csw1000 Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Recently finished the FAA rotor craft flight manual, not a bad read. Moving on to "Principles of Helicopter Flight", seems a bit heavy. I have always been considered by my peers, aptitude test scores, etc., to be of above average intelligence, however, lift coefficients, vector quantities, and dynamic energy...oh my! ("lions, tigers, and bears" get it?) I'm actually starting to wonder if I have what it takes. I'm wondering if anyone else has felt this way. I'm sure if I read a book about how to drive a car it would sound a lot more complicated than it is to just drive one, right? Well, off to read chapter three, again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkidKid Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Never ask the question "Am I dumb"? You might not like the answer. Seriously, the engineering of the aircraft and the principles of flight should not bog you down early. Get some time under your belt, then read the book and it will make a lot more sense. Keep at it! It is worth it in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBear Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Principles of Helicopter Flight is a great book, but I use it more as a reference for clarification of specific issues. You might try Cyclic and Collective by Shawn Coyle. It's more friendly as a "read" and full of great info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csw1000 Posted December 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 thanks, I'll look for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inferno Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 I don't know how many hours you have, but from the sound of it, youre working on your private. Don't worry. The fact that youve read the RFH puts you way ahead of the curve. Good luck, and stop stressing. Oh, considering you seem very into learning about all this stuff, you might want to consider starting your CFI packet right now. It will make your life a lot easier down the road. Every day during the month straight I worked on mine, I kicked myself for not doing it during my initial training. It will help deepen your understanding of concepts as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67november Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Phil Crouchers prof. helicopter pilot training this is another book you should get.you can get it at http://www.helicoptersonly.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csw1000 Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Lots of good book ideas, thanks. Inferno, yes I am just getting started, that seems like good advise though. Merry Christmas all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heligirl03 Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Lots of good book ideas, thanks. Inferno, yes I am just getting started, that seems like good advise though. Merry Christmas all. Since you are already ahead of the curve by having read the RFH, skip the other stuff until you have some solid hours under your belt (makes waaay more sense after about 30 hours) and start in on the prep for the written exam. It's easier to follow and digest and more practical in terms of what you NEED to know towards your PPL requirements, and it will get you even further ahead! I used C&C and PoHF more for my CFI/I stuff. Right now it will all just make your head swim if you try to choke it down page by page. FANTASTIC reference material, however. Fly safe!HG03 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikemv Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Since you are already ahead of the curve by having read the RFH, skip the other stuff until you have some solid hours under your belt (makes waaay more sense after about 30 hours) and start in on the prep for the written exam. It's easier to follow and digest and more practical in terms of what you NEED to know towards your PPL requirements, and it will get you even further ahead! I used C&C and PoHF more for my CFI/I stuff. Right now it will all just make your head swim if you try to choke it down page by page. FANTASTIC reference material, however. Fly safe!HG03 Heligirl03, is giving some really great advise!!!!!! Do not over load your brain at this time. If anything go back to RFM and do a casual re-read. Good Luck, MikeMV 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye0001 Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 I also used Principles of Helicopter flight to read ahead a year or two before I started my training. It's a really good book but it was tough reading at first. The only advice I can give you: Read it again and again and again. It will make a lot more sense after the first time you read it and you'll have a lot of "Aha!" experiences. My biggest issue was chapter 6 when things really started to confuse me. Just go on and eventually you'll build a lot of insights throughout the next couple of chapters, things will become much clearer. That being said: The RFH is still the only stuff you really have to know for your written test Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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