We took demo exams on the PrepareToTest.com Web site and found the layout to be clean and clear, with a couple of features that enhance the user's experience. When the user signs up for a particular exam, that person obtains a login and sets a password so that the test software can be accessed from any Internet-connected computer. To study various parts of the knowledge exam, the user customizes how and what part of the test bank is presented, allowing him or her to focus study on problem areas or take sections of the exam as time permits.
With each question, the user can access an online E6B and calculator, and the illustration (if any). If the user clicks on a graphic to view it, the answers to the question appear with the enlarged graphic (along with their letter designations--an enhancement suggested by a user that the company quickly enacted). This helps the student to use the graphic more efficiently to answer the question--and avoids the user forgetting which selection was chosen while clicking back and forth.
A unique series of graphics lets the user see at a glance how many of the questions have been answered on a given topic, and the program charts how well the user has done in answering the questions correctly.
Various subscription levels are offered based on how close you are to taking the exam, and they are priced competitively and accordingly. The site uses PayPal for its monetary transactions. Aviation maintenance technician exam programs are also available.
Price: from $2.95. For more information: www.preparetotest.com
The Pilot Shop Beam N Read
The Beam N Read is an LED light designed for hands-free operation, and it's well suited to cockpit use. The light hangs by an adjustable neck strap and is adjustable to illuminate charts, the panel, or anything in between. The light houses six white LEDs that use four AA batteries--the company claims that battery life is at least 48 hours at full brightness (the light is not dimmable; this refers to no weakening of the light's strength after 48 hours).
The light comes with four colored filters for various applications, including a red filter for protecting night vision, along with orange, green, and blue filters.
Price: $29.95. For more information: 800/729-7503; www.pilotshopusa.com
Sporty's The Instrument Pilot
The folks at Sporty's have recently revamped their flagship instrument training course; The Instrument Pilot has been edited and digitally remastered, and it includes new content.
The Instrument Pilot contains seven DVDs plus an "Air Facts" sampler DVD (with clips from the 27 "Air Facts" DVD titles in Sporty's catalog). Each DVD contains several chapters and a quiz at the end.
The course excels in its in-flight footage, which brings the content to life. The course begins with a video featuring a short IFR trip that introduces many of the key elements of instrument flight, giving purpose for the course and a real-world example for students to recall as they go through the subsequent lessons.
The Instrument Pilot also includes a training course outline and practical test standards study guide. The PTS study guide includes both the PTS for the instrument rating and sections outlining key concepts for each DVD in the course.
Updates to the course include information on flight simulators, and training in glass-cockpit aircraft and with advanced avionics. The latest updates to the instrument PTS (which went through a major renovation in October 2004) are considered. A graduation certificate is included.
The course achieves its goals of helping to prepare prospective instrument pilots, and it can also be used by already-rated instrument pilots as a refresher. The straightforward style feels quite traditional, but the information is sharp and clear.
Price: $229. For more information: 800/776-7897 or 513/735-9000; www.sportys.com
King Schools' Cleared for Flying the Garmin G1000
After much diligent groundwork to get it right, King Schools has debuted its latest multimedia training system, Cleared for Flying the Garmin G1000. The course includes seven CDs tailored for pilots flying airplanes equipped with the Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck (which features a primary flight display, multifunction display, VHF and GPS navigators, audio panel, and associated controls).
John and Martha King excel at chunking information into categories that can be readily absorbed, and with the G1000 course, they launch into this distilling right off the bat. For example, the top-level menu structure is primarily accessed by using the FMS knob on the bezel to scroll through page groups--but the all-important Flight Plan page group is accessed by dedicated button on the right-hand side of the bezel above the FMS knob. Another quick bite: Soft keys are the shortcuts, the menu button accesses the full complement of options. And an early gem: Adjust the seat so you can see the status bar and comm frequencies.
The course can be used to supplement a private or instrument training course, but the focus is on flying with the Garmin G1000 in a Cessna single-engine airplane, whether you fly it under visual flight rules (VFR) or instrument flight rules (IFR).
For pilots transitioning to G1000-equipped aircraft from those with traditional instrumentation, the step-by-step instructions for various functions within the G1000 are excellent. Video footage of the unit itself is very good and displayed in large scale, with specific examples for every major function of the box.
A series of questions follows each lesson, and the variety of questions is quite good, requiring thought rather than regurgitation. In fact, additional tips are included as "bonuses" after you complete each question. For most questions, you manipulate a G1000 simulation to complete the task called for in the question. While some of the knob-twisting and button-pressing is condensed, you need to know when to turn a knob and when to push a button in order to complete the task--but you don't have to start all over again if you don't turn the knob the correct way. A dialog box prompts you on the action you selected, and how you would use the knobs and buttons correctly to complete the task.
While the course features the G1000 as installed in Cessna aircraft, most of the functionality of the integrated flight deck remains constant in other single-engine piston aircraft; the course could easily be used to supplement your training to those aircraft as well.
Price: $199 introductory price (as of press time). For more information: 800/854-1001 or 858/541-2200; www.kingschools.com
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