Rating: 
Summary: The key to the survival....
Review: -Do you know, what happened to Cpt. Jonathan Livingstone? He's so depressive and paranoid! He looks everything a whole different way!
-Yeah, this is after the Bermuda Triangle occation...
-Really? Captured by aliens? Or made an intra-dimensional journey?
-Not exactly! He did not noticed the ice build-up on the wings, and ditched into the ocean, while he was scanning the air for the UFO, whichs tractor beam (!) was effecting his airplanes's controls... His license is burned of course... He really looks things a whole different way!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Buy this book for realistic IFR techniques and kowledge, and a lot of Humor... Buy Buggsy Bunny videos and carry a carrot aloft, for most realistic "captured by alien" scenarios. Let humor call for usefull things.
Don't let Matrix confuse you! Real world is not caves of Zion!
May the Carrot be with you... You'll need it..!
Rating:
Summary: The IFR Big Picture made easy
Review: I like Rod Machado?s Instrument Pilot?s Survival Manual 2nd edition because his book describes the techniques, procedures and more importantly, the reasoning behind them. Learning to fly on instruments is so detail oriented that for many getting the big picture only happens just before the checkride. But we learn better when we can understand the purpose behind doing something. If you are learning to fly on instruments or you are already instrument rated and want to gain more insights about instrument flying and weather Machado?s book is the one to buy. D Schick, Master Flight Instructor
Rating:
Summary: Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual--Real-World IFR
Review: I'm an instrument flight instructor, and I often see IFR students or pilots coming in for recurrent training who don't know how to use the real-world IFR system. I recommend Rod Machado's book to all of them. It's one book that takes the arcane knowledge required to earn an IFR rating and explains how that information applies to real-world IFR flying.Rod's encyclopedic knowledge of flying and his vast experience as a hands-on instructor and speaker makes this book a must-have for every aspiring IFR pilot, rated pilot, and CFII.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book About IFR Flying Out There!
Review: Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual is packed with everything a competent instrument pilot should know. Over 1000 of my flight hours were spent teaching instrument flying. I have taught a course called "Instrument Flying for the Real World" at Long Beach Community College, was a chief flight instructor for two FAR Part 141 flight schools and taught FAA written test preparation courses for national and local southern California companies. In addition I spent 10 years as a controller including 6 military and 4 in southern California. I haven't flown in a few years and while IFR basics haven't changed, technology has. The section on GPS really switched on the light bulb for me. Kenny Rogers had a hit song back in the 70's called "The Gambler" and the lyrics said, "you've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold them; know when to walk away and when to run." Communication is like that. Rod helps us understand both sides of the microphone and provides many tips on how to deal with controllers while getting your way most of the time. The key is... well you have to buy the book to learn the key! The information about self-talk echoes the technique I have used with my own students. I taught them to talk out loud, if necessary. One student told me, "you're with me on every final approach, in my head." This meshes with current psychological principles and will improve every area of a student's life. So many students are hopelessly disorganized in the cockpit. Rod provides many ideas that will help everyone. Organization includes what you look at and pay attention to. His 3-step instrument scan is what most experienced instrument pilots eventually figure out for themselves. It is like when you were first learning how to land. Your instructor kept giving you the same information over and over again. When you finally "got it" you could not tell him/her what you were doing differently. How nice that Rod accelerates this learning curve for us! As always, Rod writes with humor that hits the mark because of the grains of truth that are behind the jokes. I found myself laughing out loud several times. I work for the US Government (yes, people who work for the government DO have a sense of humor!) in an agency that creates instrument flying charts used by military pilots to fly worldwide. We have 15 copies of his VFR book that we use to help train new employees. Many analysts have purchased personal copies to have on their desks. I predict even more of our employees will purchase this book. I highly recommend The Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual to everyone even thinking about flying on instruments. I know that when I return to active flying, it will be the first resource I turn to.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book About IFR Flying Out There!
Review: Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual is packed with everything a competent instrument pilot should know. Over 1000 of my flight hours were spent teaching instrument flying. I have taught a course called "Instrument Flying for the Real World" at Long Beach Community College, was a chief flight instructor for two FAR Part 141 flight schools and taught FAA written test preparation courses for national and local southern California companies. In addition I spent 10 years as a controller including 6 military and 4 in southern California. I haven't flown in a few years and while IFR basics haven't changed, technology has. The section on GPS really switched on the light bulb for me. Kenny Rogers had a hit song back in the 70's called "The Gambler" and the lyrics said, "you've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold them; know when to walk away and when to run." Communication is like that. Rod helps us understand both sides of the microphone and provides many tips on how to deal with controllers while getting your way most of the time. The key is... well you have to buy the book to learn the key! The information about self-talk echoes the technique I have used with my own students. I taught them to talk out loud, if necessary. One student told me, "you're with me on every final approach, in my head." This meshes with current psychological principles and will improve every area of a student's life. So many students are hopelessly disorganized in the cockpit. Rod provides many ideas that will help everyone. Organization includes what you look at and pay attention to. His 3-step instrument scan is what most experienced instrument pilots eventually figure out for themselves. It is like when you were first learning how to land. Your instructor kept giving you the same information over and over again. When you finally "got it" you could not tell him/her what you were doing differently. How nice that Rod accelerates this learning curve for us! As always, Rod writes with humor that hits the mark because of the grains of truth that are behind the jokes. I found myself laughing out loud several times. I work for the US Government (yes, people who work for the government DO have a sense of humor!) in an agency that creates instrument flying charts used by military pilots to fly worldwide. We have 15 copies of his VFR book that we use to help train new employees. Many analysts have purchased personal copies to have on their desks. I predict even more of our employees will purchase this book. I highly recommend The Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual to everyone even thinking about flying on instruments. I know that when I return to active flying, it will be the first resource I turn to.
Rating:
Summary: He's done it again...
Review: The master has struck again. There are only a few authors in this industry that are fun to read...and fewer still who research their topic in depth. Unfortunately for the instrument student, these two kinds of authors rarely are the same people. Rod Machado is (mercifully) the shining exception. Rod has managed to make the impenetrable subject of instrument flying not only readable but enjoyable. Most texts on this subject are far to dry, and are brutally tortureous for the non-technical reader. Rod's talent as a lecturer and humorist shine through again; anybody can read this book, and (while having a great time) learn the principles of instrument flying. Rod has done a particularly good job of researching and communicating the principles of utilizing Air Traffic Control as an in-flight weather resource, and how to make peace with the new 'glass-cockpit' GPS machines that are finding their way into more general aviation cockpits today. There just isn't any other source on the market today that tackles these topics in the depth Rod has done. While you should not expect that this will be the only book you need to read to get your instrument rating, it is certainly a 'must have.' No serious student of instrument flying should go without including this title in their course of study. While you certainly could acquire your instrument knowledge without it--why would you want to? Anything else is literally 'doing it the hard way.' I am an active, 10,000-hour instrument instructor, FAA Aviation Safety Counselor, and NAFI-designated Master Instructor. I am also an FAA-designated Remedial Instruction Program Instructor (traffic school for pilots). My specialty is instrument training. It is from that perspective that I give this book my strongest recommendation, not only for pilots new to instrument flying, but also as an excellent review/update for the old hands that have been flying in the system for years.
Rating:
Summary: He's done it again...
Review: The master has struck again. There are only a few authors in this industry that are fun to read...and fewer still who research their topic in depth. Unfortunately for the instrument student, these two kinds of authors rarely are the same people. Rod Machado is (mercifully) the shining exception. Rod has managed to make the impenetrable subject of instrument flying not only readable but enjoyable. Most texts on this subject are far to dry, and are brutally tortureous for the non-technical reader. Rod's talent as a lecturer and humorist shine through again; anybody can read this book, and (while having a great time) learn the principles of instrument flying. Rod has done a particularly good job of researching and communicating the principles of utilizing Air Traffic Control as an in-flight weather resource, and how to make peace with the new 'glass-cockpit' GPS machines that are finding their way into more general aviation cockpits today. There just isn't any other source on the market today that tackles these topics in the depth Rod has done. While you should not expect that this will be the only book you need to read to get your instrument rating, it is certainly a 'must have.' No serious student of instrument flying should go without including this title in their course of study. While you certainly could acquire your instrument knowledge without it--why would you want to? Anything else is literally 'doing it the hard way.' I am an active, 10,000-hour instrument instructor, FAA Aviation Safety Counselor, and NAFI-designated Master Instructor. I am also an FAA-designated Remedial Instruction Program Instructor (traffic school for pilots). My specialty is instrument training. It is from that perspective that I give this book my strongest recommendation, not only for pilots new to instrument flying, but also as an excellent review/update for the old hands that have been flying in the system for years.
Rating:
Summary: Like a Master Class with the best IFR Instructor around
Review: There are two kinds of instrument pilots: those that fly in the system because they have to, and those that fly in the system because they love to. Rod Machado LOVES instrument flying. I've met him many times, and I can tell you that he loves thinking about instrument flying, talking about instrument flying, writing about instrument flying, and teaching instrument flying. Rod's the type of guy who you can imagine counting holding pattern laps instead of sheep in order to fall asleep at night. He's fascinated by the smallest detail on an enroute chart, by the challenges of tracking an ADF course in a strong wind, by the deep hidden meaning to be found in a K Index on a Composite Moisture Stability Chart. He's the type of guy you'd want for your "Phone a Friend" friend if you were ever on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and the big question was about takeoff minimums. The type of guy you'd want to be your instrument instructor. Rod speaks a lot at aviation events around the country. But if you've never made the trek to Oshkosh, no worries. Buy his book. Hell, buy his book even if you're going to Oshkosh...because the information in it will help you get there in the safest, most efficient manner possible. Way back in high school, no matter what the class, I always hated the assigned text book. So I always went to the library or to a bookstore and found a book that explained the same things in a better way. Had I been studying instrument flying, Rod's book would have been my bible. Today, when it comes to all things IFR, it is. It's true, there are many books that explain everything you need to know to pass your IFR written or oral exam, or to brush up for an instrument proficiency check. But most of them are like those high school textbooks...boring and devoid of passion. Most of us learned to fly, and add new ratings, because we're passionate about aviation. Rod knows this, and his book is in part a celebration of all the fun to be had flying on instruments. Sure, instrument flying is ultimately about getting from point A to point B. But if you've ever tapped the glass over motionless centered ILS needles to see if 1) they're broken, or 2) you're really THAT good...you know that flying IFR with precision is thrilling. It's an admittedly odd thrill, but we all have our passions. Some people get it, some don't. For less than the cost of an hour of instruction at a flight school these days, Rod will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about flying in the system...and lots of things you didn't even know you didn't know. Whereas most IFR books tell you what you NEED to know to pass the test, Rod tells you what you WANT to know if you plan to actually use that rating. But wait...that's not all! The book is also chock (!) full of bad jokes you'll roll your eyes at...then repeat to all your pilot friends down at the FBO. And...if you order now...you'll also find hundreds of helpful illustrations in the book that Rod drew himself. He's a one-man educating machine! In closing, let me put it this way. Owning both his "Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual" and his "Private Pilot Handbook" (also highly recommended)...I can state with complete confidence that if I was trying to learn a new skill...ANYTHING AT ALL...from auto mechanics to gourmet cooking, astronomy to rock climbing...and I had to choose someone to write the book from which I'd learn this skill...it would be Rod Machado. Buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Colossal amount of knowledge
Review: This is one book that is full of information of vast importance, it revels a colossal amount of information needed to be on the cutting edge of IFR knowledge. One could spend thousands of hours reading through various books, articles and other publications and try to pull all this information together. Rod has accomplished all the hard work for you. I not only recommend you buy this book, you should also buy this book as a gift for your friends you care about who fly IFR from a private pilot up to and including ATP types.
Rating:
Summary: CFII's Guide to Practical Teaching
Review: Trying to provide as realistic an environment for the instrument student is a constant challenge for the flight instructor. Placing the onus of decision and responsibility on the student is necessary to ensure survival in the IFR world of practical application. Through Rod Machado's Instrument Pilot's Survival Manual, the experience of pilots with many hours of actual IFR flying is delivered to the student, CFII, and the concerned pilot seeking answers to their IFR questions. From the psychological aspect of thinking like a pro, through the physical side of aircraft control , and on to the mental challenge of managing cockpit resources, Rod guides the instrument pilot to recognize relationships that will improve skill and proficiency. He divulges "Secrets" of the front side, procedure turn, and enroute charts that make one say, "Ah! Why didn't I think of that?!" This usable, reliable manual is a valuable source of ready information and not to be missed. Read, laugh, learn, apply and enjoy!
| 
