FAA Handbooks

For all Pilots

The handbooks and documents listed in this sections are of relevance to all civilian pilots and contain the basic knowledge they must possess to fly an airplane in the United States of America. If you want to learn to fly, you need to read them diligently (from the FARs you only need to know what pertains to you as a Private Pilot (mostly 14 CFR Part 61 and Part 91), and the AIM you can read selectively as needed).

FAA Handbooks:

Federal Regulations and Recommended Procedures:

The FARs and the AIM are often available together in one paperback publication. We highly recommend getting them in print, because they are easier to reference quickly and to highlight than the digital PDF, even on a tablet. However, the online version is the most up-to-date.

For FAA Practical Test (“Checkride”):

  • Private Pilot Airplane Airman Certification Standards (describes the maneuvers and knowledge areas you need to know for the practical test, as well as the format of the practical test):
    https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/acs/media/private_airplane_acs.pdf
    This reference you should be very familiar with when you are ready to take the practical test (but it doesn’t hurt to look at it earlier to know which topics you’ll need to study).

For Instrument Rating

To practice for your instrument rating, we highly recommend you buy a good flight simulator software for your home computer, e.g. X-Plane 11:
http://www.x-plane.com/desktop/home/
It is available for $70, and is the same software which is used in some FAA approved Aviation Training Devices (basic flight simulators).

For Additional Ratings

For Flight Instructor:

Aviation Instructor’s Handbook (a pedagogical guide for flight instructors on how to teach):
http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/aviation_instructors_handbook/media/FAA-H-8083-9A.pdf

For Gliders:

Glider Flying Handbook:
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/glider_handbook/media/faa-h-8083-13a.pdf

For Seaplanes, Skiplanes, etc.:

Seaplane, Skiplane, and Float/Ski Equipped Helicopter Operations Handbook:
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/seaplane_handbook/
(Three individual files – oddly the handbook doesn’t seem to exist as a single PDF.)

Air Traffic Control (ATC) Communications

For Air Traffic Controllers:

Order JO 7110.65W (this order prescribes air traffic control procedures and phraseology for use by personnel providing air traffic control services):
https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/ATC.pdf
(While this file is required reading only for air traffic controllers and not pilots, knowing what they are telling you, its form and structure, and reasons behind it, is important to know for pilots as well.)

For Pilots:

To practice Air Traffic Control communications, you can listen to live feeds at:
http://www.liveatc.net
If you want to practice communications with real (retired) air traffic controllers, you can try for instance:
https://www.pilotedge.net