Rating: 
Summary: Good reference marred by 3rd grade humor
Review: I am very familiar with Rod Machado (the flight instructor, not the opera singer). His knowledge of aviation is second to none (except whoever taught him), and he knows how to communicate this knowledge to student (and other) pilots (like myself). He is especially proficient (and good at) at meteorology (the study of weather, not asteroids).Did all the parentheses in the previous paragraph annoy you? They will in Rod Machado's book, too. This book is LOADED with them. Mr. Machado can't seem to write more than 2 paragraphs without adding a joke or pun in parentheses to 'keep it light'. Don't get me wrong: the instructional information contained in this book is very thorough and presented clearly in layman's terms. I actually enjoyed some of the sidebars with anecdotes of his experiences as a pilot and a Certified Flight Instructor. THOSE were funny and entertaining. But the humor interwoven into the instructional text is WAY overdone and is mostly third grade humor. His attempt and making EVERY sentence funny gets old after about page 9. For instance, in the section on aerodynamics and the four forces of flight, Mr. Machado writes: "Yoda, the transcendental handheld philosopher from the Star Wars movie trilogy, frequently dispatched Luke Skywalker with the benediction, May The Force be with you. In aviation there are four forces and they are always with us, whether Yoda or your flight instructor intervenes or not." Aside from being a poor attempt at using humor to hold my attention (unless he is trying to teach my 8 year old son - mention Star Wars and he'll read the whole book), it is incredibly wordy compared to: "There are four forces acting on an airplane in flight." The occasional joke would have been fine, but turn to any of the 572 pages and you will find several attempts at humor, most of which fail. This also includes putting a cartoon or digitally altered picture on EVERY page. For example, one picture shows a Cessna 172 with 6 Boeing 737 engines mounted on it with the caption "WOW! Those aftermarket add-ons are really something aren't they?" My son is rolling on the ground with laughter. I only see it accomplishing 2 things: 1. It didn't make me laugh
2. It took up alot of space. There are so many of these type drawings that it makes finding pertinent diagrams a task, to say the least. This book could have been about 1/3 thinner and alot easier to read had the author only cut down on the humor and lightened up on the cartoons. The layout this book is very disorganized, making it a confusing to follow. Yet I do use this book frequently. Why? Because when I have trouble with a concept I am reading about in my 'Jeppesen Private Pilot Manual' (a book I highly recommend, as well as the Guided Flight Discovery program it is a part of), I will pull 'Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook' off the shelf to use as a backup. If I can cut through all the puns and the funny little pictures, his explanation of material is very easy to understand. Getting to that point, though, is so laborious that I would never use this as a primary study reference for my flight training. I do recomment this book, but only as a backup to some other text. By the way - I think I can speak on this topic from the authoritative point of view because I AM a student pilot.
Rating: 
Summary: Academics or comedy?
Review: This book is an excellent source of knowledge for aviators, old and new, and to help you pass your private pilot written exam. It is valuable for reference material beyond your written exam and it is one of the most detailed and extensive sources I have read as far as private pilot aviation goes. However, if you took out the "funny" stories, you could condense this book into half of the number of pages. The comedy is extremely distracting! Just when you are fully focused on the matter at hand, the author interjects some corny humor that totally throws you off and leaves you trying to scan the pages for continuation on the subject you were reading. It is evident that Rod Machado is a brilliant aviator and educator. But Rod, keep the humor for the airport lounges.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: Well, i think that every pilot should get this book! It's pretty steep for beginners and should be used more as a referance. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: Children, can you say "Well done?"
Review: I'm an avid reader and a student pilot with 40 hours in a Cessna 172. I've known about Rod Machado's books for some time but never really took the many opportunities presented to actually crack them open, I'm sorry to say. The fact that most of my pilot friends had this book should have clued me in but... Before now, there have been relatively few books dealing with aviation that I have found to rave about (among these are all the Proficient Pilot books by Barry Schiff and those by Trevor Thom). This is one of those rare books. The author outlines principles and concepts in a clear and easy-to-understand format, loaded with illustrations to help the pilot better understand what is being written about. One can tell that Machado deeply understands the subject matter. I would have liked a little more coverage on actual flight training in terms of landing, take-offs, etc. but there are already so many excellent tomes on these subjects that I really can't complain too much about this book's chosen area of coverage. Keep it up, Rod!
Rating:
Summary: Effective and entertaining
Review: *** This book will help you ***
If you are learning to fly, as I am, this book will really help you. I've used software and video, and this book is much clearer, entertaining, and memorable. *** Finally, someone explains WHY ***
Machado takes the time to explain the "why" behind so many aspects of learning to fly, and all the strange rules and regulations, which makes it all easier to understand. *** The humor is entertaining ***
I even confess to looking forward to the sometimes silly jokes Machado uses to help your brain relax on a regular basis. *** The book is huge ***
Over 500 pages of information, in a large format, this book will not be flying with you on a small plane - it weighs a ton! I've taken to removing a chapter at a time so that I can carry it around and read it when I get a moment. The book is really too big to move without a forklift. *** Good prep for the FAA written test ***
Machado slyly avoids many references to the FAA test, I assume for two reasons: 1) To not annoy people that already have their certificate reading the book to refresh; 2) To try to avoid seeming like he is only teaching you the basic test material. Whatever his reason, it's working - I'm getting the knowledge I need for the test, in addition to other stuff that I would probably not have learned had I focused exclusively on test prep. I'm looking forward to getting more stuff from Machado, like the instrument book. It's next on my list!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and Informative at the Same Time
Review: I purchased a copy of Rod's book before I even started my flight lessons. I quickly decided that even if I did not pursue my certificate that I would read this all the way through. It is that well written. The reality is that many introductory aviation books are little more than a list of test questions. While being able to pass the multiple choice test is important, being a better pilot as the result of your studies is even more important. If you only want to pass the FAA test then go ahead and look elsewhere. If you actually want to understand the concepts then buy this book. Years ago I took a Private Pilot Ground school. The text and the instructor both offered all the excitement of eating dry shreded wheat. I never finished the course. Rod's text enables you to actually enjoy reading about seemingly mundane topics such as airfield operations. I only wish he had written some of the Statistics texts we used when I was an undergrad. If nothing else buy the book for the diagrams and illustrations. Then, when you are stumped about a particular subject you will have a reference that will make the concept readily understandable. I consider this book a MUST HAVE for any aspiring pilot or even for anyone just curious about aviation. It will give you everything you need to pass the written AND it will make you a better pilot at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful reference and learning guide
Review: I read the other reviews here, and felt the need to add my opinion. I've been flying for over twenty years, and teaching for over three. As Rod suggests, I offer my students the choice between the Jeppesson and Machado texts. Not only do my students enjoy the Machado flight manual, I find that they understand the material better. If any material is interesting to the student, they will learn it more easily and remember it. I also am curious that another review found the book to be less than technically correct. Simply look at the stack of awards that this book and it's author has received. Without hesitation, I let my students learn from Rod who is one of the most published and honored flight instructors in the United States. The book is not an engineering text book, and few students would finish their training if we treated them all like engineering students. I find Rod's explanations to be more accurate and understandable than the FAA's own manuals. I highly recommend this book based on the content, and the impact I've seen this book have on my students.
Rating:
Summary: A good reference, with excellent memory aids
Review: Our flight school uses Jeppesen's "Private Pilot" book which covers the basics and is a solid textbook; however, Machado's book provides the additional background and concepts that truly help students better understand the topics for the written and practical tests. It's a great reference book too and I do refer to it often when I'm trying to remember one of the concepts. Yes, the humor can get a little tiring for some, but his memory aids are excellent, especially regarding airspace and light signals. Worth the money.
Rating: 
Summary: Comic book....
Review: Sorry guys, but this book is filled with incorrect informaton, ranging from aerodynamics to meteorology. Maybe some people find it entertaining, but as a CFI and engineer I would not recommend this book to anyone. I could spend hours describing all the incorrect garbage that is contained in almost every page. If you are serious about flying STAY AWAY FROM THIS BOOK.... it will save you a lot of confusion when you'll have to re-learn the correct information.
Buy something like stick and rudder or even better the Student Pilot Handbook.
Rating:
Summary: If you don't learn it with this book, you won't learn it.
Review: Even if your not totally serious about learning to fly, buy it for the laughs. You will laugh your head off reading this book. Rod has my vote any day.
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