6 months before you buy.
   
   
8. Start visiting these boats in your area. A picture of a boat is a lot different than what the boat looks like in real life and what your expectations are. For instance I was looking at westsail 32s and contessa 32s until I was on both types of boat and realized neither were for me.
   
   
   Now, as you visit all these boats calculate your total cost of ownership
   
   TCO = x + y + z
   
   x = the total cost of the boat after broker fees, documentation fees, registration fees, import fees, taxes, etc.
   
   y = the cost of the modifications that you wish to make (multiplies by two if you have never owned a boat before)
   
   z = the cost of moorage + power for ___ many years before you go cruising full time. Keep in mind that if you get a multihull you will be paying a premium for moorage. Do not underestimate this cost.
   

What did they re-core the decks with? Older boats are cheaper then newer boats. This doesn't necessarily equate to problems but if everything seems in fair shape, you could look into a survey to make sure it all checks out. The main issues from older boats is rot, either the core or interior's. LifeCaulk (which is what was used on most all of the hardware) has a lifespan of 10 Years, max. They used to claim it was good for the life of the boat, and a lot of people never took up the hardware to rebed it. Causing leaks. The windows/portholes also are something to look at for leaks.

You should probably pick up this book, https://amzn.com/0071445455 read it over and as always with a large investment get it survey'd.

When I was a student pilot I was also very intimidated by flight following, and talking with ATC in general. Since I intended to fly a lot, I figured I should suck it up and work through my fear of sounding stupid on the radio.

Firstly, I found that reading Say Again, Please gave me a good understanding of what radio calls to make and what to expect to hear in a wide variety of scenarios. Being able to anticipate what controllers are likely to say makes it significantly easier to understand it when they do say it. That said, it's worth keeping in mind that different controllers and different areas have different conventions, so you may hear different things as you fly in different areas.

Secondly, I found that practice helps a lot. I started getting flight following on every single flight out of the pattern, and made some longer cross countries.

Thirdly, I found that a better headset made it much easier to understand some instructions from ATC. When flying on a multi-day cross country with a more experienced friend of mine, I found that I wasn't catching frequencies that ATC was giving me, while he was hearing them easily. I initially figured this was due to him having a better idea what to listen for, but when we swapped headsets for a leg (his Bose A20 for my Faro Stealth ANR), suddenly I was able to catch frequencies while he struggled. I bought a Lightspeed Zulu 3 as soon as we were back from the trip, and I've been happy ever since.

"Say Again, Please" by Bob Gardner is the one I was speaking about.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1619540894

Not familiar with the other one, but it's probably good too. Just make sure you're practicing out-loud, instead of only reading in your head.

Locomotives: The Modern Diesel and Electric Reference
This one has a good history on the progression of modern Diesel locomotives in North America.

The Railroad: What It Is, What It Does
Borrowed this one from a co-worker many years ago. Pretty sure it had quite a bit of engineering related details.

I'm about half-way through reading Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. He spends a great deal of time discussing risks, safety, and rider responsiblity. I would recommend that you purchase a copy, or see if your local library has one available.

I'm quite seriously considering a sailing wander about early retirement/escape. I recommend r/sailing. There are some experienced sailors there, and sometimes the discussion addresses cruising. I'd also recommend The Coastal Cruiser: A complete guide to the design, selection, purchase, and outfitting of auxiliary sailboats under 30 feet--with a portfolio of successful designs , . Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere , and Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 66th Edition

Should you wish to learn how airplanes work,

http://www.amazon.com/Stick-Rudder-Explanation-Art-Flying/dp/0070362408

I ran across this book in the early-mid 1980's when I couldn't keep from crashing "Microsoft Flight Simulator II" on my Commodore 64 :)

The book was oldie but goodie even then. In fact I found it so helpful and interesting that I went on to get my pilots license and instrument rating.

I was going to type up some wizard-level science but think the pros do it best. Check Twist of the Wrist 2 (as howheelswork mentioned) and Proficient Motorcycling.

That was a cool slideshow. Did anyone see the pictures of the Swedish subway system that were on Reddit a month or two ago? Also, has anyone else checked this book out? I snagged a cheap used copy. It definitely focuses on the design aspect of the map, rather than tons of info about the subway, but it'll make any transit geek happy.

READ Proficient Motorcycling by David L Hough. It teaches the best braking methods for every condition... http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359

You'll thank me for this ;)

Might not be what you were thinking, but Stick and Rudder (itself perhaps historic) is a great overview of flight from the perspective of the past

Skunk Works by Ben Rich - This book is probably one of the best reads in aerospace engineering. It tells the story of one of America’s premier aerospace research and development labs, Skunkworks at Lockheed Martin. They built such famous aircraft like the SR-71, U-2, F-80, F-114. I review the book here.

​

If you are looking for more of a textbook, Introduction to Flight by Anderson is one of the best. It's a bit on the expensive side but there's an international paperback edition that's much cheaper if you're outside of the US.

​

If you want something a bit between Skunkworks and Introduction to Flight, there's Ignition by John D. Clark which is all about the development of liquid rocket propellent.

This book is great:

Say Again, Please: Guide to Radio Communications https://www.amazon.com/dp/1619540894/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vTCVCb0EBN1EV

Definitely. You'll save A LOT of pennies too, more than you could possibly imagine right now.

One option if you want to get going sooner is to buy an engineless beater, and Don Casey's book, and get going: http://www.amazon.com/Caseys-Complete-Illustrated-Sailboat-Maintenance/dp/0071462848/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1370306245&sr=8-1

If you're looking into aircraft side of things, then I would strongly recommend picking up Stick and Rudder

It's not a text on the engineering aspect, but it's good to have a grasp on how pilots will be using the aircraft you work on.

https://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-Essential/dp/0071432388 This will help you fix nearly everything. It's slightly technical but has very good information.

Chapter one of a different Anderson book, Introduction to Flight has a good overview of the history. He also wrote a book just on history of aerodynamics that might be more useful to you.

Space does not permit all the tips I've learned by reading this, this, this, this, and this.

But, briefly:

• watch out for "edge traps"--where road work or a 2x4 in the street or anything similar can catch your tire and turn it to the side.
  
  
• go somewhere safe, not on the road, and practice. Learn how hard you can apply your brakes, and how to ease off the back as you apply the front. Set up cones and practice various kinds of turns.
  
  
• look far ahead, look all around, predict what other vehicles are going to do in one second, two seconds, five, ten.
  
  
• Three words: Shots and wheelies.

A good book on the basics of helicopters and how they work:
http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Helicopter-Flight-W-Wagtendonk/dp/1560276495

A good textbook directed at engineers studying helicopters:
http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Helicopter-Aerodynamics-Cambridge-Aerospace/dp/0521858607/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372342685&sr=8-1&keywords=leishman

Best investment you can make! Everyone should have this on their boat! http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071432388?pc_redir=1397569458&robot_redir=1

If you like these, you should probably have a look at Transit Maps of the World which contains a wealth of information on how these maps were designed and evolved.

Your question is rather undefined. However, to help you on the general principles check out:

• Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion (2nd Edition) by Philip Hill, Carl Peterson
  
  A google search provides a PDF download link - but when tested the D/L link did not work for me.
  
  Also,
  
  
• Introduction to Solid Rocket Propulsion PDF download.
  
  OP, when you get to the build and test stage, please post some pics of the resultant rocket on launch and a summary of your engineering design considerations.

Sure, its more aligned with "applied" aerodynamics, but Stick and Rudder is a good read that goes into how airplanes work (and how to fly them apply aerodynamics in a real-world environment).

Stick and Rudder would go well as a supplement to the PHAK. Cheers!

You might see if you can get a copy of this book from the library: https://www.amazon.com/Railroad-What-Does-Introduction-Railroading/dp/0911382585/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=75DWX1ZKQKX2KE46GGSP

BNSF has a "Railroad 101" training course for employees in support departments that covers the basics of railroad operations and service concepts. This is the book they use for that course.

If you can find a copy, you might also read the book Hunter Harrison wrote about PSR while he was at CN. I don't agree with the model, but since it's the hot thing in railroading right now, it's good to have an idea of what proponents of PSR claim that it is. If you can't find the book, CP published a white paper that summarizes the basic concepts which is available online.

Thanks!

First of all, (assuming you're in the U.S.) Read the Private Pilot ACS!! It tells you every piece of information that can be covered in the checkride.

Also, buy the Oral Exam Study Guide!!!!!!!!! This book helped me out tremendously! Study that, and if it ever mentions a regulation (it does it a lot), then review that regulation in the FAR/AIM. Also, you really should spend and hour or two studying with your CFI. He can answer any questions you have and also ask you questions in the way your DPE will.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Private-Pilot-Oral-Exam-Guide/dp/1619544598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1536759778&sr=8-1&keywords=private+pilot+oral+exam+guide+2018

I've had people here recommend me some good books on this topic:

Inspecting the Aging Sailboat - Don Casey

For fiberglass specifically:
Surveying Fiberglass Sailboats - Henry C. Mustin

Buy this book, it's great!

Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071462848/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tiBTybADK132Z

This is a great reference! https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0071477942/ref=sr_1_4_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1506370390&sr=8-4&keywords=don+casey

http://www.amazon.com/Weather-Flying-Fifth-Robert-Buck/dp/0071799729/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451753477&sr=8-1&keywords=weather+flying

I'm about halfway through it, and it answers a lot of your questions and does it in terms of aviation. Worth a read, IMO. A bit dry, but a lot of useful stuff. I don't have my IR yet, but I imagine I'll probably read it again once I'm done.

Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0939837323/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_CAPWCb34QV9EG

These will be more in the civic line, although in terms of good little work horses, they can usually still play.

Well, you pretty much summed up how I learned to ride. There's not much more to it than that. Knowing what I know now, I would add in "Buy the Proficient Motorcycling book."

My favorite weather book is Weather Flying by the Buck's: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071799729/

Paid site, but I've been a fan of Scott's stuff since he setup shop: https://avwxworkshops.com (If I recollect, you can get a free trial by getting the WeatherSpork app, signing up for a trial within it (not on the website), and then using those credentials on the AxWx site. Could be wrong, its been a while.)

http://www.amazon.ca/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359

Best book on the subject that I've ever read.

A great book that includes sets of plans, 'Boatbuilding for Beginners (and beyond)' by Jim Michalak.

So, coastal cruiser, homebase Maine, 'Snowbird' itinerary.

That leaves the budget question as the big variable we need if you want specific recommendations. You can do this at many different $$$ levels...but the boat selection and priorities will change.

This is a good place to start: Greg Nestor - "Twenty affordable sailboats to take you anywhere"

http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Affordable-Sailboats-Anywhere-ebook/dp/B00422LH04/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368355828&sr=1-1&keywords=Nestor+sail

If you need to go for less $$$...that means either smaller, older, or more 'sweat equity' by you. Don't give up here. Many sailors have years of fullfilling cruising under the 'go small, go simple, go early' approach. Refer to this very similar book by John Vigor - "Twenty small sailboats to take you anywhere"

http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-Sailboats-Take-Anywhere/dp/0939837323/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1368355337&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=Vigor+sail

Plan on 50% of purchase cost, additional, to put it right, depending on the boat and your plans. Strongly consider a survey for the boat that is the "one". They cost too damn much to do more than one, but can save you from that BIG mistake.

It's not expressly legal in California.

> In California no law explicitly and clearly prohibits lane splitting, and significantly, it has become the traditional policy of law enforcement, the courts, and the public in California to tolerate it when it is done safely. However, those engaged in unsafe behavior, including unsafe lane splitting, can still be cited for violating certain sections of the vehicle code.

-Proficient Motorcycling

If you haven't already grabbed this or this, I can't recommend them enough as excellent resources to address this and many other questions.

http://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455

This book is pretty something you may need to look at.

We use this book heavily at my school (undergrad). I've also heard it's pretty much a standard around the US

http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Flight-John-Anderson/dp/0073380245

Very classy plane. I believe its on the cover of my FTGU (from the ground up)

the basic idea you can get from wikipedia pages and the first result of google search. this book is also good http://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Propulsion-Elements-7th-Edition/dp/0471326429

Roughly 10.


But seriously, check out this book. It was my bible in school and I still use it almost daily. Chapter 12 is when it gets into basic rocketry. I seriously love that book.

I really like John D. Anderson's Intro to Flight and Aerodynamics books.

Heres the link for anyone interested.

great read for anyone interested in the aerospace field.

For propulsion http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Thermodynamics-Propulsion-2nd-Edition/dp/0201146592


But don't pay anywhere near that amount. Should be able to get it used for like 20-25

Is this it? I'm thinking of getting it and want to make sure.

You can do an online ground school like Kings or Sportys and read/study the PHAK and AFH. Maybe get a copy of and read Stick & Rudder.

If my CFI were a redditor, I'd have you thank him.

In lieu of that, I'd suggest you get this book. It will teach you a lot about aerodynamics and basic flying skills.

Get David Hough's Proficient Motorcycling. Lots of good tips there.

http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374332064&sr=1-1&keywords=proficient+motorcycling

EDIT: The hard part is getting the bike to go forward, it's knowing all the situations to be aware of.

In the case of these pilots, I think he was fair. If you haven't read his father's "Stick and Rudder" you might understand where he's coming from.

You're welcome :-)

If you have a boat you need to get "Don Casey's: This old boat" It will explain this repair as well as all other you might need.

John Vigors 20 small sailboats to take you anywhere:

https://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-Sailboats-Take-Anywhere/dp/0939837323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499492768&sr=8-1&keywords=20+small+sailboats+to+take+you+anywhere

Go get yourself a copy of "This old boat" by Don Casey. They should be widely available secondhand.

He recommends installing a second maintenance bilge pump with a smaller hose, which mops up whatever the big one lets back down again when it turns off the power.

I agree it’s not a reputable blue water boat, but the Catalina 27 is listed in Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere because many people have crossed oceans in it.

Personally I rode about 300 miles on the street before the MSF BRC course and I found it helpful to go in with some experience. But it's critical that you stay humble enough that you can still approach the BRC as a learning tool, and not go in with the attitude that you know everything.

The first thing I would do in your case is read this: http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344173140&sr=1-1&keywords=proficient+motorcycling

It's really well-written and you should be able to really visualize yourself doing the exercises properly. After reading that, I'd consider buying a bike and doing some practicing.

Nigel Calder's book Marine Diesel Engines, while not giving a thorough treatment of a rebuild, will give you enough information to be able to figure out if it's worth rebuilding or not.

This?

https://www.amazon.com/Stick-Rudder-Explanation-Art-Flying/dp/0070362408

Stick and Rudder: http://www.amazon.com/Stick-Rudder-Explanation-Art-Flying/dp/0070362408

I assume you downloaded these;

Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge

Airplane Flying Handbook

Aeronautical Information Manual

Another book that helped me out is Stick and Rudder.

I haven't done TW but this is good for all flying, esp stick and rudder https://www.amazon.ca/Stick-Rudder-Explanation-Art-Flying/dp/0070362408/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491856814&sr=8-1&keywords=stick+and+rudder

https://www.amazon.com/Stick-Rudder-Explanation-Art-Flying/dp/0070362408/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481303934&sr=1-1&keywords=Stick+and+rudder

Stick And Rudder - Google Books

Stick And Rudder - Amazon

Stick and Rudder

How about Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche?

Buy a book!

Inspecting the Aging Sailboat (The International Marine Sailboat Library). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0071445455/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_cbDqDb8T5QNS7

http://www.amazon.com/This-Old-Boat-Second-Edition/dp/0071477942

get this book https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Flight-John-Anderson/dp/0073380245

is this book common knowledge on r/transit? it's your tumblr in print form.

this book

My guess is Mechanics & Thermodynamics of Propulsion 2e, by Hill & Peterson. This textbook was used to teach my undergrad Jet & Rocket Prop course.


Amazon Link

Isn't WJ Wagtendonk's 'Principles of Helicopter Flight' still considered 'the bible'? ISBN-13: 978-1560276494

100% this! I used the ASA guide by Mike Hayes. Link to amazon here. Go through that whole thing cover to cover. Get someone else to ask you the questions if you can.

https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Pilot-Test-Prep-UAS/dp/1619544687/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474216666&sr=8-1&keywords=remote+pilot+study+prep

I read through this book twice and passed first try with an 88%. Probably 30 hours total studying: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1619544687/

I second Proficient motorcycling, here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323207838&sr=8-1

Pick up a copy of this.

http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1933958359

Dude, the book is only $16.47. Just buy it.

I purchased Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough at the recommendation of my MSF instructor and read it cover to cover. I credit it and the course for me not having died yet.

Honda Superhawk rider here, and as others have said, helmet. Always. Armored jacket and denim. Always. No excuses. The front brake supplies 90% of your braking force during emergency braking. You can always lean the bike further than you think you can (depending on the size of your balls).

Countersteer. If you don't know what that is yet, learn right now.

Link to Amazon.com Hardcover 2nd Edition (this is the version I bought)

It's weird to read a technical text that is gripping. I read it cover to cover, despite not getting the math.