Private Pilot Reading List

Hey Jason,

Well I hate not being original but Wolfgang Langeweische Stick and Rudder was probably one of the first books that really helped my understanding of flight.

My CFI is having me read Jeppesen Guided Flight Discovery Guide, Private Pilot. It’s been a great study guide and is very well written.

Thanks,
Roger Waters

Hi Jason,
 Need a good cross  planning guide and in depth airspace,something to save and look back into for reference in the future not only checkride time. Gps do lose signals,lost two signals on a crosscountry trip in the midwest one time………………………….then you need the old fashion method,pilotage and dead recogning!!

This page doesn’t appear to want to share on Facebook! Looks like another user thad the issue.  Been trying to share the link on my Facebook page.

Jason – I can’t seem to post to Facebook.  I’ve tried three different browsers (Chrome, FireFox and Internet Explorer) and no dice.   

Well, I left you my list anyway…. I’ve read everyone else’s recommendations and I have to say, some lucky pilots will be getting a fabulous library!

Good luck all!

Flight of Passage by Rinker Buck.  Not specifically a training book, but a great story from a then newly minted private pilot.  Some excellent lessons can be gleamed from his travels.

What did you do to get it working?

Jason-
What a great idea for a contest!  Definitely Jeppesen Sanderson’s Guided Flight Discovery Private Pilot Manual.  It gives alot of information and goes into great detail.  I have found it to be very helpful understanding basic concepts.  I can’t wait to read all the books that make the list!  Thanks so much for doing this contest! It will help many, many more people become the safest and most knowledgeable pilots!

So far my favorite is William Kirshner’s Student Pilot Flight Manual. I also find AOPA’s Flight Training Magazine and the FAA’s Safety Briefing Magazine EXTREMELY helpful. Aviation Acronyms by Jason Schappert makes memorizing all of the important stuff much, much easier too. Of course, none of this is even worth mentioning without Jason’s Online Ground School. Jason’s videos are INCREDIBLY helpful in putting all of that stuff that I read together in a sensible order. It’s almost like a live instructor explaining this stuff. Actually we do get to work with Jason live every week during his weekly live webinars! For an old guy like me who is trying to save money on training, Online Ground School does it right. With Jason’s help, I plan on taking my FAA knowledge test (and getting a 100!) before I even visit a flight instructor or even spend $1 in an airplane. I don’t have a Facebook account but you can bet that I tell all of my friends about Jason’s Online Ground School at M0A.com. Thanks Jason talk to you next week.

I was given Say Again, Please Guide to Radio Communications and loved it. I love the radio communications as much as flying the plane so I would recommend it for sure.

If there was one book that every pilot should own, it’s Wolfgang Langewiesche’s Stick and Rudder. I can also say that Ron Fowler’s Making Perfect Landings in Light Airplanes and Robert Buck’s Weather Flying have taught me quite a bit about flying. 
I haven’t seen the following two books listed and I think they are really great books to add:Fletcher Anderson’s Flying the Mountains, a great intro to mountain flying concepts, and Neil D. Van Sickle’s Modern Airmanship. Modern Airmanship is probably out of print, but it is totally worth hunting down a copy.

First off I want to say that you’r a great instructor, because I have learned a lot of things from you that I havent yet learned from my instructor!
1.)FAR/AIM 2012: Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical Information Manual (FAR/AIM series) [Paperback]
2.)Aviation Weather (FAA Handbooks) [Paperback]
3.)Say Again, Please: Guide to Radio Communications [Paperback]
4.)Private Pilot Test Prep 2012: Study and Prepare for Recreational and Private: Airplane, Helicopter, Gyroplane, Glider, Balloon, Airship, Powered … FAA Knowledge Exams (Test Prep series) [Paperback]
5.)Private Oral Exam Guide: The Comprehensive Guide to Prepare You for the FAA Oral Exam (Oral Exam Guide series) [Paperback]
6.)Private Pilot for Airplane Single-Engine Land and Sea Practical Test Standards: #FAA-S-8081-14A (single) (Practical Test Standards series) [Paperback]
7.)Learn to Fly: Pass your Private Pilot Checkride
8.)Conventional Gear: Flying a Taildragger (General Aviation Reading series) [Paperback]
9.)Takeoffs and Landings: The Crucial Maneuvers & Everything in Between [Paperback]
10.)The Aviator’s Guide to Navigation [Paperback]

Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge,  Airplane Flying Handbook, FAR AIM,  The POH of your aircraft that you are flying, Private Pilot Practical test Standards. A.O.P.A. Flight Training Magazine, Airport Facility Directory’s  Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook, Flight Tests & Tips from the eye of the examiner, Aviation Weather by Peter Lester.

I posted the name of the 2 books unfortunately it did not post correctly so I will recommend them again. The first book is Good Takeoffs and Good Landings by Joe Christy revised and updated by Ken George. I do not have to tell you how important takeoffs and landings are Mr. Christy does so eloquently. The second book is also by Joe Christy, Aircraft Construction Repair & Inspection. I feel that we should know as much as possible about the Birds we Fly. Aim High and Safe Flying. Mercedes Emilia Barreiro

Stick and Rudder

A Gift of Wings – Richard Back  - I wouldn’t say it is a must read for pilots so much as I would say that after you read it you must become a pilot.   

-Pilot’s handbook of aeronautical knowledge
-Far/aim
-Private pilot PTS. Use this hand in hand with the far/aim. If you UNDERSTAND the PTS, not only will you pass but you will be fully ready and knowledgeable as a real pilot. Don’t memorize the answers… Understand the answers.
-Jason’s how to pass your private pilot checkride.

Hi Jason!

My favorite aviation book is Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche, a must read for all serious aviators who really want to understand their airplane and how it operates.  Wolfgang does an excellent job explaining the reason we use ailerons and rudders together, the importance of understanding the stall, and the connection between different airspeeds .  Although an old masterpiece, it’s just as relevant today as it was back in 1944.  I started my aviation career in the Navy then transitioned to the airlines.  Now I’m a flight instructor.  I wish Stick and Rudder had been on our must read list when I was a student Naval Aviator.  I recommend it to all my students today.

Marjorie Bachman

For all my pilot friends out there…..Jason Schappert from MzeroA.com is requesting a recommended reading list for private pilots.  I recommended Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche because it clearly and concisely explains how to fly an airplane and discusses the real dangers associated with flying with frankness and humor.  Although it was written in 1944, it’s equally as relevant today for every aviator.  That’s my opinion, but what do you guys think?  What’s your favorite flying book that you’d recommend to a new pilot these days?  Thanks for your input!  Marjorie

For learning both fundamental principles and practical concepts of flying, my favorite book is The Complete Private Pilot by Bob Garner.  With my instructor, I struggled learning about CG concepts such as overstable and understable and how they related to airspeed and stall speed.  I found this book explained these concepts clearly and I aced the questions from the DPE  during the verbal portion of my practical test relating to forward and aft CG.  Garner’s explanations of aerodynamics, flight systems, sectional map reading, pilotage, dead reckoning, and many other flying concepts and all just as clear and easy to understand.  I got way more out of this book than I did from Stick and Rudder.

The Gleim Private Pilot FAA Knowledge Test book does an exceptional job of preparing you for the knowledge exam.  If you’re disciplined and go through the explanations of questions you answer wrong, you will learn a lot during this process.  So try to review the question explanations and understand the principles rather than memorizing the answers since, at the end of the day, it’s all about being a safe and competent pilot.

Fate is the Hunter by Edward Gann is an outstanding book about the early days of commercial aviation.  It is a thrilling book that shows you first hand some things you should absolutely not do as a pilot that he learned the hard way, including 1) flying anywhere near a thunderstorm, 2) flying into known icing conditions, 3) allowing mechanics to experiment with unproven parts on your plane (a modern analog would be failing to watch a line worker to check that s/he uses 100LL instead of Jet A (unless you’re lucky enough to actually need Jet A )), and 4) enlisting too  much trust in pilots you just met at the controls.  It also teaches you that keeping your cool in a crisis will increase your chances for a positive outcome more than anything else – your memorized checklists will do you no good if you can’t keep your head and wits about you so you can execute the steps smoothly.

Jason I have read through the posts so far and there are a number which stand out. I disregard the basic flight training manuals because they are not really optional.
My Must read list is all those which have given me insights above and beyond the basic flight training for my PPL. Some were just fun and helped fan my enthusiasm when Weather, Wallet or Work conspired to keep my out of the air, others contributed to the nebulous concept of airmanship. I am very happy to have every one of them in my library.

Fate is the Hunter – EK Gann
The Proficient Pilot – Barry Schiff (The boxed set with Vol 1, Vol 2 and Vol 3 is great)
Stranger to the Ground – Richard Bach
Biplane – Richard Bach
Nothing By Chance – Richard Bach
Sigh for a Merlin, Testing the Spitfire – Alex Henshaw
Wings on my sleeve – Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown
The Wrong Stuff, Flying on the edge of Disaster – Cdr. John Moore, USN Ret.
Bush Pilots, Legends of the Old and Bold – Bob Cary and Jack Hautala.

I was bored by the Wolfgang Langewische book Stick and Rudder. I had been advised to read it by instructors and pilots from all over. While it has merit, the subject matter should ideally have been picked up prior to your first solo. If your instructor did not impart this basic information very early on in your training then you have missed out. By all means buy and read this book. But hopefully you will find that it is the same information that your instructor gave to you in the first few hours of flight training and you are using.

But as you always say, a good pilot is always learning, so gather a great library of books around you to fill those times when you are not able to get airborne.

I tried to share.. but the button didn’t work properly..

There are a lot of individuals getting ready to take the leap into the process of starting to learn to fly.  The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge is a
must. This book
features important information on the basics of flight and
the operations of a aircraft. It contains an generous amount of information.

There are a lot of individuals that are getting ready to take the leap into learning to fly. the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge is a must.  This book
illustrated the basics of aeronautics to operations of a aircraft.  It is a well written introduction as well as a great resource. Even if you have never had control of an airplane this book will enlighten the reader into the aspects of being a PIC.

I want my books. and to anoint your wife.

The FAR AIM – it may not be the most informative book, but it will cure your insomnia.