Sporty’s Study Buddy is an exceptionally simple iPhone and iPad App, and I mean that in the best way. Study Buddy offers itself as a definitive one-stop solution to the FAA Test Prep problem. AviationChatter was given the opportunity to evaluate the latest version of Study Buddy (Private Pilot). Find out if you should buy or pass on this one.

Study Buddy doesn’t pretend to offer anything new to the computer-based training game. In fact, this app is a direct descendant of the very same FAA Test Prep programs that made Gleim, King Schools and even Sporty’s so popular throughout the ’90s and 2000′s. That’s not a bad thing at all. In fact, bringing a quiz and training app to the iPhone is a complete game changer. Now users can study at any time or place.

Study Buddy's three study modes

Sporty’s Study Buddy has three training modes. Learning and flashcard modes allow users to focus on specific subject areas, like General Aerodynamics or Airspace. In learning mode, multiple choice questions straight from the FAA Written Exam are asked. Users are provided with instant feedback and receive a final grade with the option to review missed questions. Detailed explanations are provided as to why each answer is correct or wrong to aide in the learning process.

The flashcard mode is an ideal way to study for the oral exam. Study Buddy presents written exam questions that must be mentally or verbally answered. After tapping the “Show Answer” button the user self grades. I think this would be a great way to study with a friend.

Test mode is a little different. It is a timed recreation of the actual written exam and is a great gauge of what you can expect to score on your official test. All answers are multiple choice and there is no feedback until the test is complete.

One of the problems that has plagued mobile FAA test prep software has been the myriad charts and figures associated with the questions. Thanks to touch screen and pinch-zoom technology, this is no longer a big problem.

Users can pinch-zoom and scroll high resolution charts and figures from the FAA manual

Unfortunately, users will run into problems with a few of the flight planning questions. These questions require use of a plotter to determine heading, course and distance information between airports. This is just not feasible with a tiny iPhone. Sporty’s would do well to implement some sort of line-drawing or plotter tool to make these questions easier to handle.

Sporty’s Study Buddy is a simple and intuitive aviation app that will absolutely help you pass the FAA Written Exam. This is a great app, hands down. It provides a great deal of information in a clean and easy format, making it a strong buy for anybody preparing for the Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, Instrument or Recreational Pilot knowledge tests.

Study Buddy is a strong buy for anybody preparing for the Private Pilot, Commercial Pilot, Instrument or Recreational Pilot knowledge tests.But I do question the iPad vs. iPhone pricing. Selling at $9.99 (Recreational/Private Pilot) to $14.99 (Instrument/Commercial) in the App Store is a good price on the iPad, but I am startled to see the same price tag on the iPhone version. Yes, it is the same product, but I don’t think that Study Buddy is worth the same amount of cash on a smaller and clumsier screen.

You can buy Study Buddy for four different knowledge tests in the App Store or read more about it at Sporty’s. There is also a Google Android version available.

Disclaimer: Sporty’s Study Buddy (Private Pilot) was provided to AviationChatter.com for review purposes.

Perhaps the greatest challenge to future professional pilots is overcoming the financial hurdle inherent in flight training. According to recent estimates, a private pilot’s license in 2010 will cost between eight to ten thousand dollars, with the commercial pilot certificate topping out at forty to sixty thousand! The dirty little secret to these bloated numbers is the fact that much of that money is spent renting an airplane and “building hours” — something you could be doing for free!

The Quest for Aeronautical Experience

Buried deep within the sacred stones of the ten thousand commandments of aviation, the FAR/AIM, lies the Aeronautical Experience requirements for each airman certificate. You can find these tucked away under 14 CFR Part 61 or Part 141, depending on what sort of training regimen your instructor follows. These flight time requirements are rarely an issue for sport and private pilots, but quickly become a fiscal nuisance to would-be instrument and commercial pilots who are required to meet their 50 hours of cross country experience, or to hit the 250 hours of total time for a Part 61 commercial rating.

Ways To Save

Offer yourself as a right-seater. You might be surprised at how many professional pilots are willing to help you build your time. By simply cooing over how cool it would be to fly a King Air or Pilatus, you might find yourself being invited to ride along and fly right seat. Ask if the captain is an instructor and don’t let him leave without signing your logbook! And remember to return the favor when you find yourself in the left seat.

Befriend local pilots. There is no shortage of opportunities in having a plethora of flying buddies. You could find yourself riding along in their plane and getting a little hands-on time which, if you’re appropriately rated, is loggable. Others own airplanes that simply aren’t flown enough. They may offer access to their airplanes to you, provided you always top the tanks or keep it clean.

Wash airplanes. Washing an airplane can be a chore, one that many people will gladly do without. By talking to local airplane owners, you may be able to arrange a deal where you can fly someone’s airplane in exchange for a thorough bug-scrub.

Hang out at the airport. Weird missions come up at FBO’s across the nation. If you have a good relationship with the FBO management you just might be asked to take the local trainer to some po-dunk airport to pick up a sack of machinery, free of charge. It’s happened to me many times.

Above all else, be friendly. There’s a real sense of karma in the aviation community, and opportunities always seem to come to those who deserve it most. Participate in local events and be courteous to everybody. If you make your ambitions known, somebody is bound to help you out along the way.

This is by no means a complete list of every way to save money on flight training. If you have any other suggestions, please leave a comment below for the benefit of future pilots.

When performed in a safe and controlled environment, stalls are a blast! But being caught off guard by an inadvertent stall can be a terrifying and dangerous experience. That’s why stall training is such an important part of the private pilot syllabus. But students are only trained in the methods of stall entry and recovery, and are left unaware as to the most high-risk phases of flight.

Jason Schappert the flight instructor at M0A.com took the time to outline the three points where inadvertent stalls are most common:

1. Base to final
2. After takeoff on climb out
3. In the landing flare

Number one and two may seem obvious, but I find high-risk area number three intriguing. After fourteen years of flying, I’ve never had a good discussion on the landing flare stall. Why is that?

It’s not like this is an uncommon cause for accidents. I recall seeing an airplane with it’s struts physically pushed through the wings after landing. The pilot had over flared, leading to a stall followed by a very hard landing (or perhaps a soft impact).

It’s surprising that landing flare stalls don’t happen more often. This is the time where the pilot’s eyes are completely transitioned outside of the airplane. We have to rely on visual (outside) and tactile cues during those final moments before touchdown, and if the airspeed bleeds away there is little to no warning that something bad is about to happen.

This is precisely why it’s important to know your airplane. When that “stall mush” begins to dominate the flight controls, it’s time to do something about it. If that includes a go-around, then so be it.

A favorite question among private pilots. Should I get my instrument rating? In short, the answer is a resounding yes! Pilots who continue their training are 52% less likely to have an accident. Not only are the statistics in your favor: imagine this.

Now if you had your instrument rating you could have easily made a routine
IFR flight with minimal “actual” conditions.

I’ll be the first to tell you that my instrument rating was one of the hardest
things I’ve done. My instructor was very demanding but it made me into a much better pilot.

I’m a firm believer that a good pilot is always learning! So why not step up to
the plate and make an appointment for your first or next instrument lesson.
Your instrument rating will not only make you a safer pilot but a more confident pilot.

Last April, I dealt with diversions, windshear, flap failures, and Category-II ILS approaches. All of this in just over four hours of flight time! Well, maybe it wasn’t actual flight time, but after a few minutes in a full-motion flight simulator it’s very easy to forget that you are only “playing a game.” You can read my account of airline LOFT training in the CRJ-200 in my post at PlasticPilot.net.

NPR’s Talk of the Nation raises questions on the quality of airline pilot training and support made available to newer pilots. Topics discussed in this thirty minute show include Captain Chesley Sullenberger’s handling of US Airways flight 1549, airline schedules, crew rest periods, and flight safety. Airline pilots call in and discuss the state of the airline industry, advancements in technology, and raise questions on the quality of airline training programs.

Guests include Matt Wald, aviation safety reporter for the New York Times and John Nance, a former captain for Alaska Airlines and prominent aviation author. 

Ferry Boats Rescue Passengers of US1549

Nance makes a great point about the importance of cockpit standardization and its effect on safety. He breaks it down into Star Trek terms to say that the airlines have “fired Captain Kirk and hired Captain Picard.” He also discusses the differences between the pre-standardization days and drops the bombshell that it was not uncommon for checklists to go unused in the past. Furthermore, Nance discusses the advancement of crew resource management and the importance that captains create an open environment and encourage feedback from the rest of the crew.

One Chicago based first officer (presumably from American Eagle), provides his insight on the importance of experience and its importance to aeronautical decision making by highlighting his ever changing perception of aviation as he accumulates more hours.

“Experience is excellent, but an experienced pilot can make a mistake too,” responded Nance. He cited the military’s ability to train pilots to land on carriers with only 400 to 500 hours of experience.

Nance focuses on airline training and cockpit procedures. Not wanting to take away from Sully Sullenberger’s deeds, Nance claims that well established procedures may have made the key difference in the Hudson River crash by unloading the flight crew’s mind and providing “a bubble of time … to make a decision.”

A corporate pilot called in and questioned the movement towards “heads down” flying and reliance on automation as opposed to stick and rudder skills.

Related:

Read the full story at NPR.org
Transcript of US Flight 1549