This is the official Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C). Released in 2021. Current in 2023. Color Print. The Airplane Flying Handbook provides basic knowledge that is essential for pilots. This book introduces basic pilot skills and knowledge that are essential for piloting airplanes. It includes information on the transition to other aircraft and the operation of various airplane systems. It is developed by the FAA Flight Standards Service, Airman Testing Standards Branch, in cooperation with various aviation educators and industry. This handbook is designed to assist student pilots in learning to fly airplanes. It is also beneficial to pilots who wish to improve their flying proficiency and aeronautical knowledge, those pilots preparing for additional certificates or ratings, and flight instructors engaged in the instruction of both student and certificated pilots. It introduces the future pilot to the realm of flight and provides information and guidance in the performance of procedures and maneuvers required for pilot certification. This handbook supersedes FAA-H-8083-3B, Airplane Flying Handbook, dated 2016.
Book Handbook
405 pages. 8.5 x 11 in, (21.59 x 27.94 CM). Paperback, glossy. Printed in Color in 2023.
Other suitable titles for this book include but are not limited to: -The Private Pilot's Bible -The Flight Textbook -Learn how to Fly! (But Also Use An Instructor for learning the Physical Skill Portion Please)
This book is so comprehensive. I'm glad I picked it up before I started flight training, but I know it's also one of those books that I know I could/should come back to periodically for refreshers as well as to find answers to questions that will arise as I learn more about physical flight and figure out what the heck half of this meant. Basically, it's okay that some (half or more) doesn't quite make sense at first because it will all start to click once you combine this written knowledge with real-life flight training/skill acquirement. That being said, it is still the most thorough and yet easy-to-understand book on basic flight out there. Perfect for any aspiring private pilot or for those who just want the knowledge of a private pilot. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in aeronautics and/or aviation.
This is a great book that covers *how* to fly. It complements, for example, the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, which is about aerodynamics, systems, weather, and planning (i.e., theory). The Airplane Flying Handbook covers the methods of flying, including starting, taxiing, level flight, turns, climbs, descends, slow flight, stalls, spins, etc. These are the topics you cover in flight lessons, and it's great to read the relevant section before and after such an lesson. But it's a book that I expect to come back to as a refresher as well. For a private pilot, you only need to read through Chapter 10. But there's additional content that I hope will help me out as I progress in the future - Chapter 13 on tailwheel planes, Chapter 11 on complex planes. And of course, Chapter 16 on emergency procedures is useful for everyone!
I am an aviation enthusiast and a member of the virtual aviation community. Real world references are always a gem and part of my library, even my electronic library.
I think this is an essential read for anyone who is going to be getting their license to fly, but even more important for the average person to understand what goes on in the cockpit of that jet liner that takes you across country.
Between this book, the Sporty's iPhone Study Buddy Test Prep (FAA Private Pilot), and the Gliem online audio book and study, I was able to pass my FAA written exam on the first try with a 92%.