THERE IS PLENTY OF INTERESTING READING ABOUT BASIC AVIATION MATTERS AND THIS MANUAL CONTAINS NOTHING REALLY NEW. THEREFORE,I HARDLY CAN BE QUALIFIED AS "THE AUTHOR": I AM SIMPLY THE WRITER WHO MERELY PUT ON PAPER THE THINGS WHICH HE LEARNED DURING HIS OWN TIME AS A STUDENT PILOT AND THROUGHOUT HIS FLYING CAREER, TRYING IN THE PROCESS TO ORGANIZE THE MATERIAL lN A GRADUAL WAY SO AS TO ASSIST THE STUDENT, AND PERHAPS THE INSTRUCTOR, lN THE PROGRESS FROM AB INITIO FLIGHT TRAINING UP TO THE CPL/IR(A) .
I TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS HERE MY GRATITUDE TO ALL THOSE GROUND TEACHERS, FLIGHT INSTRUCTORS AND FELLOW-PILOTS, AS WELL AS TO THE MANY AIRCRAFT MECHANICS WHICH, UNKNOWINGLY, GREATLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE PRESENT WORK. l WISH ALSO TO DEDlCATE IT TO THE MEMORY OF MY PARENTS, TO WHOM I OWE SO VERY MUCH.
WHETHER IT IS ABOUT ELEMENTARY, ADVANCED OR IFR FLIGHT TRAINING, OR ABOUT THE "PILOT NOTES" FOR THAT MATTER, THIS MANUAL IS NOT SIMPLY READING MATERIAL: IF YOU ARE THE STUDENT, ITS CONTENTS NEED TO BE CAREFULLY STUDIED, AND YOU WILL USUALLY FIND QUESTIONARIES WHOSE MAIN PURPOSE IT IS TO SELF-TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED SUBJECTS. FURTHERMORE, ONCE YOU WILL BE A QUALIFIED PILOT, THESE QUESTIONARIES MAY HELP YOU TO REVIEW YOUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE ONCE lN A WHILE, WITHOUT NECESSARILY GOING AGAIN THROUGH THE COMPLETE TEXTS. lN OTHER WORDS,DON' T THROW THIS MANUAL AWAY AFTER GETTING THE REQUlRED LICENCE, IT MIGHT STILL BE USEFUL LATER.
ASSUMING THAT YOUR INSTRUCTOR CONVEYS HIS TUITION ACCORDING TO PLANNING MENTIONED lN THE FLIGHT TRAINING MANUALS, YOU WILL KNOW BEFOREHAND THE SUBJECT WHICH WILL BE COVERED lN THE NEXT LESSON: YOU WILL THUS BE ABLE (AND IT IS STRONGLY SUGGESTED THAT YOU WOULD DO SO) TO PREPARE YOURSELF (PREFERABLY ANSWERING ALLQUESTIONS lN WRITING) BEFORE ATTENDING THE ASSOCIATED PREFLIGHT BRIEFING. THIS MAY HELP TO REDUCE THE BRIEFING TlME SIGNIFICANTLY, WITHOUT AFFECTING ITS EFFICIENCY.
ASSUMING NOW THAT YOU ARE THE INSTRUCTOR YOURSELF INSTEAD OF THE STUDENT, THE FLIGHT TRAINING MANUALS AND "PILOT NOTES" MAY HELP YOU TO PLAN YOUR LESSONS AND PERHAPS, WHO KNOWS, TO REFRESH YOUR OWN KNOWLEDGE A LITTLE. AFTER ALL, NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO KEEP EVRYTHING lN MIND WITHOUT REVIEWING ONCE lN A WHILE. THE WRlTER OF THE FORTHCOMING LlTERATURE CERTAINLY DOES NOT ! ANYWAY, WHETHER YOU ARE THE STUDENT OR THE INSTRUCTOR, I HOPE THAT THE PRESENT MANUAL WILL BE HELPFUL TO YOU.
l WISH YOU THE VERY BEST.
SOBRY L.H.J.
