Study, Study, Study!

I was really excited about getting my Private Pilot License. No one on my dad or mom's side of the family had ever learned to fly. So, if I was able to accomplish this I figured it would be really cool. I studied for the exam but I had received some basic pilot training while in the Civil Air Patrol and had flown some old WW11 simulators to get some stick and rudder time and was a bit overconfident. The Civil Air Patrol also taught me navigation and how aircraft navigation was relevant to finding downed airplanes. I was to find this did not qualify me to pass the exam. 

What I discovered after taking the exam was how much I did not learn. And that was because I didn't take the time to study hard enough and with the proper materials. I am my own worst critic and I was so angry at myself for flunking the exam I was inconsolable. It was at that moment I realized enthusiasm and an insatiable desire to fly did not qualify me to take the exam. Desire alone is not qualification and no matter how determined I was, without study, there was no way to pass the test.

So, here is what I did. I assembled everything I needed. My E-6B, a calculator, Plotter, VFR Charts, Aircraft Performance Manual and for that time it was for an old 1972 Cherokee 140. I purchased an Airman's Information Manual, FAA questions and answers and set to work. I blocked out my friends and even my girlfriend at the time to concentrate on one thing, passing the Private Pilot Exam. I studied, practiced, studied, plotted courses and studied, read the reg's and studied. I studied like a man possessed because I was. I had but one goal in mind. A private Pilots License.

So, what happened? It worked! I had slain the dragon that would harness me as a student pilot forever. Now I was able to pursue the fun stuff. The Flying.

Few things are more gratifying in life that accomplishing a goal. Set your goal and pass your exam.Click Here!

Passing Your FAA Written Exam

Passing your FAA Private Pilot Exam could possibly be the most difficult part of getting your Private Pilots License depending upon who you are. It was said during WWII that farm boys from west and midwest quickly adapted to a stuck and rudder from their experience running farm equipment. Farm equipment back then required a lot more fancy footwork, dexterity, and muscle to operate.

Navigation, especially dead reckoning has been around since the time of the first sail in sea. Dead reckoning is either short for an original acronym called "deduced reckoning" or "ded, reckoning" for short. Others think it was from a position being, "dead" in the water, dead level, dead even, dead ahead, and so on. Dead reckoning for pilots hasn't changed much and nor has the equipment used to figure it out. The old E-6B is fairly simple to use and requires no batteries. I have a small one in my flight case I've had for over 34 years. This is something you will need to master to figure speed, time, and distance considering winds aloft and mag variance.  

Aviating gets easier as time and experience goes by but in order to fly as a private pilot you have to pass the FAA exam. Well, actually you can fly solo after your first solo but you are still restricted by FBO, FAA, and insurance policy. So, concentrate on getting through that written exam and get that behind you so you can put that bookwork into practice. You will need it in everyday flying anyhow.

Some people can study and learn easily with little study and can't dance. Some people are great with a stick and rudder but have to study long and hard to get through material. I am one of those who has to study like crazy. One thing I have found useful however is to do what you just figured out over and over and over. Take weight and balance for example.

Weight x arm = moment is a formula used to figure weight and balance for airplanes and is something far too many pilots take for granted and don't run before flight. However, there are performance charts in the airplane that will help you. But, you have to learn it. It could be painfully evident if you don't learn it and bend a prop.

If you are one who procrastinates on studying you have to buckle down and do it. I sometimes went to the FBO and studied there because of the aviation environment.

The exam has 60 questions from a host of hundreds. You only need 70% to pass. That leaves a lot of room for failure. After you get through the exam you need to go over the areas you got wrong so you get 100% of the knowledge needed to fly. If the questions you missed were all weight and balance or weather interpretation, you could be an accident waiting to happen. So learn it all even if you got it wrong. 

Learning On Your Own.

A lot of learning about flying you must do on your own and every flight is a learning experience. I recall learning that even though the winds were west to east at Tucumcari one hot Sept. afternoon when Avgas there was only $1.33 a gallon, the local FBO said to use the north south runway even though the wind sock was almost flat out.

This was going to be a real test of my crosswind ability. First, I accepted the runway and the challenge. Then I began to stabilize the approach but the air was bumpy and this was difficult. The second thing I did was use only 10 degrees of flap to land a bit faster but have more control effectiveness. The third thing I did was aim for the upwind side of the runway so I would have room to drift a bit if I ran out of rudder and aileron, which I did.

The only thing I had left was power which I used to keep the nose over the runway. Mercifully, the wheels finally chirped, grabbed some pavement and I was able to keep my plane out of the runway lights and weeds. It was a good refresher but I found out later that the gal operating the radio at the FBO just "picked" a runway. I could have used the east west runway.  

Some of these techniques came from the aircraft performance manual, a bit from experience and and little from bravado. By that I mean I didn't want to sissy out and ask for an easier runway to land on. I know I've tried to land at airports where the wind easily exceeded me and my aircraft performance and believe me, you can't wish your plane onto the runway when nature says no.

No matter where you are in your flight training envelope, basic written instruction has to be overcome. You have to get your written exam completed. For that, check out joepilotecourse.com for your written study needs.

Another Inexpensive Way To Learn To Fly

When I was working on my instrument ticket I had already installed Microsoft Flight on my PC. With a joy stick and simple controls here is what you can do for about a hundred bucks.


A joystick can show you the input needed to maneuver and the flight program can do a number of things. One of which was set up the program so you can fly the exact route you will be actually flying. This allows you to familiarize the headings, altitudes, frequencies, and aircraft performance. Don't just use a keyboard, it is awkward and confusing.

Although there is a significant difference between real flying and your home computer the basic procedures can be learned and practices like plight planning, checking weather, running weight and balance, basic aircraft procedures like setting up the radios, headings, and frequencies.

You can learn a lot at home and save a lot of money for the fun part, actually flying the plane. I highly recommend a good Flight software program and a decent joystick for your flight training.  Most of these programs have your current airport environment so it all feels familiar. Use these tools and it can save you time and money.