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6 Answers

CFI Books to Study: Physical Copy or Digital?

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Flight Instructor

I’m starting CFI training soon (Part 61) I’m looking for advice on which version of books to get? (Physical/Digital) I know FAA books can be downloaded for free but is it best to get them physical? My list so far: 

- FAA CFI PTS
- FAA Aviation Instructor Handbook (2020 version)
- ASA Flight Instructor Manual
- ASA CFI Oral Exam Guide
- AC#00-6B
- AC#61-65F 

Also any other material I should consider?

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6 Answers



  1. John Scarry on Aug 17, 2020

    What I would recommend is downloading all of the FAA books, AIM, Pilots Glossary, FARs, and relevant Advisory Circulars and putting them in a folder on your computer. Then you can search them for topics that you know will come up on the oral.

    For example, you know that you will be asked about slips and skids, so look it up and make sure you understand and can explain the concepts.

    If the examiner asks you to explain a FAR, pull it up and go through it with them.

    There are tons of good images and diagrams in there that you can use for your lesson plans too.

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  2. KDS on Aug 17, 2020

    Here is what I would suggest. Make of list of everything you think you might want to have a physical printed copy of. List the prices and add them up. Compare that to an hour of dual received. Most likely, when you do that, buying them will not seem like much of an expense at all.

    Then look into purchasing a copy of something like Summit Aviation. You can buy a CD or download it. There are various services along that line in different price ranges.

    I noticed that the AIM is not on your list. You will definitely want to include that.

    How you study is a matter of personal style. I am probably a generation or two before you, so my standard is to get a book and study from it. Younger people are very comfortable studying off of a computer screen. But whatever your style is, you will probably be better off during the oral portion of the check to have both a bag of books and a laptop with your reference items downloaded on it. Remember, the odds are that your examiner is going to be older than you and a Jepp case full of books is a comforting site to them.

    It was not part of your question, but I will also add that one of the more important things in preparing for any check is to talk with people who have taken checks from that examiner before. While the ideal is that the tests all be standardized, the reality is there can be a wide variance in how a test is conducted and still remain within the standard. My personal experience related to that was a test conducted by an FAA inspector. It was a bit of an odd test, so nobody in the local area could conduct it. The FAA flew an inspector in from another state. Of course, I could not ask any previous applicant about their experience. When we started the test, he began with the usual identification and qualification checks. Then the first question out of his mouth was “Tell me what you know about how aircraft are certified”. I was caught completely off guard. My answer was brief because I just did not know that much about it at the time. Years later I was talking with an FAA supervisor and somehow, we got on the subject of that check. He told me the fellow who did my check had been the manager of an aircraft certification group. I had done okay on the test, but it would have been good to know to expect a question like that in advance so I could have had a better answer.

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  3. Mark Kolber on Aug 18, 2020

    “Paper or plastic” is entirely up to you. 100% personal preference. Some people have a preference one way or another. Others don’t.

    When studying, do you like the feel of a book in your hands or is a computer or tablet screen just fine? Do you want to draw highlights or tab a paper book or do the exact same thing digitally? Do you have a system you’ve developed through the years which enables you to find things quickly in a bound manual or would you like the extended search capability a digital reference can provide?

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  4. WillA on Aug 19, 2020

    Don’t forget 61-98D for conducting a flight review. I have everything digital, but had the ‘Big 3’, AFH, PHAK, Instructor Handbook, in paper. I also had ACS, my lesson plans, and AC’s printed and tabbed in a binder. Being organized really helps relieve anxiety.

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  5. LTCTerry on Aug 21, 2020

    I’m a tech-oriented person who writes with a fountain pen and enjoys hardcopy books and magazines. Hardcopy for enjoyment/study and digital for quick lookup.

    Crinkled spines on books create the impression of use. Creating and maintaining a good first impression is useful. The ASA FAR/AIM has lists of suggested topics for different certificates. When I was studying for my ME commercial in the spring I put sticky tabs on all those pages. I skimmed when I tabbed and later went back and read. I’m scheduled for the MEI checkride in a few weeks. Those same tabs help me review now and are a visible signal to the DPE that I’ve put work into preparation.

    I’m a CFIG, so “I don’t have to do FOI” but I’ll be prepared. I just bought the new Instructor Handbook. I can mention that it says to say “trainee” instead of “student pilot” so we don’t belittle anyone. Shows I’m staying up-to-date on material the DPE isn’t required to retest.

    I’m building binders – lesson plans in one; Seminole POH and systems info in one; PTS, Light Twins, Endorsements, and Flight Review ACs in a third. AFH and PHAK I have hard copy. Pretty much all the other references will be on my iPad. Oh, I’ll have a paper sectional, too – flip it over and there’s the legend!

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  6. John Scarry on Aug 23, 2020

    LTCTerry They did change the wording from student, but they changed it to “Learner” not “Trainee”.

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