How to Fly an Airplane is Rod Machado’s practical skills textbook which complements the Private Pilot Handbook to provide a complete curriculum for the aspiring private pilot. Compared to other private pilot training manuals, we really like the Machado series for its conversational (and sometimes even humorous) style. Such a style improves memory and makes even the mundane aspects enjoyable. For many, especially those self-studying, they are our clear choice.

This is a handbook for student pilots but it's also a practical book for those who want to improve their basic flying skills. In addition, it's an excellent book for helping flight instructors teach their students in a more efficient and effective manner. This book covers simple and complex single-engine airplanes having tricycle landing gear.

Many of today's pilots rely excessively on their panel instruments to control their airplanes in visual conditions. Unfortunately, "panel pilots" never learn to fly the by the seat of their pants, which involves flying skills that primarily depend on sights, sounds and tactile sensations. Simply stated, relying primarily on your panel instruments to fly an airplane won't make you a confident pilot nor will it make you a safe pilot. That's why this handbook focuses on the basics of "attitude flying" and developing practical "stick and rudder" flying skills. These are the skills that give you complete control of your airplane and allow you to predict what it will do, can do, and cannot do.

Contained within these pages are techniques for controlling and evaluating the height and trajectory of your glide path as well as strategies for managing the round out and landing flare. You'll learn how to handle crosswind landings, how to recover from the occasional bad landing, how to perform ground reference maneuvers for both the private and commercial pilot certificate, and much more. You'll benefit from Rod Machado's insights and wisdom gained by teaching pilots for over 40 years. You'll also laugh as you learn.

This valuable one-stop handbook contains the information necessary to:

• Learn the basic fundamentals of flying an airplane.
• Make flight training easier, less expensive, and more enjoyable.
• Master all the private and commercial check ride maneuvers.
• Earn the “stick and rudder” philosophy of flying an airplane.
• Prevent an airplane from accidentally stalling and spinning.
• Allow you to learn to land an airplane quickly and enjoyably.
• Make you a better instructor by providing unique teaching strategies and explanations for student training.

As a comprehensive information source book, these pages include:

• Practical flying skills that rely on sights, sounds, and tactile sensations.
• The theory and practice of attitude flying for pilots of all levels.
• Multiple strategies for evaluating when to round out and flare for landing.
• Multiple methods for controlling the airplane’s glide path and airspeed.
• Strategies for evaluating the desired landing spot and glide path angle.
• Techniques for understanding and flying ground reference maneuvers.
• Landing corrections for bounces, floating, porpoising and ballooning.
• Advice, wisdom, and insights based on practical flying experience.
• Complex airplane operations, night flying, traffic pattern operations.
• Slow flight, stall and spin recognition and recovery, and much more.