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Preparing for your PPL Written Exam

A few important study materials that you will need to study for your exam.

Recently I wrote and passed the written exam for the PPL.  I had put it off for a very long time.   With all the breaks in my flight training, the gap between ground school had grown quite large.

I finally decided that enough was enough and I had to get the test out of the way.  So I had myself “grounded” – no distractions. No flying. It’s much more glamorous to fly rather than study about flying – but in reality, studying is a huge part of aviation.

What I would recommend the most is to write it as soon as possible after finishing ground school and while flying.  Actually getting out and flying while attending ground school or studying ground school topics solidifies some of the subject areas. Specifically, they make theory of flight, instruments, and air law easier to understand.  For example, when you use wind inputs for taxiing, you already know how that works, you know that in a right turn your right aileron is up, and you know about lift, and some general things about aircraft performance.  You know weight and balance.   If you fly out of a busy airport, like I do, you quickly learn about airspace and how to talk to controllers.

Some books you will find useful when studying for your PPL written exam.
Some books you will find useful when studying for your PPL written exam.

I recommend some resources for studying. These tools really helped me.

Top Books for Studying

1. Private Pilot Answer Guide

This book is undoubtedly the best resource you can have. Once you study each subject area in detail, I recommend writing the practice questions in this guide. Write them again and again. This item is now available in our store.

2. From the Ground Up (FGU)

Not surprising, the Canadian “bible” for aviation, is a constant reference resource, filled with a lot of useful information on weather, navigation, general aeronautical knowledge, aero engines – everything! Have it handy. Take it with you everywhere.

3. From the Ground Up Workbook

Tests specific concepts in FGU.  This workbook is great as it asks very detailed questions on subject areas presented in FGU. It also provides answer references so you can look up the answers in the text book. Having the workbook forces you to browse FGU and look up information, and helps you learn it. This item is also available in our store.

4-6. Protractor, Ruler and E6B

These tools come with the ground school kit.  You will need these to make your calculations for flight planning. Know how to use your E6B. This calculator comes with a booklet with practice questions. Go through them and make sure you understand how it works.



7. VNC Map

The 1:500,000 scale map is used for flight planning.  Write all over it, plan lots of flights to learn your nav!

8. AIM

The Aeronautical Information Manual. Use the manual to look up regulations and various topics, such as weather. The weather portion of this manual is very helpful (MET).

9. CARS website

Find all the links to specific regulations that you will need to answer exam questions.

10. Pilots Operating Handbook

The POH is the specific manual for your aircraft model. You will need this to look up performance data for your aircraft, such as take off runway length, performance and fuel burn at altitude, density and pressure altitude…

11. Canada Flight Supplement

The CFS is also handy to have when planning a cross country flight. It gives you airport data for all Canadian registered aerodromes.  You should get used to looking up data such as runway direction, length, type of runway (turf or pavement?), service times and arrival and departure procedures.

10. Your Instructor!

Don’t forget to ask your instructor questions if you get confused.  Your instructor is your greatest resource and is on your side – they want you to do well on your exam.  Spending some time studying at your flight school is a good idea, so if you get stuck you can simply ask someone rather than stressing about not being able to understand something. It is common to get stuck, so having instructors and fellow aviation students around is not only inspiring but also helpful.

Also helpful:

  • Air Command Weather Manual: If you have trouble understanding meterorology with or are really interested in weather, I suggest this manual. In addition, if you are planning on pursing a commercial license this explains some advanced topics that are used for the CPL, such as detail on icing and weather fronts.  Weather geeks unite. Buy Air Command Weather Manual on Amazon
  •  Air Command Weather Workbook: Guides you step by step through the various topics presented in the Manual.   If you are buying the Manual, make sure you buy the workbook as well. It is an excellent complement to the manual – it goes through each topic step by step and highlights the important concepts you need to understand.  I found it extremely helpful in learning  weather and highly recommend it.

And of course: Lots of caffeine!

The main tip for passing the exam is to read the questions carefully. They are very tricky, and will often present answers that are very close. Sometimes several answers are right and they ask you to choose one that is most right.  They can be very sneaky, so you must be very prepared. Simulate the exam environment by writing as many practice exams as possible.

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Convert an FAA certificate to a Canadian private pilot license

Pre flight check on a Cesna 172

A little while ago someone asked us how to convert an FAA certificate to a Canadian Private pilot license.

Applicants are required to write a conversion examination consisting of several topics that have mainly to do with Canadian air law. Regulations should be reviewed as they apply to airplanes in VFR operations.  These are found in the table below.

CARS – are Canadian Aviation Regulations and found on Transport Canada’s website. The AIM is the Aeronautical information Manual and may also be found on the TC website, and you can download a a pdf copy of the publication.

Below are the specific subjects that need to be studied for the exam.

CARs Part I, Subpart 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS
101.01 – Interpretation (definitions as needed)
CARs Part IV, Subpart 1 FLIGHT CREW PERMITS, LICENCES AND RATINGS
401.05 – Recency Requirements
401.26 – Private Pilot Licence, Aeroplanes – Privileges
CARs Part IV, Subpart 4 MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
404.04 – Issuance, Renewal, Validity Period and Extension of a Medical Certificate
CARs Part VI, Subpart 1 AIRSPACE
Division I – Airspace Structure, Classification and Use
Division II – Aircraft Operating Restrictions and Hazards to Aviation Safety
CARs Part VI, Subpart 2 OPERATING AND FLIGHT RULES
Division I – General
Division II – Operational and Emergency Equipment requirements
Division III – Flight Preparation, Flight Plans and Flight Itineraries
Division IV – Pre-Flight and Fuel Requirements
Division V – Operations at or in the Vicinity of an Aerodrome
Division VI – Visual Flight Rules
Division VIII – Radiocommunications
Division IX – Emergency Communications and Security
CARs Part VI, Subpart 5 AIRCRAFT REQUIREMENTS
Division I – Aircraft Requirements – General
Division II – Aircraft Equipment Requirements
TC AIM – GEN GENERAL
1.0  – General Information
3.0 – Transportation Safety Board of Canada
TC AIM – AGA AERODROMES
7.19 – Aerodrome Lightning – Aircraft Radio Control of Aerodrome Lightning (ARCAL)
TC AIM – COM COMMUNICATIONS
5.15 – Radio Communications – Phone Use During Radio Communication Failure
TC AIM – RAC RULES OF THE AIR AND AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES
2.0  – Airspace – Requirements and Procedures
3.6 – Flight Planning – Flight Plans and Flight Itineraries (Opening)
3.12 – Closing
4.0 – Airport Operations
5.0 – VFR En Route Procedures
TC AIM – SAR SEARCH AND RESCUE
3.9 – Emergency Locator Transmitter – Schedule of Requirements
TC AIM – MAP AERONAUTICAL CHARTS AND PUBLICATIONS
2.0  – Aeronautical Information – VFR
6.0 – Aeronautical Information Circulars – General
TC AIM – LRA LICENSING, REGISTRATION AND AIRWORTHINESS
3.9 – Pilot Licensing – Recency Requirements
TC AIM – AIR AIRMANSHIP
1.6 – General Information – Canadian Runway Friction Index
2.12 – Flight Operations – Flight Operations in Winter
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How I got started with my private pilots license

On final approach, wearing the headset.

Here is the account of some of the first steps taken when I set out to get my private pilots license – the PPL

Discovery Flight

Shortly after taking my Discovery Flight, I decided I was interested in pursuing the license and I was really impressed with my flight instructor  – so there was no looking back – I decided to get my started on my PPL.

Ground School – February 2010

I finally started ground school at Edmonton City Center Airport (CYXD) – after much research, deliberation and anxiety.

Was I ready to commit to learning to fly?  It’s intense, and it’s expensive.  You have to be willing to commit time and resources to this.  It’s going to require not only money, but a lot of concentration and mental resources.  You will have to study lots and be prepared to take time out of your schedule to commit to fly.  To take the flight test for PPL, Transport Canada requires that a student have 45 hours total, of which, 5 hours may be completed on a simulator. At least 17 hours must be dual instruction and you will need 12 hours solo time.  For details, check Transport Canada’s regulations.

You should budget close to $10,000 for the PPL.   It will take longer (more flying hours) the more breaks you take. So if you can, be prepared to have the finances and the time to be able to do the license as fast as possible – flying 2 to 3 times per week, if you can.  Consistency is everything when you are learning. If you are happy with your instructor, I recommend not switching instructors, and not switching airports or schools (unless you have to, like I did, during a move). I received this advice when I started, but knowing that I wouldn’t be able to commit to going regularly, foreseeing that I would likely have some breaks,  I decided to pursue it anyway.  I’ve had to take lots of breaks during my license, and I even had to switch home airports and instructors – all which cost me more training hours in the end. However, I am interested in obtaining a commercial license eventually, and am not trying to finish my PPL in minimum hours, so I decided I was okay with it. And really, once I was into to (it didn’t take long) I didn’t want to stop, I just love to fly.

I have always been infatuated with airplanes, and flight in general.  I’ve flown in bush planes several times so I had no misconceptions about how loud and old some of them were – it didn’t bother me at all.  I find all airplanes fascinating, and like most pilots, am just obsessed with flying and anything flying.

Here is the account about my first training flight

Ground School – Winter 2010

I was still in graduate school at University of Alberta when I signed up for ground school.  Ground school costs about as much as a graduate level course at the University, and you get 60 hours of instruction in various topics.

The courses are revolving and ongoing so a topic is repeated in cycles.  Each school has a different price, however generally they will be in the $500-$700 range, depending on the school and if you buy their study materials, or ground school “kit.”  You can purchase the materials yourself somewhere else, however it’s likely that you won’t save enough money from buying it elsewhere to justify the inconvenience of having to collect the materials yourself.

The fee for ground school generally gets you a year of instruction in these courses, so if you miss a course, or are away for a period of time, you can easily pick up the courses later.  It takes just over 2 months, at my school, if you’re going constantly to each class.  This means that if you missed a course, you can pick it up again in just over 2 months time, depending on the schedule for that particular school.  You can repeat as many classes as you need.  Generally for the private level the courses are in the evenings, twice a week.   This depends on the flight school for their particular schedule.   My flight school, Centennial Flight Center , offered private ground school Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7 to 9 pm.

My flight school selection was fairly simple.  A year or so earlier, when I began looking at flight schools in the Edmonton area, I came across two flying out of CYXD.  The first school I contacted was Edmonton Flying Club (EFC), where I booked my very first “fam” or familiarization flight.  This is a discounted, introductory flight that is offered by every flight school so you can try out the school, see what their planes and instructors are like, and how they generally run their school to see if you feel comfortable there or not.  You will be spending a lot of time with your instructor, in that classroom and in the aircraft, and costs as well, so you want to make sure you chose carefully!   It’s an important first decision.

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