First Steps
Congratulations! You have decided to give it a go and start your pursuit of a private pilot certificate in earnest. Over time you will slowly transition from student to pilot and so will your responsibilities and rigor of your training.
Time To Study
Yep! The first step to learning to fly is on the ground. If you are like me, when I started out I thought flying was all about developing a physical to become a competent pilot. Although there is a good deal of skill involved, there is just as much, if not more, academics involved in navigating the National Airspace.
A big part of flying is knowing what to do when. What is a safe landing speed? How do you use flaps? How do you use radios? How do I fly a traffic pattern?, etc., etc., etc. Before you head off into the skies, you need to know the answers to all these questions and hundreds or even thousands more. Your CFI will help you through all of this, but, you will be doing both of you a favor by starting your studying as soon as you commit to lessons. Here are the basic resources that you will need and contain just about everything that you will need to know.
Below are digital links but all of these are available in print at very reasonable prices. Personally, I find the print versions much more easily digestible and making physical notes and highlights is a big help.
Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) - This is your primary study guide and contains just about everything you need to know for the written test. You will need to know it very well.
Airplane Flying Handbook - If you want to know how to fly a plane, this book will tell you how.
Federal Aviation Regulations / Aeronautical Information Manual (FAR/AIM) - For this one I highly recommend getting the print version. These are two separate resources that ASA has combined into one book. There are online resources but they are much harder to follow than the print version. PRO TIP! - It’s a big scary book, but, in the beginning of the book it lists all the sections that are relevant to private pilot. Tab it out. It’s a very small subsection of the book.
FAA VFR Sectional Charts - The roadmap to the skies. Highly recommend picking up a print version. They are cheap. You will probably be required to have one. You can find them at Amazon or Sporty’s Pilot Shop and there is a good chance your flight school has them too.
Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards (ACS) - Do you want to know what you will need to do on your final check ride? It’s all here. It’s really helpful to know what the end goal is as you make your way through training. It is also a lot of information to digest, so, the earlier you start the better.
Get Out There And Fly!
Enough talk of studying. You don’t need to read all these books cover to cover before you take to the skies, but, it helps to study along the way. Book some lessons and have fun with your CFI.