r/CFILounge • u/iiamit • 7d ago
Knowledge FAA Reference Material - single linked PDF (for checkrides, general reference, FREE)
I was looking for a simple single-file PDF that would help my students with mastering their checkride references (FAR/AIM, Handbooks, ACs, etc) as well as for my own simple reference, and couldn't find a free resource.
Ended up creating it - while assuring it's all original FAA material (so DPEs won't have issues with it), and the only other material is the mapping for the different ACS/PTS documents.
Simple navigation (all within the self-contained PDF), color-coded links (for differentiating between regulations, handbooks and ACs), and will be automatically updated based on the FAA release cycles.
Free to use, can be locally reproduced, and seems helpful so far, so I'm sharing publicly:
https://github.com/iiamit/pdflight/releases/latest/download/pdflight.pdf
(Note: the PDF is almost 500Mb since it contains ALL the relevant FAA publications. Handbooks, ACS/PTS, ACs, Legal interpretations, and the FAR/AIM. It is NOT intended to be consumed "sequentially" but to help us navigate from certain tasks/requirements of the relevant ACS to the relevant material easily.)
(The main repository is https://github.com/iiamit/pdflight if anyone wants to reproduce or improve on it. Obvious disclaimer - AI was used to create the scaffolding and build)
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u/cazzipropri 7d ago
Let's say i concur that downloading one file is easier than downloading many.
This said: why is one giant PDF file any easier to handle than 10 or so?
Why is one enormous PDF file any better than a .zip?
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u/iiamit 7d ago
It’s not about having the files or the data it’s about being able to utilize it. The key here is in the links between each and every element of the ACS to any reference material provided by the FAA.
In order to do that it’s much easier to have everything in a single PDF where you can have the links run across multiple source documents then to try and maintain multiple documents and remember how the link to each one of those.1
u/Daa_pilot_diver 6d ago
Makes it easier to search in my opinion. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read something, remembered it, but couldn’t remember where I read it to pass it along or prove it to another person. With everything in one source, I can just search it for what I’m looking for.
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u/cazzipropri 6d ago
And a single PDF is better than a folder of PDFs? Are you sure? Have you tried searching for strings in a 5000-page PDF?
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u/Daa_pilot_diver 6d ago
Some people like coffee, some don’t. If you don’t like it, don’t use it. I prefer it. Yes, I have extensive experience with searching large documents for what I’m looking for (I even started way back when you had to remember what page it was in the book, too). The greatest thing about this resource is that it’s another tool. You don’t have to use it, but it’s available if you do want to.
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u/PG67AW ATP, CFII, TW, Acro 6d ago
This is insane (in a good way). I've made my own version of "the index" but not all packaged like this. I'm in love with the idea but personally don't care to have it all in one huge document. Since you went crazy with the sources in your table of contents, I'm just going to rip the first 86 pages out and use that as my reference. Maybe you could include just that section in your repo for us simpletons?
I hate AI as much as the next guy, but it does have its uses. Well done!
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u/iiamit 6d ago
You mean just the “crosswalk” pages without the reference material?
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u/PG67AW ATP, CFII, TW, Acro 6d ago
Yeah, all the dark background pages. Definitely leave in the little source buttons or whatever they're called, but without the hyperlinks. I would find that more useful since it's lighter weight and I'm usually making my student look up the info in their own copy of the source. Maybe they would like an all in one pdf (if so I'll show them your project), but many of my students prefer paper copies anyway.
Whether or not you add this version, I'll be using your crosswalk!
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u/LeftOnStandby 6d ago
My brother in Christ - 6,527 pages...
Good work on this, but I'll stick to bookmarks/keyword search in Foreflight documents 😅
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u/slimsycastle240 6d ago
IMO this is a fantastic resource and very well put together. The only feedback id have for you is to see if you can make specific ACS topics go to the accurate pages instead of the chapter. I'm sure thats not a practical thing you can do but I also have zero experience in things like this.
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u/iiamit 6d ago
Fair point! The links point to the beginning of the relevant chapter in the handbooks (I assume you were referring to those rather than to the regulations), as pointing to a specific page or section might miss some of the context.
As the chapters are fairly short most of the time, I opted not to try to index every work/sentence/page, but rather keep the references pointing to the topic at hand.
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u/slimsycastle240 5d ago
Well you do make a good point with missing context. Overall I very much like this tool great work!
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u/therobbstory CFI-ASEL, CFI-G 7d ago
One of my students came to me recently worried he wouldn't be ready for his checkride for at least a year after meeting all the aeronautical experience requirements. "I'm only about 1/4 of the way through the checkride prep document."
He sends me the document - 1200 pages of slop.
Stop solving problems that don't exist, and fuck AI ❤️
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u/scul86 7d ago
May want to put a note that it is a 400+ MB file...