One problem with helicoptering is that there are virtually no flying clubs, at least of the sort that exist for fixed wing, so pilots get very little chance to swap stories, unless they meet in a muddy field somewhere, waiting for their passengers. As a result, the same mistakes are being made and the same lessons learnt separately instead of being shared - it's comforting sometimes to know that you're not the only one to inflate the floats by accident! Even when you do get into a school, there are still a couple of things they don't teach you, namely that aviation runs on paperwork, and how to get a job, including interview techniques, etc - flying the aircraft is actually less than a third of the job.

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Another problem is that nobody really tells you anything, either about the job you have to do (from the customer) or how to do it (the company) - you will always be up against the other guy who managed to do it last week! Sure, there will be training, but, even in the best companies, this will be relatively minimal.

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What's commonly called the ANO (i.e. the big green book), actually consists of many parts. This book (so far) deals with Part 1, the Air Navigation Order, and Part 2, The Rules of the Air, which are officially called Statutory Instruments 2000 No 1562 and 1991 No 2437. They are, of necessity, written in legal language, which is bad enough, but are also difficult to get around.

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The value of this book therefore lies not just in making them easier to understand, but in the comprehensive indexing.

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The confusing legalese of the Federal Aviation Regulations has been translated into every-day English, making them far more understandable than the government originals

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Does it work? Judge for yourself: where FAA used 119 pages for FAR Part 91 in the FAR/AIM 2005, Croucher gets it all into 55 pages. Overall, it works very well. I have utilized FARs in Plain English in community college ground school classes, as well as with individual students, with much success. This book benefits those of us who fly and teach by simply saying it simply."

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For aeroplane and helicopter pilots! The material is based on the author's Single Pilot CRM courses, with lots more thrown in.

"I have nothing but praise. It really is a timely piece of work. I’ve been through the United Airlines CRM program, and a couple of corporate programs. None of them are geared towards the single pilot environment, and I’ve always been suspicious that the single pilot environment is a lot bigger than the multi-pilot environment. I really like the phrase ‘Company Resource Management’ that you suggest. It’s a whole lot more appropriate for what we do in the helicopter world."
Mike Fergione

"I read the CRM single pilot in the last couple of days. Quite Good...especially the Physiological part is very good, even for basic health. I must say this, that anyone planning to be a pilot should read the CRM first, before even taking lessons, as well as the Operational Flying handbook. I have interviewed a lot of flight schools, and many I would not attend. I wanted to get the full understanding of what it is all about before I started taking any lessons, and some basic knowledge so I could help choose a school."
Dean Phillips

Based on the author's soon-to-be-approved JAA ATPL(H)(V) course, this book provides all the material required for the JAA exams, including the PPL(H), CPL(H) and ATPL(H), plus a few extras, like the Instrument Rating. The book has been specially designed for the needs of professional or military pilots seeking to gain an alternative licence, but newcomers to the industry can use it, too, since it assumes no previous knowledge.

Just as important as the exams is the interview panel, and this is the book for those who want to deal with both - its purpose is to help you become a professional, for which the exams are but a step on the way - doing the bare minimum to pass them makes you ill-prepared to be a pilot, which is not fair to future passengers and painfully obvious to employers (and interviewers) who certainly expect you to have more than a basic knowledge.

It is a reference book that follows the ATPL syllabus, so you can use it before, during and after your exams, for the whole of your career! Because it provides an overview of the whole study syllabus, and the usual study materials are not easy to read on the bus or the train, the book is suitable for many types of reader:

• Those who want to see what they are letting themselves in for.
• Those who want to do some pre-study before starting a flying course.
• Those who cannot understand the materials on the course they are already on.
• Those who want a reminder of the trouble they went through!

People trying to keep current while waiting for a job or an interview to turn up will also find it useful. In fact, there's a lot in its pages you don't get taught in flying school, and a lot you should be taught, were it not for time constraints - many professional tips and tricks have been included to help make your transition to being a working pilot as easy as possible. Much of the contents are based on common questions asked during recurrent training, and known exam questions, and include the usual subjects, that is, radio, weather, law, flight planning, etc., plus Going For a Job (with lots of interview questions!).

Note that, with the JAR system, you must be recommended by an approved Flying Training Organisation before you can take the exams. However, ATPL (H) holders with at least 1000 hours (PIC or copilot) on multi-pilot helicopters type rated for the (multi-pilot) machine to be used for the skill test, with at least 500 hours on type, are exempt from the TRTO course or any training for the theoretical exams, and the skill test (no, you are not exempt the skill test, just any knowledge requirements for it!) With less than 500 hours on type, you are exempt from the theoretical exam training, but will still have to do a type rating course, which may be reduced anyway because of previous experience. This means that you can just book the exams, read this book and take them, with no sign-off from a training school - there is a slot on the application form for exemptions claimed.

This book tackles the understanding of Rotary-Wing aerodynamics with contributing text on the subject of Physics for Safer Flying in a helicopter. While the differences between flying fixed wing and helis may seem obvious at first, there are numerous helicopter-flight scenarios where taking the seemingly logical course of corrective action will only make things worse!.
Knowledge is power. Arm yourself with the information contained in this book for a safer and smarter helicopter flying experience.

"Have perused it in spare moments, and must say, I'm impressed! It sure beats the pants [out] of the Wagtendonk and being just a tad more understandable. Did I say a tad, well I think it is MORE than a tad more readable!"

CFI, Central Helicopter Training Academy, Ontario

Contains:-

• Newtons laws of motion and their relevancy to helicopter flight
• How airflow dictates the function and design of aerofoils, rotor blades and flight controls
• All the lift and drag "forces in flight" you'll encounter while flying and how to respond safely
• Types of stability, ground effect, translational lift, tail rotor drift and correcting them effectively
• A study of demanding scenarios, such as auto-rotations, vortrex ring and dynamic rollover
• How types of power and aircraft and load weight and balance effect all of the above + much more

This book contains questions for the JAA/EASA Private Pilot’s Licence, but it could be valid for almost any country, making due allowance for air law, meteorology and various maps, which have been chosen to be as neutral as possible.
There is a trend to get a sneak peek of the questions, and this is what many publications seek to achieve*. This one doesn’t! The questions inside follow the same style as those found in the PPL exams, but they are not the exact ones you will find in them. This is because, as a pilot, you are meant to think for yourself! In this respect, this book is very well suited for those people intending to take their flying forward to a professional career. In any case, the jump between Private and Commercial Pilot should only be a small one, except for subjects such as turbine engines which are not in the PPL syllabus anyway.

*In the UK, the professional pilot licences are soon going to be online, and the PPL questions will join them (they have already been compiled). In other words, they will not be looked after by the flight schools, so nobody should get to know what they are, and other publications will necessarily be out of date.

For people intending to fly commercially, the contents of this book represent the minimum knowledge required by anybody taking modular distance learning courses (for which the PPL is a minimum requirement).
There are separate chapters for each subject involved. Answers (with explanations**) are given at the end of the book. There is an Appendix containing various pictures, graphs, etc. for use in the questions.

Repetitive questions have been eliminated to make room for others, where the answer is obvious. For example, a question about what happens to Lift when density decreases does not have another that asks what happens when density increases!