Private Pilot Training

Aeronautical Chart User's Guide

by NOAA

This is one of those books that you can use when studying for exams, but won't touch in between. If you are on a budget, skip this one and concentrate on the legend on the back of the sectionals.
Rating: OK. Not a bad book, but not really necessary.

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Aircraft Weight and Balance Handbook

by FAA

This has way too much information for most people. But if you're the kind of person who finds the charts in the operating manual imprecise and want to be able to calculate the exact location of the CG, then this book is for you.
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Airplane Flying Handbook

by FAA

The FAA books are factually correct but take an interesting subject and make it boring. About the only reason you'd want to own them is if you wanted a cross reference with the exam questions, since the FAA gets the exam questions from specific books.
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FAR/AIM

by ASA

For those new to flying, this is where the rules come from. You'll need to take a copy to each of your flight exams. The AIM portion is full of useful information and contains better explanations of many things than the textbooks do.
Rating: Required

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FARs Explained

by Kent Jackson and Joseph Brennan

Explains what the FARs mean in the real world. Includes cases before the NTSB and interpretations by the FAA.
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Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge

by FAA

The FAA books have historically been factually correct but take an interesting subject and make it boring. About the only reason you'd want to own them is if you wanted a cross reference with the exam questions, since the FAA gets the exam questions from specific books. This edition looks like it has been updated with new pictures and better text.
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Plane Sense

by FAA

The FAA books are factually correct but take an interesting subject and make it boring. About the only reason you'd want to own them is if you wanted a cross reference with the exam questions, since the FAA gets the exam questions from specific books.
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Private Oral Exam Guide

by Michael D. Hayes

There is not much here that you wouldn't already have learned from your instructor or other books. The question and answer format is similar to what your examiner will use. If you get nervous in that kind of situation, have a friend ask questions out of the book. It is also a good review book for Biennial Flight Reviews.
Rating: OK. Not a bad book, but not really necessary.

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Private Pilot Handbook

by Rod Machado

A complete guide to getting your private pilot's license. The explanations are detailed and geared to new pilots who haven't yet learned the terminology. I could do without the "humor", but some people like it and it seems he's famous for it.
Rating: Required.

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Private Pilot Maneuvers

by Jeppeson

You really need this book or something like it to get ready for your private pilot flight test. You instructor can go over the maneuvers with you, but when you go to practice them on your own,you'll probably forget exactly what you have to do. The diagrams and explanations in this book make it easy to understand what is required.
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Private Pilot Syllabus

by Jeppesen Saderson

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Private Pilot Test Prep

by ASA

ASA and Gleim are the two major test prep book publishers. You can pass your exam without one of these books, but it will require a lot more work.
Rating: Must Have. You can pass your exam without this book, but it will require a lot more work.

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The Student Pilot's Flight Manual

by William K Kershner

A good book to learn to fly from. It is used by one of our flight instructors.
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Instrument Training

Flying IFR

by Richard L. Collins

Another good book from Dick Collins.
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Instrument Flying Handbook

by FAA

The FAA books are factually correct but take an interesting subject and make it boring. About the only reason you'd want to own them is if you wanted a cross reference with the exam questions, since the FAA gets the exam questions from specific books.
Rating:

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Instrument Rating Test Prep

by ASA

ASA and Gleim are the two major test prep book publishers. You can pass your exam without one of these books, but it will require a lot more work.
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The Complete Advanced Pilot

by Bob Gardner

The book covers topics that will be on your FAA commercial and instrument exams. Since commercial and instrument pilots should generally know the same kinds of things about the flying, weather, and airspace, he wisely decided that there was no point in writing two books. There are a few sections covering information for commercial pilots?regulations and flight test?that instrument pilots can skip.
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The Pilot's Manual Instrument Flying

by Trevor Thom

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Advanced Training

Aviation Instructor's Handbook

by FAA

The FAA books are factually correct but take an interesting subject and make it boring. About the only reason you'd want to own them is if you wanted a cross reference with the exam questions, since the FAA gets the exam questions from specific books.
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Certified Flight Instructor Oral Exam Guide

by Michael D. Hayes

There is not much here that you wouldn't already have learned from your instructor or other books. The question and answer format is similar to what your examiner will use. If you get nervous in that kind of situation, have a friend ask questions out of the book. It is also a good review book for Biennial Flight Reviews.
Rating: OK. Not a bad book, but not really necessary.

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Certified Flight Instructor Test Prep

by ASA

ASA and Gleim are the two major test prep book publishers. You can pass your exam without one of these books, but it will require a lot more work.
Rating: Must Have. You can pass your exam without this book, but it will require a lot more work.

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Commercial Oral Exam Guide

by Michael D. Hayes

There is not much here that you wouldn't already have learned from your instructor or other books. The question and answer format is similar to what your examiner will use. If you get nervous in that kind of situation, have a friend ask questions out of the book. It is also a good review book for Biennial Flight Reviews.
Rating: OK. Not a bad book, but not really necessary.

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Commercial Pilot Practical Test Standards

by ASA

It helps to know exactly what the examiner will ask you to do on the exam and this series does a good job of preventing surprises.
Rating: Must Have.

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Commercial Pilot Test Prep

by ASA

ASA and Gleim are the two major test prep book publishers. You can pass your exam without one of these books, but it will require a lot more work.
Rating: Must Have. You can pass your exam without this book, but it will require a lot more work.

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Flight Instructor Practical Test Standards

by ASA

It helps to know exactly what the examiner will ask you to do on the exam and this series does a good job of preventing surprises.
Rating: Must Have.

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Pilot Examiner's Handbook

by FAA

The FAA books are factually correct but take an interesting subject and make it boring. About the only reason you'd want to own them is if you wanted a cross reference with the exam questions, since the FAA gets the exam questions from specific books.
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Pilotage

Avoiding Common Pilot Errors

by John Stewart

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Better Takeoffs & Landings

by Michael C. Love

Covers v-speeds, traffic pattern entry, normal takeoffs and landings, as well as short-field, soft-field, crosswind, and emergency landings. Most of this was probably covered by your instructor, but it's nice to have it written down. Each chapter covers tri-cycle gear planes as well as taildraggers
Rating: Buy. Good writing style and comprehensive treatment.

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Beyond The Checkride

by Howard Fried

I read this shortly after I completed my private pilot training and it really filled in a lot of gaps for me. I'd recommend reading it after you feel comfortable with flying. It is also a good book to pick up and read a chapter at random.
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Flight Test Tips & Tales

by Howard Fried

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Piloting At Night

by Lewis Bjork

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Situational Awareness

by Paul A. Craig

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Stick and Rudder

by Wolfgang Langewiesche

The classic text on piloting.
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The Art of Flying

by Robert N Buck

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Tips to Fly By

by Richard L. Collins

Richard Collins has been flying and writing bout flying for a long time and it shows in all of his books. They are well written and on-topic.
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Weather

Aviation Weather

by FAA/NOAA

The FAA books are factually correct but take an interesting subject and make it boring. About the only reason you'd want to own them is if you wanted a cross reference with the exam questions, since the FAA gets the exam questions from specific books.
Rating:

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Aviation Weather Services

by FAA/NOAA

The FAA books are factually correct but take an interesting subject and make it boring. About the only reason you'd want to own them is if you wanted a cross reference with the exam questions, since the FAA gets the exam questions from specific books.
Rating:

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Flying The Weather Map

by Richard L. Collins

Richard Collins has been flying and writing bout flying for a long time and it shows in all of his books. They are well written and on-topic.
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Weather Flying

by Robert N. Buck

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Communications

Controlling Pilot Error: Communications

by Paul E. Illman

A lot of the information in Paul Illman's books overlaps, but that's probably because there is just so much you can write about communications without repeating yourself. This book also takes NTSB case reports and analyzes the communication mistakes that contributed to the accidents.
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Say Again, Please

by Bob Gardner

A concise guide to talking with controllers in all kinds of airspace.
Rating: Good. At 134 pages it is good for pilots with short attention spans.

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The Pilot's Air Traffic Control Handbook

by Paul E. Illman

A good, thorough review of VFR communications.
Rating: OK. A lot of this is repeated from his other book, but there is enough new information to warrant a purchase.

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The Pilot's Radio Communication Handbook

by Paul E. Illman

This book teaches you how to communicate from the cockpit. It covers communication with the tower, other pilots at uncontrolled fields, FSS, and center. At the end of the book it takes you step-by-step on a cross-country flight.
Rating: Buy this book. And get a copy for each of your friends. The best book on communications that I have read.

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Biography

North Star Over My Shoulder

by Bob Buck

A thoroughly enjoyable biography by someone who has been active in aviation since the 20's. There are lots of little details, like how hard it was to retract the wheels on a DC-2 - by hand cranking, and how working the brakes wasn't much easier. It is an easy read, almost like sitting around the pilots lounge listening to old-timers tell stories.
Rating: An enjoyable read.

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Skyward

by Richard E. Byrd

Rating:

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Wilbur and Orville

by Fred Howard

A lot of what you think you know about the Wright brothers is probably incomplete. This book fills in the details - why would two brothers from Ohio lug all their equipment to North Carolina of all places? - who were the other aviators at the time? - were they good engineers or just lucky?
Rating: Buy this book.

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Aircraft

A Field Guide to Airplanes

by M.R. Montgomery and Gerald Foster

Rating:

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Handbook of Aeronautical Inspection and Pre-Purchase

by Denny Pollard

I haven't read this book yet, but I've used his annual checklist and read comments of his on bulletin boards. He knows his stuff. "This book explains what is done or what should be done to mitigate your losses in the purchase of an aircraft. What pre-purchase steps should be taken and in what order they should be followed. This step-by-step guide will walk you through each step protecting your assets and safety."
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Kitplane Construction

by Ronald J. Wanttaja

I toyed with the idea of building a plane from a kit and bought this book to help me understand the process. I'm sure there will be some surprises if you decide to build your own, but if you read this book you'll at least know what kind of surprises to expect.
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Other

Mountain Flying

by Doug Geeting and Steve Woerner

A good introduction to flying in the mountains.
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