Private Pilot Licence (Aeroplane) theory
Mastering PPL: the aeroplane PPL(A) theory course, subject by subject
Ten textbooks, one for each PPL(A) theory subject, so you buy only the subject you are studying. Each teaches the whole subject from first principles in plain language, with worked examples, original practice questions with explained answers and a full mock paper.
By Matthew Dowell, airline training captain, examiner and Chief Flight Instructor. These are textbooks, not a course of training and not issued by or on behalf of any regulator, employer or other body. Follow your flying school's instruction and your aircraft's flight manual.
The series
The books follow the full published PPL(A) theoretical knowledge syllabus for UK and European practice, with short boxes wherever the two differ. Every question was written for these books: they are not a question bank and do not predict any examination.
Human Performance and Limitations
How you see, hear, think, tire and decide, and where each reaches its limit: oxygen, the senses, fatigue, stress and error.
What is inside
- Becoming a Competent Pilot
- The Air We Breathe
- Breathing, Blood and Oxygen
- The Nervous System and the Eye
- Ears and Balance
- When the Senses Disagree
- Staying Fit to Fly
- Alcohol, Drugs, Medicines and Caffeine
- How the Mind Takes In the World
- Why Good Pilots Make Mistakes
- Deciding Well
- The Picture in Your Head
- Attitudes and Personality
- Pressure, Arousal and Stress
- Fatigue, and Managing Stress and Fitness
Principles of Flight
Why the aeroplane flies: lift, drag, the stall and spin, stability and control, the propeller, and the forces in climb, glide and turn.
What is inside
- Four Forces and the Laws Behind Them
- Pressure, Density and Airspeed
- Aerofoils and Wings
- How a Wing Makes Lift
- Wing Tips, Induced Drag and Wake Turbulence
- Parasite Drag, Total Drag and Ground Effect
- The Boundary Layer and the Stall
- Stall Speed, Load Factor and Stall Warning
- Spins, Special Stalls, Ice and Contamination
- Flaps and Leading-Edge Devices
- Stability
- Controlling the Aeroplane
- Lighter Controls: Balance, Mass Balance and Trim
- The Limits of the Structure
- The Propeller and Its Side Effects
- Flight Mechanics: Level, Climb, Descent, Glide and Turn
Meteorology
The atmosphere, wind, cloud and fog, fronts, thunderstorms and icing, and the reports and charts that describe the weather.
What is inside
- The Atmosphere and the Standard Atmosphere
- Temperature: Heat, Lapse Rates and Inversions
- Pressure and Density
- Altimetry
- Wind: What Moves the Air
- Global Circulation and Local Winds
- Mountain Waves, Turbulence and Mountain Hazards
- Water in the Air: Humidity, Change of State and Stability
- Clouds
- Fog, Mist, Haze and Visibility
- Precipitation
- Air Masses and Fronts
- Pressure Systems and Typical Weather
- Thunderstorms
- Icing, Wind Shear and Inversions
- Observations and Weather Charts
- Aviation Weather Messages and Services
Aircraft General Knowledge, Volume 1
The structure and the non-engine systems of a light aeroplane, from first principles.
What is inside
- Loads, Stresses and Keeping the Structure Healthy
- Wings, Tail Surfaces and Control Surfaces
- Fuselage, Doors, Floor, Windscreen and Windows
- Hydraulics
- Landing Gear, Nose-Wheel Steering, Brakes, Wheels and Tyres
- Flight Controls and Anti-Icing
- Electrical Basics
- Batteries, Generation, Protection and Distribution
Aircraft General Knowledge, Volume 2
The fuel system, the piston engine, the propeller and the instruments of a light aeroplane.
What is inside
- The Piston Engine
- Fuel and the Fuel System
- Carburettors, Fuel Injection and Induction Icing
- Ignition
- Cooling and Lubrication
- Mixture, Engine Performance and Handling
- Propellers
- Engine and System Instruments
- Pressure Instruments: Pitot-Static System, Altimeter, VSI, Airspeed Indicator and Air Temperature
- The Earth's Magnetism and the Direct-Reading Compass
- Gyroscopic Instruments
- Radio, Warning Systems and Electronic Displays
Operational Procedures
The pilot-in-command's duties, noise, aerodrome markings and signals, fire, wind shear, wake turbulence, emergency landings and contaminated runways.
What is inside
- The Rules Behind the Flight: Annex 6, Definitions and the Pilot-in-Command
- Hazards and Special Procedures: The General Picture
- Noise Abatement
- Signs, Markings and Signals: Keeping Off the Wrong Runway
- Fire and Smoke
- Windshear and Microburst
- Wake Turbulence
- Emergency Landings (Forced Landings)
- Precautionary Landings and Ditching
- Passengers, Evacuation and What Happens After You Land
- Contaminated Runways
Air Law
The law behind the aeroplane and the pilot: the rules of the air, airspace and air traffic services, aerodromes and aeronautical information.
What is inside
- Where the Law Comes From
- The Aeroplane: Nationality, Registration and Airworthiness
- The Pilot: Licences and Medical Certificates
- The Rules of the Air: General
- Avoiding Collisions and Flying Near Aerodromes
- Visual Flight Rules, Flight Plans and Time
- Signals and Interception
- Altimeter Setting
- The Transponder
- Air Traffic Services and Airspace
- Working with ATC: Aerodromes, Radar, Phraseology and Emergencies
- Aeronautical Information
- Aerodromes (1): Data, Indicators, Markings and Signs
- Aerodromes (2): Lights, Obstacles, Restricted Areas and Services
- Search and Rescue, Accidents and Security
- National Law: the UK and the EASA States Side by Side
Navigation
The Earth and charts, directions and the compass, the wind triangle and dead reckoning, flight planning, and radio and satellite navigation.
What is inside
- The Earth and Position
- Distance and Units
- Time, the Sun and the Seasons
- Direction: True, Magnetic and Compass
- Magnetism and the Compass
- Charts and Projections
- Using the Chart
- Dead Reckoning: The Ideas
- Speed, Time, Distance and Fuel
- The Wind Triangle
- The Navigational Computer
- Planning the Route and the Flight Log
- In-Flight Navigation
- Radio Waves, Antennas and Propagation
- Direction Finding, the NDB and the ADF
- VOR and DME
- Radar, SSR and the Transponder
- Global Navigation Satellite Systems
Flight Performance and Planning
Mass and balance, take-off and landing performance, climb, cruise and range, fuel planning and the planning of a complete flight.
What is inside
- Why Mass and Balance Matter
- Mass Terms, Loads and Fuel
- Moments and the Centre of Gravity
- Datum, Arms and the Aeroplane's Documents
- Finding the CG: Arithmetic, Graphs and the Envelope
- Loading Problems: Out of Limits, Shifting Loads and Imperial Units
- Performance: Classes, Stages of Flight and Gradients
- What Changes the Performance: Mass, Wind, Altitude, Slope and Surface
- Terms and Speeds
- Take-off Performance
- Landing Performance
- Climb Performance
- Cruise, Endurance and Range
- The VFR Navigation Plan
- Fuel Planning
- Pre-flight Preparation: AIP, NOTAM and Weather
- The ICAO Flight Plan
- Flight Monitoring and In-flight Replanning
- One Flight, Start to Finish
Communications
Standard words and numbers, call signs, read-back, phraseology for a VFR flight, weather by radio, radio failure, distress and urgency, and VHF propagation.
What is inside
- Radio, Rules and the People You Talk To
- Abbreviations and Q-Codes
- Letters, Numbers and Time
- Transmitting Technique and Standard Words
- Call Signs
- Making Contact: Calls, Read-back, Transfer and Radio Checks
- Phraseology for a VFR Flight
- Weather Information by Radio
- When the Radio Fails
- Distress and Urgency
- VHF Propagation and the Allocation of Frequencies
- Putting It Together: Whole Flights by Radio
Frequently asked questions
Do I need all ten books?
No. Each book covers one subject and stands on its own, so you can buy only the subjects you are studying. Aircraft General Knowledge is split into two volumes because the subject is large.
Are these books approved by a regulator?
No. They are textbooks written by an instructor and examiner. They do not replace your flying school's instruction, and the regulations, your aircraft's flight manual and official documents always take precedence.
Do they contain real examination questions?
No. Every practice question is original and comes with an explanation. The books do not contain questions from any question bank and do not predict what an examination will ask.
Where can I buy them?
Ebooks are on Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and other stores through the Ebook, all stores links as each one goes live. Paperbacks are coming soon.
I am studying for the ATPL, not the PPL. Where are those books?
See the subject-by-subject guide to the 14 EASA and UK CAA Mastering ATPL books.
Studying for the EASA or UK CAA ATPL?
The Mastering ATPL series has 14 books, one for each EASA and UK CAA theory subject.
The EASA and UK CAA subject-by-subject guide Free competency self-assessment sheet