Tips & Tricks

Learn from our mistakes! RookiePilot has a wealth of tips and tricks across a wide range of topics.

  • Written Exam Prep

    • If it fits within your budget, an electronic E6B flight computer is an easier way to calculate performance, weight & balance, etc. compared to a paper E6B flight computer. Plus, an electronic E6B flight computer is allowed during your written exam.
    • Practice tests help to confirm knowledge areas you think you know well and to focus your attention on areas that need further study.
    • There are also other test prep providers that provide a bank of the actual questions that will appear on your FAA written exam.
    • Get your written exam done earlier on during your flight training, that way you can focus your attention on your flying skills and the oral exam portion of the checkride.

  • Oral Exam Prep

    • Regardless of if you use the printed or digital version, having FAA documents bookmarked (“tabbed”) and highlighted will be hugely beneficial when studying for your oral exam. Plus, all FAA resources are available for use during your oral exam.
    • Flashcards are an efficient way to learn the minutia you will be tested on in your oral exam
    • Whiteboarding (or at least writing on paper) a detailed PAVE Checklist will help you understand what you know and what you don’t know
    • Teaching others will help you refine how to succinctly and effectively describe a topic without any hiccups

  • Practical Exam Prep

    • Chair flying is used throughout aviation training as a way to practice different flight scenarios. Chair flying can be accomplished by simply closing your eyes and imagining or with a cockpit layout print-out in front of you.
    • If you have the budget, a home simulator set-up can help improve your at-home flight skill training
    • A binder is helpful in organizing documents that you can use for training flights and checkrides. Sheet protectors are also helpful in protecting your documents, especially the more important ones. Some documents that pilots may have in their binder include: temporary pilot certificate, medical certificate, test results, NavLogs, pages within the airplane’s POH, Airworthiness Directives (AD’s), etc.

  • Logbook

    • Be sure to include details of the flight in the ‘notes’ section of your logbook. It is a requirement when applying for a certificate that you practice the various flight skills and having a log of what you did on each flight will help prove that to the DPE when reviewing your logbook to ensure you meet the qualifications.
    • Use both a paper AND the ‘electronic flight bag’ logbook from the beginning of flight training. Having a digital copy of your flight history can save you a lot of trouble should you misplace your paper version. The ‘electronic flight bag’ logbook also has some very useful features such as automated reports that total your flight hours (total hours, PIC, night, solo, cross-country, etc.). If you don’t use the ‘electronic flight bag’ logbook from the start of your training, you will unfortunately be spending hours/days populating it if you decide to start using it at a later time.

  • Hydration

    • Use a water bottle that does not compress (a metal water bottle is recommended) and does not have a foldable straw. The pressure on a plastic bottle/straw is greater on the ground than in the air, so when a plastic bottle/straw is opened in the air (where the pressure is less) water will pour out.

  • Clothing

    • In order to instill professionalism in those aspiring to become career pilots, flight schools have a dress code that includes wearing dress pants. Golf pants, which are light and comfortable, are great for flying.
    • When wearing a short sleeve shirt, arm sleeves protect you from UV rays. On longer flights, your elbow can get very sore from the arm rest, but football arm sleeves, which have padding for the elbow, alleviate this pain.
    • Running gloves are helpful when the temperature is colder. They warm your hands but are not so bulky that you cannot fly the plane.
    • You use your feet a lot while flying to control the rudder. Wear comfortable shoes that are not pointed – the brakes are on top of the rudders, so the chances of touching the brakes are less when wearing non-pointed shoes
    • Wear sunglasses that are not polarized. Polarized sunglasses distort any screens you may be using while flying (tablet or glass cockpit)
    • When flying, you are exposed more to the sun than when driving, which is why sunscreen is critical in avoiding sunburns.

  • Budgeting

    • Budget! Regardless of what type of flight training you are doing it is prudent to be financially responsible and plan for both expected unexpected expenses. The tools that aid in flying such as a tablet, electronic flight bag, headset, flight computers, books, etc. add up to a considerable amount of money. Additional flights and checkrides can also cost a lot of money, and there are even more additional expenses that may come up unexpectedly.