Beyond the Checkride: What Your Flight Instructor Never Taught You

by Howard Fried

Asserting that a flight certificate is a pilot's ``license to learn,'' this unique book offers valuable lessons learned by veteran pilots. Using the anecdotal style that has made his Flying magazine column so popular, Fried bridges the gap between pilot training and in-flight experience with his advice on vital but often under-emphasized areas maneuvering speed; weight and balance; aircraft control; prop safety; night flying; altitude.

Genres: Aviation

329 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1997

Reviews

[Marius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an informative and entertaining read. The book would have been a lot better if the information in the second half was condensed, repeated stories removed or referenced by chapter, and bringing the book down to about 200-250 pages.

The book starts with a lot of great and thought-provoking information regarding flight training and some of its pitfalls. It then covers ways in which those pitfalls can be improved to provide the student with an understanding of what and how things can go wrong, rather than a mere demonstration of how they happen. It also gives handful of good tips on how to perfect various maneuvers and become a safer pilot.

The author, however, spends a lot of time (rightfully) criticizing the FAA and its regulations - some of which is informative to the pilot and can help keep him or her out of trouble, while the other feels a lot like filler. The author also repeats a lot of the stories in the book, and in some cases, the stories look like an exact copy/paste from an earlier chapter. This, again, feels like filler to make the book longer at no added value (while some stories are just referenced by chapter number).

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read! Mar 2010