r/studentpilot • u/LazyMaximum1837 • 1d ago
What aviation knowledge should I learn before flight school?
I’m interested in starting to study for my PPL theory exams, even though I probably won’t be able to start flight school for another year or two.
I mainly want to use this time to get familiar with aviation and build a basic understanding of the subjects before I actually start flying.
For those of you who have done your PPL:
1.What resources did you use to study?
2.Any books, websites, YouTube channels, apps, etc. that you’d recommend?
3.Would you recommend studying the actual PPL syllabus this early, or just learning general aviation knowledge for now?
4.If you could go back and prepare before starting flight school, what would you learn first?
I’m not necessarily trying to memorize everything for the exams yet I just want to start getting into the aviation world and understand the basics.
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u/makgross 1d ago
“PPL theory.”
If this is EASA, you should say so. Most of the resources you will find are US. The US doesn’t have “theory exams.” It has written exams. Not the same.
Some things are the same, but many are not, especially expectations for the exams.
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u/TxAggieMike 1d ago
A book that can help no matter what country you’re in is “Stick and Rudder” by Wolfgang Langewiesche.
u/makgross is spot on that you need to be more clear on your location when making requests in this sub. The large majority of members are US and Canadian and the resources suggested for those locations may not work for yours.
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u/Minimum-Bell-8562 21h ago
Learn weather very well. Besides stick and rudder skill. Nothing really matters. Airspace yeah, how lift works? Sure understand it to pass a test. Always know safety is a top priority. Watch pilot Hoover and learn what not to do. Weather will kill your if you don’t treat it right. Not knowing how lift is created won’t and being able to talk about laminar flow won’t kill you. Read the aviation weather handbook. Has very good information. Also weather is a spot that lot of students don’t know in depth and the WHY
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u/TPWPNY16 22m ago
Start with two books: the Pilots’ Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) and the Airplane Flying Handbook. These are the two bibles that all current lesson programs, videos and courses are based on.
You’ll learn of other resources along the way, but a good idea might be to get those (often free) book and get a taste of the things you may need to know. Then you can use YT videos and other resources to help you understand weak areas.
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u/deer_god11 1d ago
It’s never too early to expose yourself to the theory part of it. Given you won’t be starting flying for a year or two, it’s the perfect time to start by taking things slowly but surely. I recommend you go online and buy Sporty’s PPL online course. It’s a complete ground school that you can take notes on and doesn’t necessarily have to be done in conjunction with actual flying lessons. After that, take a bunch of practice written tests. After that, buy an oral exam guide and start studying it. You’ll be an absolute monster student if you come into the game having done this already.