Third Edition Learn everything you need for: The FAA private pilot exam Flight reviews/Rusty pilot review Updating and refreshing your knowledge A complete information manual by one of aviation’s most knowledgeable and experienced teachers This ebook is licensed and registered specifically for your use. It is marked with a tracking number at the bottom of this page. Thank you for respecting my intellectual property rights. Sincerely, Rod Machado Tracking: 39**#Dk51***40 Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook i Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook Written and illustrated by Rod Machado Published by The Aviation Speakers Bureau © Mark Rasmussen - Fotolia Please respect my intellectual property rights with this material. It takes many years of hard work to put together these handbooks. I do all the writing, all the illustrations and all the work involved except the actual printing of the physical book. Without others respecting these intellectual property rights, it would be difficult if not impossible to continue this work. Sincerely, Rod Machado Copyright Information ii Third eEdition Published January 14, 2021 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 ebook may be transmitted electronically or copied. 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, any aircraft’s Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), flight schools or the operators of the aircraft. The opinions in this book are solely those of the author and not the publisher. 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. Don’t even think about using any performance chart in this book for performance computations in your airplane. Go get a performance chart appropriate for your airplane and use it. 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 current charts for any type of infor- mation. All of the charts, graphs and tables in this book are for training purposes only. Cover layout by Diane Titterington Front cover artwork by Sam Lyons All material created, written and produced by Rod Machado All illustrations in this book designed and drawn by Rod Machado (QuarkXPress, Corel, Photoshop) Photographs (unless marked otherwise or in the public domain) by Rod Machado Copyright 2021 by Rod Machado Note: Each ebook is tracked to the person who purchased it. Please do not share ebook files with other people. I appreciate your respecting my intellectual property rights. Table of Contents iii Acknowledgments.......................................................iv Foreword.......................................................................v Dedication....................................................................vi About the Author......................................................vii Previous Cover.....................................................viii Introduction.................................................................ix 1 Chapter One - Pages A1-10 Airplane Components: Getting to Know Your Airplane 2 Chapter Two - Pages B1-52 Aerodynamics: The Wing is the Thing 11 Chapter Eleven- Pages K1-44 Radio Navigation: The Frequency Flyer Program 3 Chapter Three - Pages C1-38 Engines: Knowledge of Engines 12 Chapter Twelve- Pages L1-58 Is Power Understanding Weather: Looking for Friendly Skies 4 Chapter Four - Pages D1-16 Electrical Systems: Knowing What’s Watt 13 Chapter Thirteen - Pages M1-44 Weather Charts and Briefings: PIREPS, Progs and METARS 5 Chapter Five - Pages E1-42 Flight Instruments: Clocks, Tops and Toys 14 Chapter Fourteen- Pages N1-48 Flight Planning: Getting There From Here 6 Chapter Six - Pages F1-60 Federal Aviation Regulations: How FAR Can We Go? 15 Chapter Fifteen- Pages O1-26 Airplane Performance Charts: Know Before You Go 7 Chapter Seven- Pages G1-32 Airport Operations: No Doctor Needed 16 Chapter Sixteen- Pages P1-22 Weight and Balance: Let’s Wait and Balance 8 Chapter Eight - Pages H1-22 Radio Operations: Aviation Spoken Here 17 Chapter Seventeen- Pages Q1-46 Pilot Potpourri: Neat Aeronautical Information 9 Chapter Nine - Pages I1-42 Airspace: The Wild Blue, Green and Red Yonder Editors..................................................................R1, R2 Aviation Speakers Bureau...........................................R2 10 Chapter Ten- Pages J1-16 Aviation Maps: Product Information...............................................R3-R9 The Art of the Chart Index....................................................................R10-R14 Glossary..............................................................R15-R26 Acknowledgments iv Ken Dravis Captain Ralph Butcher Tim Peterson Captain John Dill Captain Al Englehardt Captain Ed Shaffer Gwen Ledbetter Ed Helmick Don Eick The author wishes to acknowledge the help and or support Sherry Knight of the following individuals, companies or groups: Ron Marks Brian Weiss of WORD’SWORTH, Santa Monica, CA. Diane Titterington of The Aviation Speakers Bureau, Chad Gregory Holcomb San Clemente, CA. C.J. Logue Diamond Aircraft Corporation. Diamond was instrumental in helping with graphs, charts, pictures and much, much, Jackie Spanitz more. Thanks for all the help! Aviation Supplies and Academics (ASA) The New Piper Aircraft Corporation. Charts and graphs provided by Piper are to be used for information purposes Pat O’Brien of Mag Time, John Wayne Airport, CA only. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook is the only true source of information. Iceman Aviation Supplies, Ontario, Canada The Cessna Aircraft Corporation. Cessna authorized the use of their materials with the understanding that they are Simon Wheaton Smith to be used for training purposes only, not the actual oper- ation of an aircraft. All the folks at ASRS, Moffett Field, CA Air Time Aviation of Palomar airport, CA. Paul & Linda Neumann Robert Crystal of Simulator & Instrument Training Center Phil Hewitt in Van Nuys, CA. Bill Johnson of Instrument Service Inc. of Van Nuys, CA. Paul Stebelton John & Joanne Italiano of Windsock pilot supplies in Dave Franson Newport Beach, CA. Kim Wheeler Jeannie and Fernando Molina at the Pilot Supply Shop at Long Beach Airport Barry Wallis Danny Mortensen, President of Airline Ground Schools Gene Croxton Skip Forster, President of Results Pilot Training, Rich and Ron Lovick San Jose, CA. Captain James P. Johnson of James Johnson Associates Fred L Gibbs Christopher W. Tompkins Joe Castrey of Southern Aviation Maintenance John A. Ryan Flight TrainingMagazine Grahame K. Gates Fotolia Photo source Douglas L. Mather Clipart from the following companies: Dave Gwinn 3G Graphics, Archive Arts, BBL Typographic, Cartesia Software, Image Club Graphics Inc., Management Graphics Ltd., One Mile Al Chelini Up Inc., Studio Piazza Xilo Inc., Techpool Studios Inc., Totem Graphics Inc., TNT Designs, SmartPics. Sarah Cochrane The instructor at American Flyers responsible for the “F111, Douglas Fairbairn C152, 1 Coke memory aid” (your name here when identified). Foreword v There are many exhilarating activities you can try, but few offer challenges and rewards comparable to learning to fly. It is an activity that requires the unique combination of phys- ical skills needed to fly the airplane while engaged in the mental activities of analysis and problem solving. Learning to fly gives you the sat- isfaction of seeing yourself make great strides in learning, and at the same time it challenges you to learn more. You acquire the ability needed to take the airplane up solo rather quickly, but you will spend the rest of your flying career improving your skills and judgment. There are a variety of courses, video programs and books available to help you acquire the knowledge and attitudes needed to become a pilot. Which resources you use will depend on your individual preferences, but Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook should certainly be one of the learning tools you use. Educators know that people learn more readily if written material is supported with pictures; if examples are used to support ideas; if analogies are used to tie the unknown to the known and if Dr. Gerry Fairbairn ideas are linked together in a memorable manner. Rod does an amazing job of building this book around these con- cepts. In addition, he focuses on just the information that is of great practical importance to pilots, which helps keep the task of learning the mate- rial reasonable. He also does a magnificent job of using humor to get you through the tough material and keep you alert regardless of the topic. Books only provide value if people will read them, and Rod makes it very easy to get value from this book. Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook is an essential resource for anyone who is learning to fly. The material can be easily understood by those with no previous aviation experience. For those who already have their certificates, it is an excellent way to update your knowledge, get a refresh- er on material you once knew, and learn material you were never able to understand because it was too boring or presented in a manner that was incomprehensible. The book is also an excellent resource for flight instructors who want to expand their “toolkit” of explanations, examples, and visual aids to help their students gain insights into the wonderful world of flight. Dr. Gerry Fairbairn is a professor of aviation at Daniel Webster College and lives in New Boston, New Hampshire. He has been a flight instructor since 1965 and is an aviation lecturer for the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. Dedication vi DEDICATION This book is dedicated to three very important people whose contributions had a considerable influence on my aviation career. Amelia Reid gave me my first job in aviation as a teenager. I fueled and tax- ied airplanes at Amelia Reid Aviation at Reid-Hillview airport in Northern California. I was in heaven and will always be grateful for that opportunity. Jan Sakert is perhaps the most charismatic, clever and humorous speaker I’ve ever heard. He gave me the opportunity to teach aviation ground school and learn the business of speaking and teaching. He was always wise, infinitely supportive and a very patient man. His podium demeanor still influences my behavior to this day. Mr. Paul Stebelton is one of the most understanding, friendly and sincere men I’ve ever met. As an Accident Prevention Specialist in the Long Beach FSDO, he allowed me to do aviation safety programs to my heart’s content. There were times when my antics got Paul in hot water with the higher-ups, but his support never wavered. He was one of the few educators I’ve met who realized the value of humor in education. About the Author vii Rod Machado traded his motorcycle for fly- ing lessons at the age of 16. His parents were delighted he gave up riding with the vegetar- ian motorcycle gang known as the Sprouts. Captured by the romance and adventure of flight in a Taylorcraft L-2 at Amelia Reid Aviation in San Jose, California, Rod has remained hooked ever since. In fact, he is one of the few airline-trans- port-rated pilots who still gets excited by a Cessna 150 fly-by. Rod is a professional speaker who travels across the United States and Europe delighting his listeners with upbeat and lively presentations. Machado truly loves mixing it up with the audience. His unusual talent for sim- plifying the difficult and adding humor to make the lessons stick has made him a popular lectur- er both in and out of aviation. Rod speaks on both aviation and non-aviation topics, including risk assessment, IFR charts, aviation weather, in-flight emergencies, and safety awareness. He is also known for his rapid fire, humorous banquet presentations. A pilot since 1970 and an active flight instructor since 1973, Rod is also a National Aviation Safety Counselor. He has over 8,000 hours of flight experience earned the hard way—one CFI hour at a time. Since 1978, Rod has taught hundreds and hundreds of flight instructor revalidation clinics and safe- ty seminars across the United States and Europe. He was named the 1991 Western Region Flight Instructor of the Year. You can read his monthly column, “License to Learn,” in AOPA Pilot magazine as well as his monthly columns in Flight Training Magazine. Rod’s eclectic interests are reflected by his equally varied academic credentials. He holds degrees in aviation science and psy- chology. Rod believes you must take time to exer- cise or you’ll have to take time to be sick. Holding black belts in the Korean disci- plines of Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido and ranking in Gracie Jujitsu, he gets his exer- cise from practicing and teaching martial arts. He also runs 20 miles a week and claims it’s uphill both ways. Visit Rod’s web site at Rod Machado www.rodmachado.com. Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook viii Flying & Flapjacks The Book Cover About the Artist Since childhood, Sam’s love of aviation has led him down the road to his pre- sent career as a world renowned avia- tion artist. Sam has flown aircraft from J-3 Cubs to F-15, 16 and 18’s, which gives him a unique perspective for painting award winning aviation paint- ings from the classics to modern jets. For more information on Aviation Art by Sam Lyons contact: (800) 544-4992 or https://lyonsstudio.com/ Sam Lyons “This book is an aviation bible. Obey these commandments and your rewards are endless.” Cliff Robertson