There was a time not so long ago when pilots acquired aviation knowledge mostly through instructors, flying club buddies, aviation magazines and the occasional training book or video. Then the Internet came and added a new dimension to the sharing of information within the aviation community.

The amount of quality aviation information available on the Web those days is just staggering, and keeping track of it all is just impossible. Vincent invited me to post about online aviation resources (thanks Vincent!), so I’ll start this inaugural post with some of the Web sites that helped me most during my flying training up to PPL level.

Obviously, my first port of call for aviation knowledge during my PPL training were my PPL textbooks. There is so much to cover though that these books can only provide shallow explanations for what are actually very complex phenomenon, especially for aerodynamics and meteorology. Each time I wanted to know more, I would look up extra information on the Web. That’s how I found the amazing See How it Flies website written by John S. Denker, a scientist as well as a flying instructor. What I loved is that he manages to provide explanations grounded in solid science without using any equation. OK, apart from the lift equation, but we all know that one. The chapters about airfoils, angle of attack and energy management where real eye-openers for me, dispelling a lot of the myths that still surround basic aviation topics such as where does lift come from. It also covers in-cockpit topics such as take-off , landing or cross-country navigation .

Another way to complement my PPL textbooks was reading the FAA Handbooks. It’s basically the PDF, full-colour, free version of the PPL textbooks all of us pay for in other parts of the world. The Airplane Flying Handbook is about developing flying skills, and is a great way to prepare for flying lessons. The Aeronautical Information Manual is to be taken with more caution by non-US students since most of the content is specific to how flying is done in the US, which may vary widely from how things are done in more ICAO-compliant countries. Thanks to John, I just found out about the release of the Advanced Avionics Handbook, which sounds useful to pilots using GPS, even if they are not instrument-rated or flying a glass-cockpit aircraft.

I have to say though that the irreplaceable value of the Web is in pilots’ blogs. And I am not only saying that because I write one. I think I learned more on the Web in one year than I would have in an entire life of hangar talk. For example, David at Land and Hold Short helped me improve my radio communication skills by distilling the essence of ATC communications to “You Me Where What “, which I had never been exposed to before. I also owe a great debt of gratitude to Sam for explaining how the airline approach to checklists and flow patterns works equally well for GA. The list goes on of course. I learned so much reading Aviatrix I don’t even know where to start. Who else can explain the relationship between air pressure and density using the analogy of socks in a drawer?

The emotional suppport provided by fellow blogging student pilots should not be underestimated either. Whether it’s Blake getting confused with navaids, Tom fighting crosswinds, Greg dealing with the ups and downs of learning to fly or just recently re-living that “first solo” moment through João. And of course Vincent’s adventures, with some ups and some downs too.

Hope you found a few useful links in this post, and please share your favorite links using the comments!

Julien.