The Ultimate Pilot Workbook Programmed Learning to Complement Rod Machado s Private Pilot Handbook Contains 1,811 FAA exam and general knowledge questions Prepares you to pass the FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Exam Organized to follow information presentation in the Handbook FAA APPROVED PART 141 GROUND SCHOOL SYLLABUS AND STAGE EXAMS
Rod Machado s Private Pilot Workbook i Rod Machado s Private Pilot Workbook Written by Rod Machado Published by The Aviation Speakers Bureau
ii Rod Machado s Private Pilot Workbook Workbook updated with each printing. Please visit (and bookmark) our web site for any additional book updates: www.rodmachado.com. Published by: The Aviation Speakers Bureau, P.O. Box 6030, San Clemente, CA 92674-6030. All rights reserved. The contents of this manual are protected by copyright throughout the world under the Berne Union and the Universal Copyright Convention. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever electronic, photographic, photocopying, facsimile or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written permission of the author; Rod Machado, care of The Aviation Speakers Bureau. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Nothing in this text supersedes any operational documents or procedures issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft and avionics manufacturers, the Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), flying schools or the operators of the aircraft. The author has made every effort in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information. However, the information is sold without warranty either expressed or implied. Neither the author nor the publisher will be liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly, indirectly, incidentally or consequentially by the information in this book. The opinions in this book are solely those of the author and not the publisher. Don t even think about using any performance chart in this book for performance computations in your airplane. Use a performance chart appropriate for your airplane. Also, don t even think about using this book for navigation. In other words, there are aeronautical chart excerpts in this book but none of them should in any way be used in lieu of actual charts for any type of information. The charts, graphs and tables in this book are for training purposes only. Cover layout by Diane Titterington Front cover artwork by Erik Hildebrandt (See page S-11) All illustrations in this book designed and drawn by Rod Machado Photographs (unless marked otherwise or in the public domain) by Rod Machado Copyright 2014 by Rod Machado
Contents iii Copyright Information...ii Contents...iii About the Author...iv Introduction...v Foreword...vi CONTENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Chapter One - Pages A1-2 Airplane Components: Getting to Know Your Airplane Chapter Two - Pages B1-14 Aerodynamics: The Wing is the Thing Chapter Three - Pages C1-14 Engines: Knowledge of Engines is Power Chapter Four - Pages D1-6 Electrical Systems: Knowing What s Watt Chapter Five - Pages E1-10 Flight Instruments: Clocks, Tops & Toys Chapter Six - Pages F1-20 Federal Aviation Regulations: How FAR Can We Go? Chapter Seven - Pages G1-10 Airport Operations: No Doctor Needed Chapter Eight - Pages H1-6 Radio Operations: Aviation Spoken Here Chapter Nine - Pages I1-14 Airspace: The Wild Blue, Green & Red Yonder Chapter Ten - Pages J1-6 Aviation Maps: The Art of the Chart 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Chapter Eleven - Pages K1-12 Radio Navigation: The Frequency Flyer Program Chapter Twelve - Pages L1-22 Understanding Weather: Looking for Friendly Skies Chapter Thirteen - Pages M1-22 Weather Charts & Briefings: PIREPS, Progs & METARS Chapter Fourteen - Pages N1-18 Flight Planning: Getting There From Here Chapter Fifteen - Pages O1-14 Airplane Performance Charts: Know Before You Go Chapter Sixteen - Pages P1-8 Weight and Balance: Let s Wait and Balance Chapter Seventeen - Pages Q1-10 Pilot Potpourri: Neat Aeronautical Information Part 141 Approved Syllabus...R1-R14 Stage One Exam...R15-R18 Stage Two Exam...R19-R24 Stage Three Exam...R25-R38 Appendix (Airport/Facility Directory Legend)...S1-S4 The Senior Editor...S5 Aviation Speakers Bureau/Ongoing Editor...S6 Rod Machado s Products...S7-S13 Cover Photographer & Pilot...S14
iv About the Author Rod Machado traded his motorcycle for flying lessons at the age of 16. Captivated by the adventure of flying in a Taylorcraft L-2 at Amelia Reid Aviation in San Jose, Rod has remained hooked ever since. He may be one of the few ATP-rated pilots who still gets excited by a Cessna 150 fly-by. Rod is a professional speaker, educator and humorist who travels to all 50 states and Europe sharing his upbeat and lively presentations. His unusual talent for simplifying the difficult and adding humor to help the lessons stick has About THE AUTHOR made him a popular lecturer and author. For six years, Rod wrote and coanchored ABC's Wide World of Flying. He is an instructor on the Cessna Cleared For Takeoff Private Pilot CD-ROM Course, and he is AOPA's National CFI Spokesman. You can fly with Rod as your flight instructor on Microsoft's Flight Simulator. Rod is a National Aviation Safety Counselor appointed by the FAA in Washington D. C. He began flying in 1970 and has over 8,000 hours of flight time earned the hard way, one CFI hour at a time. Since 1976, Rod has taught hundreds of flight instructor revalidation clinics and safety seminars and was named the 1991 Western Region Flight Instructor of the Year. Rod has written for a number of publications and is a columnist for AOPA Pilot Magazine and Flight Training Magazine. Rod's eclectic interests are reflected by his equally varied academic credentials. In addition to having an Airline Transport Pilot license and all fixed wing flight instructor ratings, he holds a degree in aviation science and degrees in psychology. Rod believes you must take time to exercise or you'll have to take time to be sick. He gets his exercise from practicing and teaching martial arts. Rod holds black belts in the Korean disciplines of tae kwon do and hapkido and a ranking in Gracie jujitsu. He also runs 20 miles a week, and claims it's uphill both ways. Acknowledgments The author wishes to acknowledge the help and or support of the following individuals, companies or groups: Brian Weiss of WORD SWORTH, Santa Monica, CA; Dr. Barry Wallis of Delphi System; Celia Vanderpool; Jeff Broomall Diane Titterington of The Aviation Speakers Bureau, San Clemente, CA; The New Piper Aircraft Corporation. Charts and graphs provided by Piper are to be used for information purposes only (A Pilot Operating Handbook is the only true source of information); The Cessna Aircraft Corporation. Cessna authorized the use of their materials with the understanding that they are to be used for training purposes only, not the actual operation of an aircraft; Danny Mortensen, President of Airline Ground Schools; Captain Ralph Butcher; Tim Peterson and the many others who kindly lent their assistance during the creation of this project.
Introduction v Thank you for purchasing my Private Pilot Workbook. This book complements my Private Pilot Handbook. Using them together will give you a chance to gauge how well you understand the material presented. Here s how this Workbook is constructed and how to use it properly. First, you ll notice that the questions in the workbook use the same sequence and black-onwhite topic headings as the Private Pilot Handbook. When you ve completely read a particular topic in the Handbook, you should proceed to the Workbook and answer the questions listed under that topic. This gives you immediate feedback on how well you understood the information you just read. I suggest that you write your answers on a separate piece of paper instead of marking the Workbook. When you ve finished reading the Private Pilot Handbook, then you might want to answer all the Workbook questions once again in preparation for the FAA Knowledge exam. This would be a good time to mark your answers to each question directly in the Workbook. To the right of the number for each Workbook question is a sequence of characters that looks something like this: [E17/3/2]. This code tells you where to find the explanation of the answer to this particular question in my Handbook. The first two characters represent the page number within a particular chapter, the second number represents the column and the last number represents the paragraph (counting down from the top of the column) where the explanation is found. Therefore, if you want the explanation for this question, it will be found on page E17, column 3, second paragraph from the top. The answers to the individual questions are found at the end of each chapter in the Workbook. If you re interested in tips for taking the FAA Knowledge exam, please visit the Book & Slide Updates section of my web site at (www.rodmachado.com). Additionally, when reading my Handbook or Workbook, you might want to use a highlighter to aid you in reviewing later. If this manual is being used as part of a Part 141 ground school, then it should be used in conjunction with Rod Machado s FAA approved, Part 141 ground training syllabus located at the back of this book. You ll find the approved syllabus for a nine-week, 51.5 hour ground school starting on page R1. If you are enrolled in a Part 141 ground school using my Handbook then look at the syllabus to determine the course schedule and homework assignments. This approved ground school requires that three stage exams be given during the course of instruction. The exams are found beginning on page R15. I hope you have a wonderful time learning about aviation. Have fun! Laugh & Learn, INTRODUCTION Rod Machado
vi Foreword/Acknowledgements With only some six hundred flight hours, I feel like the least qualified person possible to introduce one of Rod Machado's publications. On the other hand, the twelve years I flew with Microsoft Flight Simulator before actually taking lessons in 1996 gave me a perspective that those with thousands of hours may not have. It certainly made me appreciate the need for clear instructions, good visualization, and practice that provides usable feedback. When I began to take lessons I chose Rod's Machado s Private Pilot Handbook because it offered the clearest explanations, using the best graphics, that I found among the FOREWORD Dr. Barry Wallis many materials available. The Handbook enabled me to understand the lessons, visualize what was occurring during flight, and react to changes with confidence. But my experience in the training field left me wishing for more practice and for testing to see if I had learned the material. I was delighted to learn that Rod was working to answer that need, and I was honored to be asked to help evaluate Rod Machado s Private Pilot Workbook. The Workbook provides self-testing on every topic covered by the Handbook, many practice problems, references to the Handbook, and more. I wish I d had the Workbook when I was preparing for my Knowledge and Practical tests. Now, having seen it, I would say that any flight student who does not use it is making a conscious decision to lengthen their flight training. Dr. Barry Wallis is the president of Delphi Systems, a training company in Downers Grove, Illinois. His background includes video production and custom training solutions to end-user training and support problems.