BAK Study Tips

The time has come for me to get off my a** and do my BAK test. I'm going to do the GA BAK.

 

I've started studying a bit (mainly using the ATC book but also have a borrowed copy of Bob Tait). My question is, does anyone have any tips for studying/remembering it?

 

When I read the book I understand what they're on about but my main problem is remembering all the information - I always seem to forget it the day after I read it. I guess it's because there's a lot of information to learn or maybe because it's science/mechanically based which is definitely not my strong point. So, before I read the book 10,000 times and despair because I can't remember things, does anyone have any tips for studying the BAK and/or retaining the information?

 

I had a vague plan to learn it all in the next 2-3 weeks or so and do the test soon after that, reckon it's doable?

 

So, my overall question is: any tips for studying/retaining BAK?

 

 

One thing I found helped was reading a chapter, leaving it for a day or so, then doing the sample questions.

 

However you do it, working through their questions/practice exams is important.

 

Other thing I found was using different texts - each puts a slightly different slant on things and I reckon that helps you build understanding. I probably went a bit overboard - I used ATC/Bob Tait/DH/SHIF and anything else I could get my hands on!

 

For the GA BAK, a lot of the stuff you've probably picked up on in your lessons - except for weight and balance - you'll need to learn up on the various loading systems.

 

And 2-3 weeks is eminently doable!

 

 

As GraemeK mentioned doing the practice questions and tests is important. After I have read a chapter I usually do the questions straight away then I come back about a week later and do them again. If I get any of the questions wrong then I know to re-read parts of that chapter and make sure I remember it.

 

 

Darky you of all people know how to study!

 

BAK is a funny thing. "Basic" aeronautical knowledge. Well, yes it is basic, there is more to it, but "basic" doesn't mean "simple" and there is much to learn.

 

Realistically I think it takes a few runs through the texts before people really get it and it really sticks, so I don't really have a lot of advice other than to keep going over it. Remember you won't just need that knowledge for your BAK, you'll need it again in the other theory tests you do, so it is important to really understand it. It's easy to skim through without it really sinking in so take your time to absorb it rather than rushing.

 

Sorry Darky, that's not much help, just get stuck into it and ask questions if you need to.

 

 

I recomend both books and if Bob Tait has a set of sample BAK questions available use them - I found them to be a big help for my ppl theory test - they certainly arnt the same questions as some people claim they are but they are based on the same style of questions - when I did my first ppl theory test I failed (By 2%!) and when I did my first Bob Tait trial exam (after no study) I failed by again 2% I then hit the books both Bob Tait and ATC and after a few days study I passed my remaining 3 sample tests.....and then the real test!!

 

Good Luck

 

Mike

 

 

Hi Darky .... Reading this made me go back to my old BAK study book and skim through it again .... some things I had not thought of in detail for a while!!!!

 

But the main thought that struck me was that this is GOOD STUFF that deserves understanding :stirring pot:rather than parrot type learning:hittinghead:. I suppose I’ve always been that way (engineer training does that to you!). .... I always found that, if I understood it, the exam questions sort of answered themselves. .... and I must admit that I am still not happy with the explanation in my book about climbing turns, but it must be true, because if you stall in a turn, it always drops the outside wing .... hmmmm

 

I don’t suppose that helps, but if there is anything specific that’s causing a problem don’t hesitate either on the forum or by PM .... answering a question improves the knowledge of the answerer too!

 

Good luck and happy studying!:thumb_up:

 

 

I must admit that I am still not happy with the explanation in my book about climbing turns, but it must be true ...

The way I think about it is to think of a spiral staircase, with the plane going up and the inside wing on the inside handrail. There will be a high angle between the outer wing and the outside handrail - ie a high angle of attack. Thus (before the stall) the plane will tend to overbank (outer wing going faster, plus higher AoA). Also, the outer wing will stall first, as you observed.

 

I'm like you (originally a scientist) - I like to go back to theory .....

 

Another point to be aware of - the questions are often ambiguous! :hittinghead: So sometimes it's a case of theory out the window and you're reduced to trying to guess what the examiner meant!

 

 

There sure is a higher AoA on the outer (higher) wing in a climbing turn and it will stall first!

 

(The trick question is whether you are rolling and/or pitching and/or yawing in a level turn, climbing turn, and descending turn!! That's off the topic though.)

 

 

From what I've heard the GA BAK exam has 15-30 questions, so that means you've got to learn everything in depth because 1 wrong question can drop your mark by a fair bit. I'm going to do the GA BAK exam as well in the next few weeks, I've borrowed my brothers Bob Tait VFR Day Guide (BAK & PPL) and so far I find it fairly easy to understand. I find that writing things down helps a tonne, if you don't understand something just summarise it and put it in your notebook.

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

BTW - using the spiral staircase analogy for a descending turn - outer wing flat on outside rail, high angle between inner wing and inside handrail = high AoA on inner wing. But inner wing is also slower, hence they tend to cancel out, so no overbanking tendency unlike with climbing turn.

 

Oh, and another BTW! Darky, I reckon studying for the BAK is just like studying for Law, only heaps more interesting - so it should be a breeze for you!

 

 

With the spiral staircase analogy, I still can't get my head around how, on a descending turn, the AofA would be higher on the lower wing. I understand climbing turns easily, it's logical that the AofA would be higher on the higher wing, but in my mind it still seems that the AofA should be higher on the upper wing during a descending turn as well...I'm sure there's an obvious explanation but I can't get my head around it, anyone want to try to explain? :)

 

 

You'll be laughing Darky.... :thumb_up: and 3 weeks should be oodles of time.... :big_grin:

 

I'll be doing my PPL BAK some time soon also...

 

 

Darky - just imagine the plane going down the spiral staircase. The inside rail is sloping down much steeper than the outside rail - if the outer wing is resting flat on the outside rail, then the inner wing will be flat compared to the rail, hence large angle between them. Equals large angle of attack.

 

Whenever I get confused, I head down to the Hilton hotel in Jolimont and swoop up and down their spiral staircase with my arms spread wide making loud brrmm brrmm noises, looking left and right to visualise the angle of attack.

 

Well, to be honest, I used to go there anyway, not any more, for some reason they banned me .... :hittinghead:

 

 

One other thing that worked for me is to make sure that, whenever presented with an acronym or code word, I pronounced the word/phrase in full in my mind. Hence, AoA is never read as Ay-Oh-Ay, but as Angle of Attack. There's sooooo many buzz words that I found it really easy to get lost unless I worked that way. That may help.

 

p.s. Even the best text book writers forget that us newbies are, umm, new, occasionally. I found this little beauty in my cross country text last night. After explaining the first part of a SIGMET in detail, he concludes with "From there, the message is straightforward." The 'straightforward' part of the message was:

 

HVY DS OBS AND FCST WI YBHI-TOOM-YLEC BLW A050 MOV SE 20KT NC

 

I'd hate to see an obfuscated version...

 

 

Whenever I get confused, I head down to the Hilton hotel in Jolimont and swoop up and down their spiral staircase with my arms spread wide making loud brrmm brrmm noises, looking left and right to visualise the angle of attack.

Well, to be honest, I used to go there anyway, not any more, for some reason they banned me ....

Teeheehee :thumb_up:

 

It sounds like you're saying that, when using the staircase example for a descending turn, the wing is resting flat on the outside rail and there's a gap between the inside rail and the other wing. I was imagining it more as the aircraft is tilted (is banked the right word to use in this situation?) so each wing was resting on each rail. Which, in my mind, still implies that the greater AofA would be with the higher wing....I think I need a picture of this or something, clearly my mental image isn't helping me here!

 

Maybe I'll pop off to the Hilton when I get back to Melbourne :big_grin:

 

 

Stair Rails ARE....

 

Probably the best explanation so stick with it. The inner rail is shorter than the outter, on any spiral staircase.. The outside rail covers a longer distance but still descends to the next level with the inner. The outter therefore goes down a shallower slope then the inner. Both rails describe a Helical (spiral) path. If you think about a thread on a screw, or bolt you can have a fine thread, (shallow angle of the thread).or a coarse one where the angle is steeper.

 

The original purpose of understanding these things was related to whether you held aileron "on" (as you would do in a descending turn, ie. into the turn,) or "off" when you are climbing. It all comes to be a bit theoretical as it is hard to give a convincing demonstration in most aircraft as a slight imbalance on the rudder will nullify the effect. Nev

 

 

This talk of climbing and descending turns has made me think about it!

 

The description of climbing and descending turns in my BAK book explains it differently, but with the same result. .... I used not to see what they were getting at, but now I see the light!!!

 

Here is a thought experiment that I think helps me to understand what is going on .....

 

At the risk of us all having a good laugh, imagine a pair of wings sticking out of your head where your ears are .... Luckily no one can see your wings, so you needn’t feel too silly doing this ...

 

Now, looking straight ahead start turning your body to the left .... you are in a level turn to the left, and you are constantly changing heading (rotating around your vertical axis) to the left. Now lean your head back to the ceiling whilst keeping the turn going. Now you are not changing heading because you are looking at the light fitting, but you are rolling to the right. ... Go on, try it, but make sure there is someone to catch you if you get dizzy. So your level left turn has converted into a vertical roll to the right .....

 

As you pitch up, the change of heading (rotation about the vertical axis ) caused by the turn gradually includes more and more of a rotation about the longitudinal axis. This rolling rotation raises the angle of incidence of the outer wing (which is the down going wing in the apparent roll due to the upwards flight path .....)

 

Exactly the reverse if you look down. The left turn becomes a left roll which loads up the inside wing of the turn .....

 

Weird, but true I think..

 

Now you can demount your wings and turn back into a more or less normal pilot!!. ..