Private Pilot Test Prep - FAA 12+

Great app for studying for the PAR

This is a great test guid and is the only reason I scored a 98% on the knowledge test, it has almost every type of question you will encounter on the Knowledge exam. I used this over my Jepson Private Pilot study materials due to the fact that it is so easy to access and use. For a lunch break, or any time you have a free minute you can just go on your phone and you have the same quality material that you would get from the Jepson test books or any of the other big aviation text book companies. The explanations are fairly good and it uses the same diagrams and references that are in the actual PAR exam, so if you have the testing supplements booklet you can use it to help answer all the questions that require a reference. If you don’t have the test supplement booklet I highly recommend it because you will need it you answer any of the plotting questions.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for using our app, and congratulations on a great score! It sounds like we covered everything, but if you have any suggestions on questions or topics that we need to cover better, please let us know. Thanks! ....Ed @ FlightReady

Excellent study resource

I am currently preparing to take my private pilot check ride and have enjoyed using this study guide in my preparation. This app does an outstanding job of allowing one to not only become familiar with the types of questions and topics that will be on the written exam, but it also allows users to become familiar with the many sources of information from which these questions are derived. I also like the fact that you can choose specific topics and even sub topic areas to focus on, which makes it easier to study topics that you may be weaker in. When I become a flight instructor I will strongly recommend my students to utilize this resource for two reasons: 1) Student exposure to sources such as the AIM, FAR AIM, FAA Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, etc... 2) It is relatively inexpensive compared to other test prep materials I’ve seen and used which is good for young pilots who are already on a tight budget.

Charts

This app has been helpful thus far but I can’t seem to figure out how to draw lines on the charts during questions I’m not sure if I’m just oblivious to the feature or if it doesn’t exist but it’s hard to see how well your doing if you some of the questions you get wrong isn’t because you don’t know the answer but because the precision required can’t be completed because you physically can’t draw on the charts. Also a lock zoom button would be great because when I get the zoom correctly so that my in hand scale matches the scale given on the key once locked into the position you can no longer scroll the map and if you unlock it you risk the zoom changing and throwing off your calculations
Update: I managed to pass my PAR with a 100%, would be five star if you were able to select the amount of zoom and keep it that way for more accurate measurements, or adding the protractor into the app.

Developer Response ,

I apologize for the difficulty you encountered working with digital charts. Unfortunately this is a limitation of using paper charts on digital devices. The app does in fact include a screen lock (the lock icon at the top right), and there are some workarounds that may help:

The best alternative is to download the FAA Knowledge Testing Supplement (PDF) - If you are using an iPhone or a desktop computer, you may find it easier to use a physical plotter on a paper figure. This also helps practice the actual skill that you will need to demonstrate on the knowledge test and during your checkride.

The figures used in our courses are the actual FAA figures from the FAA Knowledge Testing Supplement, which may be downloaded from our website via the Library button int he app. After downloading the supplement, print the aeronautical chart figures for use with a physical plotter. These figures should print to the same scale as the plotter, but a minor variation will still permit determining distances to a tolerance sufficient to determine the correct answer.

If you prefer to use the app, rather than paper charts, the following tips will facilitate using the figures provided in the app:

- Tap the figure to enlarge it to fit the entire screen.
- Zoom and pan using normal iOS gestures.
- Tap the lock button to prevent disturbing the figure while measuring.
- It is not always necessary to measure angles. Courses can be determined with reasonable accuracy by using nearby VOR compass roses.

Why we don't include a "digital plotter"?

Implementing a digital plotter isn't as straightforward as it may sound. FAA figures lack any geospatial data that can be used to determine scale or orientation. This data is necessary to allow the plotter to scale whenever a figure is resized, panned, and rotated. It is also necessary to ensure compatibility across all devices and platforms that we support.

Even if this technical requirement could be satisfied, the purpose of our app is to train and prepare students for the FAA knowledge test. A digital solution would need to closely resemble the skills of using a real plotter on paper, and not simply display angles and distances.

Finally, there are few questions on the FAA exam that require use of a plotter, and it is possible that this type of question may be removed from the exam as digital charts become the standard.

At this time, the alternative that provides the best experience and preparation for the exam is to use a physical paper figure from the offical FAA Knowledge Test Supplement.