Below I have compiled a list of really good books I have found along the way that have been a lot of help. I’ve also included little reviews on each in order to give you a better idea of which books would be good for you.
Books to Start With
Pilot’s Handbook or Aeronautical Knowledge
Also known as the PHAK, this is the absolute first book you should start with even before you start flying or decide to start any ground schools. Whenever anyone asks me for advice on where to get started in becoming a pilot or what things to start reading, this is always the number one book I refer them to. You can purchase a paper copy on amazon or you can go to the FAA’s website and download the free PDF version. I am old school and love paper copies of everything, but it’s nice to be able to alway get the newest digital version of the book for free. The more information you have walking into training, the cheaper it will be. Reading this book may leave you feeling a bit confused or overwhelmed, that’s normal, just keep reading. You can always search google or youtube for any videos that help explain specific things, but the more you read, the more things will start making sense. Plus, when you sit down with your instructor, if you’ve never read anything, much of what they say will be confusing. If you read this first, then what your instructor says will begin to make more sense and you’ll be able to connect your mild knowledge from the reading.
Airplane Flying Handbook
Once you have finished reading the PHAK and are ready to start training, this is the second book you should start looking into. Again, you can purchase the paper copy on amazon, but you can also go to the FAA’s website and download the free PDF version. This book goes more into actual operations of the aircraft and understanding how to actually fly. This will be another stable in your flight training.
Current Far/AIM
Think of this book as your pilot Bible. The FAR/AIM is a book full of all federal regulations that you should eventually begin reading and understanding throughout your flight training. You will be expected to know all regulations that apply to you and the certificate you hold. I started to compile a listed of certain private pilot and instrument regulations and help break them down for a better understanding because the regs are written in legal form, which can be hard to understand sometimes. However, make sure you get your own copy of a current FAR/AIM and don’t just rely on my break downs. Nothing should every completely replace actually reading the regulations. Also, I suggest looking for the FAR/AIM app for your iPad. I got it a while back and all regs are updated as they change each year. It costs money, but ensures that you will always have an updated copy of all regs.
Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook
This book is good for anyone who really has a hard time grasping certain concepts. When I first decided to start my journey on becoming a pilot, I knew absolutely NOTHING and was never anywhere close to having any knowledge on planes, other than the fact that I worked as a flight attendant for a few years. Rod does an excellent job breaking things down pretty well and saying things in ways that people like me were able to understand. Sometimes someone can say the same thing in just a slightly different way than someone else and all of a sudden you get it…this book was that for me.
Jeppesen Private Pilot Textbook
First off, I absolutely LOVE Jeppesen. This book goes in great details with the things you should know for your private pilot certificate. If you have the extra funds, I’d say go for it. Jepp is usually a bit on the higher end, price wise, but great info. If you’re like me and are trying to consolidate and spend the least amount, I’d maybe stick to the FAA publications for your private and just over to the Jeppesen Instrument Commercial textbook, that I mention below, once you get into the instrument and commercial phases of your training.
Aviation Weather: FAA (AC) 00-6B
This is another FAA publication to you should dive into once you start learning about weather. If you’re like me and like to have hard copies to highlight and write notes in, then I suggest getting the hard copy. If you are trying to save as much money as possible and don’t mind the digital version, you can download the free PDF version off the FAA’s website. This will give you a much more details on weather than you can find in the PHAK. Once you’re done with this book, move on the the next one below.
Aviation Weather Services: FAA (AC) 00-45H
Once you read the previous book, this is the perfect next book to help understand how to read weather. Before every flight, one of the things you have to do is check the weather observations and forecasts. This book will go through the different things you’ll look at and how to understand all of it. This is also an FAA publication with a free PDF version on their site.
Aeronautical Chart User’s Guide
I feel like not many people take advantage of this amazing booklet. Think of it as your chart bible. This will break down every symbol and help you identify nearly everything on the sectionals, terminal area charts, and more. Once you start getting into your flight training and using the charts, I highly suggest keeping this puppy handing to refer back to. If another FAA publication, so if you don’t want to purchase it and have a hard copy, you can get a free PDF version from the FAA’s website.
Books for Commercial and Instrument
Weight and Balance Handbook
Books for Flight Instructors
Jeppesen Flight Instructor Manual
Other Good Books
Practical Aviation & Aerospace Law
I’ll admit, the only reason I bought this book was because it was the textbook for my Aviation Law class. However, with that being said, the more I ready, the more I thought, “Oh my goodness, this information should be a part of any private pilots training.” I understand why it’s not apart of the FAA required training, because it’s mostly about your rights as a pilot, but flight schools (outside of colleges) should be teaching these things to their flight students. I highly suggest giving this a read to better understand things think your rights during FAA investigations, understanding your aviation medical, rental liabilities, and insurances when buying an aircraft. I found some of the information like airline liability and airport stuff a bit dry, but most of it was an eye opening and fascinating read. Also, I had the hard copy for only about a month of so before the glue on the binding gave way, which was pretty upsetting, so I’d recommend maybe the ebook if you’re into that sorta thing.
