Rod Machado's New PPL Manual

I have just received a copy of Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook
Second Edition from the publisher to review.

I haven't had a chance to read all of it yet, but just from what I've
seen thus far, I have no doubt whatsoever that I will be recommending
this book as a study manual to all student pilots.

This hard cover top quality heavyweight glossy paper
manual is the most well written and comprehensive work I have ever seen
done by anyone in the industry.

Throughout my career as a CFI I have always used and recommended Bill
Kershner's fine manuals, and these are still fine books today.
But what Rod has done with his books is absolutely amazing. The
presentation is not only accurate, but done with the "average person"
and "everyday pilot" in mind. Rod takes the most complicated of issues
and presents them intelligently and with a splash of humor that is
unbelievably educational. The drawings and graphics are exceptional.
I can't stress enough my positive opinion of this book.
--
Dudley Henriques

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:12:47 -0400, Dudley Henriques
wrote:

Rod takes the most complicated of issues
and presents them intelligently and with a splash of humor that is
unbelievably educational.

I find Rod's public appearances entertaining and fun, but the humor he
injects into his training manuals is just unnecessary extraneous
fodder to wade through. But that's just my personal view as a
student. http://www.rodmachado.com/

Give me Kershner any day over anything else I've seen.
http://www.kershnerflightmanuals.com/

And for the written, the Gleam books cut right to the heart of the
issues with just the right amount of supporting information.
http://www.gleim.com/aviation/

And for getting comfortable with ATC communications, Bob Gardner's Say
Again, Please is first rate.
http://www.asa2fly.com/Communication..._product1.aspx

Larry Dighera wrote:
On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:12:47 -0400, Dudley Henriques
wrote:

Rod takes the most complicated of issues
and presents them intelligently and with a splash of humor that is
unbelievably educational.

I find Rod's public appearances entertaining and fun, but the humor he
injects into his training manuals is just unnecessary extraneous
fodder to wade through. But that's just my personal view as a
student.

Interesting.

Rod's books aside, I would counter by telling you that in my 50 odd
years of teaching, lecturing, and dealing with the learning environment
generally, I have found the judicious use of, and injection of humor in
this environment to be an INVALUABLE and in fact, an INDISPENSABLE tool
for ANY teacher.

The most successful teachers I have known in my life have ALL used humor
in their approach to their professions. In fact, I have found any and
all credible sources within the teaching community dealing with
instructing others how to teach stressing the value of humor as a
teaching tool.

I can find no misuse or overload whatsoever with the way Rod uses humor
in his books. In addition, I find his use of humor one of the most
positive aspects of his writing style.

Thank you however, for your opinion.

--
Dudley Henriques

While I agree that humor can be a very valuable teaching tool, I find it
works best in one-on-one or small group situations where it can be tailored
to the specific audience.

Unfortunately, in his writings, I find that some of Mr. Machado's humor
falls into the "silly" category, and does not appeal to me at all. This is
not to take anything away from the "meat" of Mr. Machado's writing, which I
usually find quite valuable.

Having learned everything I have needed to provide me with a successful
career as a computer programmer from reading nothing but very dry
documentation, I personally find that written humor is generally a turn-off
for me when I am trying to learn a complicated subject. As Joe Friday would
say, "Just the facts, ma'am."

And now that this is settled, let's move on to that high-wing vs. low-wing
thing, shall we ;-)




"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
...
Larry Dighera wrote:
On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:12:47 -0400, Dudley Henriques
wrote:

Rod takes the most complicated of issues and presents them intelligently
and with a splash of humor that is unbelievably educational.

I find Rod's public appearances entertaining and fun, but the humor he
injects into his training manuals is just unnecessary extraneous
fodder to wade through. But that's just my personal view as a
student.

Interesting.

Rod's books aside, I would counter by telling you that in my 50 odd years
of teaching, lecturing, and dealing with the learning environment
generally, I have found the judicious use of, and injection of humor in
this environment to be an INVALUABLE and in fact, an INDISPENSABLE tool
for ANY teacher.

The most successful teachers I have known in my life have ALL used humor
in their approach to their professions. In fact, I have found any and all
credible sources within the teaching community dealing with instructing
others how to teach stressing the value of humor as a teaching tool.

I can find no misuse or overload whatsoever with the way Rod uses humor in
his books. In addition, I find his use of humor one of the most positive
aspects of his writing style.

Thank you however, for your opinion.

--
Dudley Henriques

"news.chi.sbcglobal.net" wrote in message
. net...
While I agree that humor can be a very valuable teaching tool, I find it
works best in one-on-one or small group situations where it can be
tailored to the specific audience.

Unfortunately, in his writings, I find that some of Mr. Machado's humor
falls into the "silly" category, and does not appeal to me at all. This is
not to take anything away from the "meat" of Mr. Machado's writing, which
I usually find quite valuable.

....

And now that this is settled, let's move on to that high-wing vs. low-wing
thing, shall we ;-)


Now that was just silly!

news.chi.sbcglobal.net wrote:
While I agree that humor can be a very valuable teaching tool, I find it
works best in one-on-one or small group situations where it can be
tailored to the specific audience.

Unfortunately, in his writings, I find that some of Mr. Machado's humor
falls into the "silly" category, and does not appeal to me at all. This
is not to take anything away from the "meat" of Mr. Machado's writing,
which I usually find quite valuable.

Having learned everything I have needed to provide me with a successful
career as a computer programmer from reading nothing but very dry
documentation, I personally find that written humor is generally a
turn-off for me when I am trying to learn a complicated subject. As Joe
Friday would say, "Just the facts, ma'am."

And now that this is settled, let's move on to that high-wing vs.
low-wing thing, shall we ;-)




"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
...
Larry Dighera wrote:
On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:12:47 -0400, Dudley Henriques
wrote:

Rod takes the most complicated of issues and presents them
intelligently and with a splash of humor that is unbelievably
educational.

I find Rod's public appearances entertaining and fun, but the humor he
injects into his training manuals is just unnecessary extraneous
fodder to wade through. But that's just my personal view as a
student.

Interesting.

Rod's books aside, I would counter by telling you that in my 50 odd
years of teaching, lecturing, and dealing with the learning
environment generally, I have found the judicious use of, and
injection of humor in this environment to be an INVALUABLE and in
fact, an INDISPENSABLE tool for ANY teacher.

The most successful teachers I have known in my life have ALL used
humor in their approach to their professions. In fact, I have found
any and all credible sources within the teaching community dealing
with instructing others how to teach stressing the value of humor as a
teaching tool.

I can find no misuse or overload whatsoever with the way Rod uses
humor in his books. In addition, I find his use of humor one of the
most positive aspects of his writing style.

Thank you however, for your opinion.

--
Dudley Henriques


Google search for (humor in teaching) reveals 2,040,000 hits. I didn't
read them all, but I believe all are positive.
Putting "humor in teaching" in quotes, reveals 11,400 hits, same result
I believe.

Thanks for your input.

--
Dudley Henriques

On Mar 24, 3:12 pm, Dudley Henriques wrote:
I have just received a copy of Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook
Second Edition from the publisher to review.

I haven't had a chance to read all of it yet, but just from what I've
seen thus far, I have no doubt whatsoever that I will be recommending
this book as a study manual to all student pilots.

This hard cover top quality heavyweight glossy paper
manual is the most well written and comprehensive work I have ever seen
done by anyone in the industry.

Throughout my career as a CFI I have always used and recommended Bill
Kershner's fine manuals, and these are still fine books today.
But what Rod has done with his books is absolutely amazing. The
presentation is not only accurate, but done with the "average person"
and "everyday pilot" in mind. Rod takes the most complicated of issues
and presents them intelligently and with a splash of humor that is
unbelievably educational. The drawings and graphics are exceptional.
I can't stress enough my positive opinion of this book.
--
Dudley Henriques

I have Rod M's Instrument book. It's very good - the only issue I have
with the book is that the layout is very busy -- even distracting.

Has the layout been tamed in the PPL texts?

I have one of each -- Jepp, ASA, Kershner -- and all the Gleim. I find
the Gleim's are good for just before the test (practical and
knowledge), the Jepps are the best designed and laid out, and the ASA
series is a very close second and much more reasonably priced.

The Kershner books are very good, but the presentation is dated,
compared to the ASA and Jepp.

Dan Mc

Dan wrote:
On Mar 24, 3:12 pm, Dudley Henriques wrote:
I have just received a copy of Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook
Second Edition from the publisher to review.

I haven't had a chance to read all of it yet, but just from what I've
seen thus far, I have no doubt whatsoever that I will be recommending
this book as a study manual to all student pilots.

This hard cover top quality heavyweight glossy paper
manual is the most well written and comprehensive work I have ever seen
done by anyone in the industry.

Throughout my career as a CFI I have always used and recommended Bill
Kershner's fine manuals, and these are still fine books today.
But what Rod has done with his books is absolutely amazing. The
presentation is not only accurate, but done with the "average person"
and "everyday pilot" in mind. Rod takes the most complicated of issues
and presents them intelligently and with a splash of humor that is
unbelievably educational. The drawings and graphics are exceptional.
I can't stress enough my positive opinion of this book.
--
Dudley Henriques

I have Rod M's Instrument book. It's very good - the only issue I have
with the book is that the layout is very busy -- even distracting.

Has the layout been tamed in the PPL texts?

I have one of each -- Jepp, ASA, Kershner -- and all the Gleim. I find
the Gleim's are good for just before the test (practical and
knowledge), the Jepps are the best designed and laid out, and the ASA
series is a very close second and much more reasonably priced.

The Kershner books are very good, but the presentation is dated,
compared to the ASA and Jepp.

Dan Mc

All of these books are good, each in it's own way.

I think what's been lacking for many years in the business has been a
manual totally designed for the "average Joe" or if you will, the
housewife next door who wants to enter General Aviation and possibly
learn to fly.

Through the years I've seen one after another of this type of person
take the initial step and seek an introductory flight, then be
intimidated by the complexity of the system and the manuals as they were
presented to them. Many have simply not gone further and been lost.
This isn't to say that the manuals are not sufficient or well done. They
are. I simply believe that Machado has bridged a gap that might go a
long way to solving this "initial impression" loss issue.

I have believed for many moons that there exists in General Aviation a
totally unnecessary trend toward the macho image for the GA pilot. It's
this very self envisioned image that drives away many "average people"
who would otherwise give aviation a try.

Machado addresses this issue head on with his books. Although not overly
simplified, his free wheeling style addresses the flying issues in a
manner that tends NOT to intimidate the reader. I personally find great
value in this, as it fills a gap in GA that desperately needs to be
filled if GA is to progress into the future.

GA was never meant for test pilots and engineers alone. If GA is to
flourish in the future, it will have to attract more "average" people
into it's ranks.
Rod Machado has gone a long long way toward filling this gap.



--
Dudley Henriques

On Mar 24, 5:47 pm, Dudley Henriques wrote:
Dan wrote:
On Mar 24, 3:12 pm, Dudley Henriques wrote:
I have just received a copy of Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook
Second Edition from the publisher to review.

I haven't had a chance to read all of it yet, but just from what I've
seen thus far, I have no doubt whatsoever that I will be recommending
this book as a study manual to all student pilots.

This hard cover top quality heavyweight glossy paper
manual is the most well written and comprehensive work I have ever seen
done by anyone in the industry.

Throughout my career as a CFI I have always used and recommended Bill
Kershner's fine manuals, and these are still fine books today.
But what Rod has done with his books is absolutely amazing. The
presentation is not only accurate, but done with the "average person"
and "everyday pilot" in mind. Rod takes the most complicated of issues
and presents them intelligently and with a splash of humor that is
unbelievably educational. The drawings and graphics are exceptional.
I can't stress enough my positive opinion of this book.
--
Dudley Henriques

I have Rod M's Instrument book. It's very good - the only issue I have
with the book is that the layout is very busy -- even distracting.

Has the layout been tamed in the PPL texts?

I have one of each -- Jepp, ASA, Kershner -- and all the Gleim. I find
the Gleim's are good for just before the test (practical and
knowledge), the Jepps are the best designed and laid out, and the ASA
series is a very close second and much more reasonably priced.

The Kershner books are very good, but the presentation is dated,
compared to the ASA and Jepp.

Dan Mc

All of these books are good, each in it's own way.

I think what's been lacking for many years in the business has been a
manual totally designed for the "average Joe" or if you will, the
housewife next door who wants to enter General Aviation and possibly
learn to fly.

Through the years I've seen one after another of this type of person
take the initial step and seek an introductory flight, then be
intimidated by the complexity of the system and the manuals as they were
presented to them. Many have simply not gone further and been lost.
This isn't to say that the manuals are not sufficient or well done. They
are. I simply believe that Machado has bridged a gap that might go a
long way to solving this "initial impression" loss issue.

I have believed for many moons that there exists in General Aviation a
totally unnecessary trend toward the macho image for the GA pilot. It's
this very self envisioned image that drives away many "average people"
who would otherwise give aviation a try.

Machado addresses this issue head on with his books. Although not overly
simplified, his free wheeling style addresses the flying issues in a
manner that tends NOT to intimidate the reader. I personally find great
value in this, as it fills a gap in GA that desperately needs to be
filled if GA is to progress into the future.

GA was never meant for test pilots and engineers alone. If GA is to
flourish in the future, it will have to attract more "average" people
into it's ranks.
Rod Machado has gone a long long way toward filling this gap.

--
Dudley Henriques

That's an interesting angle.

I don't think you mean that we need to add to the ranks of the casual
pilot -- just ease the transition from "jus lookin" to pilot, right?

Cirrus seemed to attack that market, but problems there.

Or maybe flying has these hurdles built-in, to force people to decide
"Is this all really for me?" before spending time and treasure?

I don't know for sure. I've been in other sports/pursuits/interests
that have a barrier to entry. After you spend some time, you figure
out why they exist.

Motorcycle racing is one -- the costs in cash and time are exorbitant,
and the rewards paltry. There's no one welcoming you with open arms,
no friendly web site "Welcome to racing," no paid instructors.

But you realize soon enough that you can get killed, have to really
love it, and prepare to spend ALOT of money for no promise of reward.

There's no way to pretend there isn't a lot to know and learn before
flying off into the sunset. I suppose better prepared and presented
books can help in that regard, but in the end there needs to be the
desire and ability on the part of the want-to-be.

Anyway -- no conclusions, just thoughts.


Dan Mc

Dan wrote:
On Mar 24, 5:47 pm, Dudley Henriques wrote:
Dan wrote:
On Mar 24, 3:12 pm, Dudley Henriques wrote:
I have just received a copy of Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook
Second Edition from the publisher to review.
I haven't had a chance to read all of it yet, but just from what I've
seen thus far, I have no doubt whatsoever that I will be recommending
this book as a study manual to all student pilots.
This hard cover top quality heavyweight glossy paper
manual is the most well written and comprehensive work I have ever seen
done by anyone in the industry.
Throughout my career as a CFI I have always used and recommended Bill
Kershner's fine manuals, and these are still fine books today.
But what Rod has done with his books is absolutely amazing. The
presentation is not only accurate, but done with the "average person"
and "everyday pilot" in mind. Rod takes the most complicated of issues
and presents them intelligently and with a splash of humor that is
unbelievably educational. The drawings and graphics are exceptional.
I can't stress enough my positive opinion of this book.
--
Dudley Henriques
I have Rod M's Instrument book. It's very good - the only issue I have
with the book is that the layout is very busy -- even distracting.
Has the layout been tamed in the PPL texts?
I have one of each -- Jepp, ASA, Kershner -- and all the Gleim. I find
the Gleim's are good for just before the test (practical and
knowledge), the Jepps are the best designed and laid out, and the ASA
series is a very close second and much more reasonably priced.
The Kershner books are very good, but the presentation is dated,
compared to the ASA and Jepp.
Dan Mc
All of these books are good, each in it's own way.

I think what's been lacking for many years in the business has been a
manual totally designed for the "average Joe" or if you will, the
housewife next door who wants to enter General Aviation and possibly
learn to fly.

Through the years I've seen one after another of this type of person
take the initial step and seek an introductory flight, then be
intimidated by the complexity of the system and the manuals as they were
presented to them. Many have simply not gone further and been lost.
This isn't to say that the manuals are not sufficient or well done. They
are. I simply believe that Machado has bridged a gap that might go a
long way to solving this "initial impression" loss issue.

I have believed for many moons that there exists in General Aviation a
totally unnecessary trend toward the macho image for the GA pilot. It's
this very self envisioned image that drives away many "average people"
who would otherwise give aviation a try.

Machado addresses this issue head on with his books. Although not overly
simplified, his free wheeling style addresses the flying issues in a
manner that tends NOT to intimidate the reader. I personally find great
value in this, as it fills a gap in GA that desperately needs to be
filled if GA is to progress into the future.

GA was never meant for test pilots and engineers alone. If GA is to
flourish in the future, it will have to attract more "average" people
into it's ranks.
Rod Machado has gone a long long way toward filling this gap.

--
Dudley Henriques

That's an interesting angle.

I don't think you mean that we need to add to the ranks of the casual
pilot -- just ease the transition from "jus lookin" to pilot, right?

Cirrus seemed to attack that market, but problems there.

Or maybe flying has these hurdles built-in, to force people to decide
"Is this all really for me?" before spending time and treasure?

I don't know for sure. I've been in other sports/pursuits/interests
that have a barrier to entry. After you spend some time, you figure
out why they exist.

Motorcycle racing is one -- the costs in cash and time are exorbitant,
and the rewards paltry. There's no one welcoming you with open arms,
no friendly web site "Welcome to racing," no paid instructors.

But you realize soon enough that you can get killed, have to really
love it, and prepare to spend ALOT of money for no promise of reward.

There's no way to pretend there isn't a lot to know and learn before
flying off into the sunset. I suppose better prepared and presented
books can help in that regard, but in the end there needs to be the
desire and ability on the part of the want-to-be.

Anyway -- no conclusions, just thoughts.


Dan Mc



Ah.motorcycle racing. Tried it once. I used to ride a lot and had quite
a few bikes. A friend of mine conned me into trying my hand at an
amatuer dirt track. Like the idiot I was at that age I thought this
might be fun so I saddled up and qualified. There were about 20 bikes on
the starting line with me when the gun went off. For some ungodly reason
(probably from my earlier days as a champion speed skater) I hit the gun
just right just right. I think I was opening the throttle as the charge
was going up the barrel of the pistol :-)
Anyway, there I was...all alone out front dragging my butt into the
first turn when I lost the bike and down I went. Just about the time I
was realizing that there were 19 bikes about to run me over, they did!
Man, I STILL don't know how I survived that day. Nobody hit me, but I
was doing a REAL credible impression of Fred Astaire getting out of the way.
That was the end of my bike racing :-))

I don't think you mean that we need to add to the ranks of the casual
pilot -- just ease the transition from "jus lookin" to pilot, right?

I little bit of both actually. We need new blood for sure, and the
transition into GA could be made more attractive.

--
Dudley Henriques