At 7:30 a.m. this morning I took and passed my private pilot check ride. What a thrill! This is something I have wanted since I was 9 years old. I owe a part of my success to Rod. His Private Pilot Handbook was the most valuable piece of literature I acquired during my training. During my ground school, I would study the information in his book along with my other training manuals. Rod’s wonderful writing style and depth of knowledge made even the most confusing topics easy to understand. During my flight training, I was having an especially tough time with VOR navigation, but Rod’s explanation finally made it "click." Rod produced such a wonderful book. S.S. I am a 15-(almost 16) year-old student pilot out of NY. I recently purchased Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook and I just wanted to say how much better I understand airplane engines and electrical systems now, then I did when I took the test. Rod’s book is a great learning tool. I will recommend it to any pilot, at any level. D.T. I recently turned 73, and passed my check ride (first time) for Private Pilot yesterday with flying colors. The last lesson I had prior to starting ground school was in 1945 - 57 years ago today. I am certainly indebted to my CFII, my excellent ground school instructor and, of course, to Rod Machado whose book "Private Pilot Handbook" sits dog-eared on my aviation reference shelf. Was it worth it? This is my crowning achievement! D.H. Any student who buys the Handbook but not the Workbook is making a conscious decision to spend more time earning his private pilot ticket. I don't see how any student could not want to test his knowledge and progress. Barry Wallis, Illinois Workbook should have been around much sooner. Well written and illustrated. J. Bilbao I wanted to take a moment to thank Rod for writing his signature Private Pilot Handbook and Workbook. I used them together as my primary source on info, culminating in a PP-ASEL certificate. His materials fit my learning style to a tee. I saw Rod’s Handbook on a shelf of aviation books. I browsed through it and quickly knew it would be a perfect way to at least satisfy my curiosity, and possibly serve as my primary training aid. Good call I think :-) I can't say enough about the balance of instruction, humor, real-world anecdotes, emphasis on safety and sheer breadth of topics achieved in the Handbook! S. McCrory Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook and Workbook are packed full of great information and entertaining to read as well. Rod’s flight lessons on Microsoft Flight Simulator taught me a great deal. He has a great way of making complex subjects understandable. Rod provides so much information for those of us that are interested in aviation. D. Burney Rod’s handbook and workbook are great and make reading all of the information enjoyable. J. Vigar We have been using Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Workbook at our flight school since it first came out. It's really great. Mark Wilson, CFII The only way to consistently meet the demand for better, smarter and safer pilots, is to ask more of yourself as an instructor, and demand more of every training aid that you use. I use Machado's Private Pilot Handbook and Workbook and I get credit for a lot of work that is done by these books. Jim Trusty, Master CFI, National Flight Instructor of the Year I passed my written prepared by using Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook. I also purchased Rod’s Workbook although it was only available at my flight school last week. I plan to re-read the Handbook using the Workbook this time, while I finish my cross-countries. I’m sure I'll be ready for the oral. Rod IS th' man! B.S. Quite a few years back I attended a ground school where they utilized a text that was so dull and confusing that I quickly put aside any ideas of going aloft. Rod Machado’s Private Pilot Handbook has been quite the opposite, I have enjoyed it to the point that I am more than halfway through before I have even taken an introductory flight (that happens on Tuesday). I am not even sure if I will actually enjoy the experience of a small plane. Even so, even if I decide to stay on terra firma, I will likely complete Rod’s text as an enjoyable intellectual exercise just to see how I do on the written exam. I just picked up a copy of the workbook and it too is very helpful. Great books. I am really enjoying them. M.A.I. Top