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Summary: Absolutely Fabulous Book
Review: Covers in immense detail the topics covered in ground school, while at the same time very interesting to read. Full of humor and tons of illustrations. It is almost possible, I've found to gather all information covered in text by looking entirely only at the illustrations. This book is never tedious or dry. You will learn a whole lot more from in than what is covered in the Jeppesen's "Private Pilot Manual", and it is a far far more interesting read. Airspace will make a lot more sense too.Covers Aerodynamics, Engines, Flight Instruments - in great detail how those work the way they do and why, Airspace, Charts, Radio Nav, Weather, Weather Charts, Cross countries and more. Also chock full of neat info. Great for those who hate math as well as those who can't live without it. The end of each chapter contains a "Postflight briefing" that can be skipped but goes into detail about information that might be considered abstract. Such as for instance, how a gyroscope works, or how the jet stream forms. Should definitely be read in lieu of or in conjunction with Jeppesen's Private Pilot Manual.
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Summary: Excellent!
Review: I think Rod Machado is a genius. Hi s book simplifies without leaving anything out, the most complicated aspects of aviation. he seems to understand the doubts that arise in you while studying and answers them promptly. His humour is also very pleasent when studying some subjects which can be quite boring such as arspace. The book has thousands of diagrams which will simplify youre understanding. This is a book that someone who never even saw an airplane can learn to fly.
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Summary: Excellent reference
Review: I found this book to be helpful and entertaining. I can nearly always find exactly what I am looking for when it comes to basic flying questions. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Must have of PPL
Review: A must have along with Stick and Rudder. I have read through quite a few other books before I got this one, and this is the only book you need. Great explanations, and humor.
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Summary: Good Starter Guide
Review: This is a good book for the unoriented to familiarize themselves with flying. Starting at Ground Zero, I feel this book is a great place to start!
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Summary: A useful training manual
Review: I found Machado's book to be extremely useful in most areas. While its true that he sometimes burns too many calories focusing on humor, the explanations of HOW and WHY with regards to systems, procedures, and regulations are excellent. Trying to memorize data from Gleim's was putting me into a coma, but my retention of information is vastly improved using Machado's book. The book is written in a conversational tone that mirrors the kind of diaglogue you might have with your CFI. I also found the abundant diagrams to be very helpful; and the frequent anecdotes and short stories help reinforce points as well as make my own errors seem pretty minor. I'm quite glad I bought it.
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Summary: Not the test only...
Review: Many private pilot manuals place all their emphasis on passing the "written" only. Therefore they offer only enough dry material, without any explanations -- just to pass the test. This is a shame, especially for someone becoming an entry-level pilot. This book is different. It's written in a refreshing conversation-like style. It has all the required data one needs to pass the test, but goes one or two steps further in actually EXPLAINING the why's and what-fors. (What a concept!) I found I could actually sit and read about FAA regulations, and NOT begin to get brain fade after 10 minutes. The pages are interspersed with side bars, accident reports, and hangar-talk to give the gray matter a bit of a breather; and there are more than enough graphics to help you to understand a rule or concept. Oh yes, the humor -- well some of it is corny, but not any more-so than one would have during a chat with a friend. Hey, flying is supposed to be FUN. The humor is there to make a particular point, and to help you assimilate the fact easier. I did not find it to be over bearing -- I welcomed it. This book could be used soley as a preparation for the written; though it does not have review questions at the end of each chapter to ascertain if you've retained the particular lesson. I found it would be best used as a complement to a study guide for the written. It's also easy on the brain. It can be read anywhere, anytime; and at the same time, you're not only LEARNING the requirements for the test -- but garnering aviation KNOWLEDGE.
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Summary: Rod Machado's Private Pilot Handbook
Review: I highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering studying for the Private Pilot Certificate. I have spent the last thirty years working in several aviation related jobs such as a military air traffic controller, airframe and powerplant mechanic, avionics technician, and student pilot. There is a lot of technical knowledge to be learned in several different fields, and Mr Machado did a very good job of helping me to learn new material in an entertaining way. I also gained a better understanding of some material that I already knew a bit about. The book is good at explaining the subject matter in a humorous way that makes it easier to understand and remember. The subjects are well organized and there are plenty of illustrations to go along with the text. I think that this book will also be a good reference to refresh your memory after you pass the written test.
Rating: 
Summary: a frustrating book.
Review: This book might have the content you are looking for, but it is so tediously written that it's not worth the time. The author treats readers as if they are highschool kids. If you like short and concise books, this is the wrong one. you will be yelling "get to the point!" thousands of times.
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Summary: Great book, makes dry areas palatable.
Review: Machado's book covers a wealth of information and interjects a lot of humor to keep some of the drier areas (e.g,. airspace -- yawn) of aviation palatable. I would recommend readers not get too hung up on the FAA Knowledge Exam, aka "the written test." While this book IS an excellent review for it -- except possibly the minor continuous changes in FAA regulations -- it covers far more material. As such, it's an invaluable review for the practical test, as well as a reference when you pursue your instrument and commercial ratings. For example, among the numerous diagrams and pictures, are some excellent cutaway illustrations of instruments. Supplementing this is a good discussion on instrument limitations and errors. Although the same material is in the FAA Instrument Flying book, Machado's presentation is clearer. Especially nice are excerpts from ASRS (aka "NASA form") reports about a particular incident or accident germane to the topic at hand. These help provide the "why" behind the material, e.g., "why do we ALWAYS physically verify that both gas caps are tight?" The humor, while welcomed, can be a little too much at times. For the reader who wants a more direct approach, I'd recommend William Kerschner's books published by Iowa Press. Kerschner is legendary.
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