Customer Reviews

Private Oral Exam Guide: The Comprehensive Guide to Prepare You for the FAA Oral Exam

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I used this book to help me study for the oral exam for my private pilot. It helps explain things that the FAR/AIM is not too clear about. It also does a good job at asking questions in the way the examiner would ask them. I recommend it to anyone getting ready to take their oral exam.

This book is an excellent companion to the FAR/AIM. It is logically organised and written in clear language. Very helpful to prepare yourself for the checkride.

Many private oral preparation books only allow rote memorization of the answers. This book gives reference to every answer in the FAR/AIM so you can study and understand the answer. A must for true aviation enthusiast.

This book covers every question an examiner could ask! I'm an ATP and was challenged by the questions! Recommend highly.

This serves as a general guide but some of the information in this book is already out of date. For example, when cleared to taxi to a runway but to do so, you must cross another runway. Are you cleared to cross the non-active runway? The book's answer is yes, but actually that rule has changed. Now you must have separate clearances to cross other runways. Not only could this fail your checkride, but this is even more potentially dangerous later on as you fly as a private pilot.

This is the 9th edition, and as of the date of this review, it's the latest edition. They should either publish a new edition real soon, or put pocket inserts in the current editions to reflect the latest rule changes.

IMO you should rely on your CFI and latest FAR/AIM for all the rules, and only use this guide informally to get a taste of what kind of questions to expect on your checkride.

This book thoroughly reviews most topics that you will need to know to pass your oral test, but not all topics are covered. Examples are emergency procedures and plotting cross-country courses.

Poorly edited and with contradictory info. And I'm only on Chapter 2!

Example:

Chapter 2, Weather

Question #13: How do you determine the stability of the atmosphere?

Answer: "Unstable air is indicated when temperature decreases uniformly and rapidly as you climb . . ."

Question #22: What factors must be present for a thunderstorm to form?

Answer: Three conditions are given, one of them stating "Unstable air (non-standard lapse rate")

In other words, in question #13 the author is saying a standard and normal lapse rate is an indication of unstable air and just a few questions later says that it is a nonstandard lapse rate that is a cause of unstable air. Well, which is it?

In question #15 which relates to estimating the bases of clouds, he states his method of estimating the cloud base is only reliable if there are clouds. Duh.

The author gives study questions at the end of each chapter but no answers. I didn't buy this book to be given questions and not the answers. I can do that on my own.

Lousy book. Go with Gleim.