Great Book!
However, the only problem have with this is that I cannot highlight and annotate.
Fantastic Book, unparalleled explanations, but unable to highlight and annotate
Fantastic Book, unparalleled explanations, but unable to highlight and annotate. That's the only downside.
Why not just sell the book?
First, this is almost pointless on an iPhone as it is too small to read. Second, while it could look nice on an iPad you cannot view it in portorat format so you are constently scrolling in order to read each page. In the end why have an app in order to view a book? Why not just sell this as a book in the iTunes book store?
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Merely a PDF with zero features
No index, poor search function, cannot select, copy, or highlight text... What's the point of a text book if you can't highlight what's important to YOU for review. Very disappointed.
Good job
Glad I have the chance to keep this book on my phone for anytime studying. After reading several IFR handbooks, I find this one to be the easiest most straight forward, "this is how it actually happens" books to read on the subject. My only prob with it, as has been mentioned before, is that the book is just a miniature version of the actual book, and with the way he has wrapped so much of the writing around graphics, it makes it very difficult to read on an iPhone. I only suggest that the content gets squared up so that you can zoom and scroll down a column instead having to chase the writing all over the page. Other than that, I definitely would recommend this book as a first read on IFR and then read the the FAA books. It will make the FAA books make much more sense when you get to them.
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Great tool all around
From reading Rod's materials, I have found that he has a good sense of humor in his writing. He is able to bring sometimes dull material to life with words. Rod is also able to take complex things that are hard to understand in the FAA terms, and write them in simple English allowing the student to better understand the material. Its great for reference while in the cockpit.
The app is very nicely laid out so finding things is a breeze. You can search by chapter, page number, or by searching for keywords. The app allows you to bookmark some of your favorite pages for easy viewing.
The only reason I do not give this five stars is because the app has such high resolution images, its very "jumpy" when switching pages. Its not a nice, clean swipe from page to page, especially when going from the front cover.
Thanks Rod for the great reference tool!!
The app is very nicely laid out so finding things is a breeze. You can search by chapter, page number, or by searching for keywords. The app allows you to bookmark some of your favorite pages for easy viewing.
The only reason I do not give this five stars is because the app has such high resolution images, its very "jumpy" when switching pages. Its not a nice, clean swipe from page to page, especially when going from the front cover.
Thanks Rod for the great reference tool!!
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The best reference out there
I have taught hundreds of instrument students over the years, and I always recommend this text to my clients. Rod has a wonderful style of communicating; the books are easy to read, and he does a great job of keeping them up-to-date. You will find that he has packed a ton of great info into the pages. I use it regularly as a reference in my teaching.
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An wonderful resource to use alongside your flight planning software!
I used Rod's app as my primary study guide while studying for my instrument written exam and scored 100%!!!! I now use the app on my iPad as a reference guide when I am looking at planning a trip somewhere I have not been to before. The App is loaded full of extra helpful tidbits that highlight important things you should know as an instrument pilot. If you are like me and hate looking at FAA manuals written in a black/white boring manner than Rod's book/app will bring a smile to your face. It is written in a colorful manner that brings home the point to many hard to understand topics. Thanks Rod for making this available on my iPad!!
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Highly Recommended for new IFR students and old pros alike!
OK, first of all I just have to say that Rod Machado is one of my favorite personalities in aviation. If you ever get a chance to hear him speak, don't pass it up! Now on to the review. One of the most daunting tasks for new new (and old) pilots is organizing the seemingly endless sources of information from a multitude of publications. It is always nice to have one "go to" book to begin researching a specific topic (such as flying IFR). That is what I enjoy about Machados books. While the Instrument Pilots Handbook is not the only reference you will need as an instrument student, it does a wonderful job of laying MOST of the information out in a clear, easy to read, humorous book. How many of you have actually sat down and read the FAA Instrument Procedures Handbook? Be honest… It serves a purpose as a reference and source for information but it is not something most people will simply sit and read for entertainment! It also doesn't guide the instrument student through the ENTIRE process of earning an instrument rating like Machados book does so well. Machados Instrument Pilot Handbook is also a very ENJOYABLE book to read! I highly recommend this book to all instrument pilots and students!
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Speechless
I have to admit this book is extremely annoying to read. The author has the most mindless sense of humor and nary a paragraph can pass without some juvenile rambling that is supposed to be funny. I wish I did not buy this as I prefer the dry FAA manual to this nonsense.
Unsurpassed content, painless update
This Instrument Pilot's Handbook is the same superb work as it's paper version, only now in e-book form, which offers many advantages. It's cheaper (once you have bought your iPad or similar device), much more portable than the 600+ page paper version, much easier to read in a poorly lit environment, and has it's own built-in magnifying device (the swipe move).
Most importantly, you will get free updates as they become available. While updates for the paper versions are posted on Rod's website, it is much less time-consuming (and neater) to just download the latest version, which I just did.
A prior review claimed the display is portrait only. This is not the case on the iPad, which provides both portrait and landscape views. The same reviewer lamented the lack of hot links, movies, or animation. My take is that these features are secondary to the content, and their absence does not diminish the value of this extraordinarily comprehensive, well written, and beautifully illustrated book
Most importantly, you will get free updates as they become available. While updates for the paper versions are posted on Rod's website, it is much less time-consuming (and neater) to just download the latest version, which I just did.
A prior review claimed the display is portrait only. This is not the case on the iPad, which provides both portrait and landscape views. The same reviewer lamented the lack of hot links, movies, or animation. My take is that these features are secondary to the content, and their absence does not diminish the value of this extraordinarily comprehensive, well written, and beautifully illustrated book
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Good stuff
I bought Rod's Private Pilot book before I started taking lessons. He covers all the info you need and in a way that doesn't require a law degree to understand it. I downloaded the Instrument book the other day so I can get a jump start on my inst rating. I'm a few chapters into the material and like what I've seen. I plan to read this book and then start reading test prep software to get ready for writtens.
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Good Content, Fair eBook execution
I find I need to give this eBook a mixed review.
Content: Overall, the content is very good. I would give it 4.5 stars for content. The material is presented in clear/concise format. The material refines and supplements what is available in the free FAA Instrument Procedures and Instrument Flying Handbooks. The sidebars are helpful. The illustrations are generally very good. The material is presented with a strong dose of humor. Humor is good, but in my opinion overdone in this book. Some people will love it, some will not. I found it a bit to punny for my taste (if you get my drift...)
Execution: This is where this eBook falls short. I give it a 3 for technical execution. Essentially, it is a very large pdf file. You can zoom and scroll, but that is about it. It is portrait only, you can't use landscape. You can't select text and highlight or bookmark individual text. The bookmarking feature is limited.. you can only bookmark pages. There isn't a way to generate a "study guide" to review key points later. Images can be zoomed on the page, but you can't view images full screen. You can't tap to select a word and view the definition. There are no hot-links to take you to a different location in the book, for example when it says "discussed later in chapter 5" you can't link to that page. There are no links to outside webpages, for example when they reference the FAR's, you should be able to link to the actual regulation. There is no ability to search the text. There are no movies or animations. When I pay for an eBook instead of a printed book, I expect the author/developer to use the available technology and made it fit the electronic format. What you are essentially getting here is a printed book on an electronic screen, without any of the multimedia features that really make good eBooks shine. This surprises me since the author is known as a TV broadcaster and first-rate speaker. You would think he would have included some multimedia to jazz up the presentation. If they fix this... this book would be an easy "5".
Content: Overall, the content is very good. I would give it 4.5 stars for content. The material is presented in clear/concise format. The material refines and supplements what is available in the free FAA Instrument Procedures and Instrument Flying Handbooks. The sidebars are helpful. The illustrations are generally very good. The material is presented with a strong dose of humor. Humor is good, but in my opinion overdone in this book. Some people will love it, some will not. I found it a bit to punny for my taste (if you get my drift...)
Execution: This is where this eBook falls short. I give it a 3 for technical execution. Essentially, it is a very large pdf file. You can zoom and scroll, but that is about it. It is portrait only, you can't use landscape. You can't select text and highlight or bookmark individual text. The bookmarking feature is limited.. you can only bookmark pages. There isn't a way to generate a "study guide" to review key points later. Images can be zoomed on the page, but you can't view images full screen. You can't tap to select a word and view the definition. There are no hot-links to take you to a different location in the book, for example when it says "discussed later in chapter 5" you can't link to that page. There are no links to outside webpages, for example when they reference the FAR's, you should be able to link to the actual regulation. There is no ability to search the text. There are no movies or animations. When I pay for an eBook instead of a printed book, I expect the author/developer to use the available technology and made it fit the electronic format. What you are essentially getting here is a printed book on an electronic screen, without any of the multimedia features that really make good eBooks shine. This surprises me since the author is known as a TV broadcaster and first-rate speaker. You would think he would have included some multimedia to jazz up the presentation. If they fix this... this book would be an easy "5".
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