Comprehensive textbook for airplane pilots who are preparing to take the FAA exams for obtaining the Instrument Rating and Commercial FAA certificates. “If the Airline Transport Pilot certificate is the Ph.D. of aviation, the Commercial and Instrument tickets represent the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees” says author Bob Gardner, describing the advanced pilot curriculum. This is his textbook written for the many pilots who streamline their efforts by preparing for the instrument and the commercial certificates simultaneously.

Using the required FAA Knowledge Exams as the premise for learning, Gardner applies practical information so readers are not only prepared for the exams, but also for the cockpit. He augments the required aeronautical knowledge by giving specific tips and techniques, checklists and mnemonic devices, and sound advice from personal experience. Each chapter concludes with sample FAA test questions, and a comprehensive glossary and index are included as well as useful aviation website links. With the author’s conversational yet concise writing style, readers will quickly grasp the subjects, pass the required tests and checkrides, and have an operational understanding of flight they can take to the cockpit as newly-minted commercial pilots operating under instrument flight rules (IFR). Includes helpful internet resources for weather charts, full color examples of those weather charts, updated review questions, and more.