Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook

657 Pages·2021·138.607 MB·English

by  Rod Machado

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:
[phone]
or
https://lyonsstudio.com/
Sam Lyons
“This book is an aviation bible. Obey these
commandments and your rewards are endless.”
Cliff Robertson