Many people write to us with questions about our books, our services and our company. Perhaps a question you have in mind has been asked by someone already. If so, you will find the answer below. If not, send us a note with your question.

What is TopSkills?
TopSkills is a professional consulting practice since 1987 that specializes in training and problem solving. It conducts seminars and publishes self-help training manuals. Flight simulation is one of its areas of expertise.

Who are the authors of these flight-sim books?
Bill Stack is the principal author, and Nels Anderson and Greg Trainer provide additional technical expertise. Read more about the authors on this page.

How can I get these flight-simulation books?
You simply order them through our online shopping cart, or you can order them by telephone, fax or mail. Then you can pay for them with your credit card, check or money order. It's that easy! Read about your ordering options and your payment options.

How long will I have to wait for my books?
Your books will arrive in a few days depending on where you live and what shipping method you choose. Our default shipping method is DHL Express within the United and internationally. We've found that readers in Europe and South America receive their books within a few days and that readers in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim receive their books in a week or so. If you live in the United States and choose Next Business Day or Second Business Day service, your books will arrive in a day or two (business days are Monday through Friday). These express services are available only within the United States. Read more about your shipping options.

How much will my books cost?
Prices differ for each book, depending on the quantity of information they provide. Refer to our Flight Sim Books Page for the prices of each book.

Do you ship to Europe?
Yes. We ship all over the world. Shipping rates are available on our shipping page.

How much does shipping cost?
Shipping rates are available on our shipping page.

Why do you charge money for your books, when I can get free information on the Internet?
We provide more information in a much easier-to-use format than any free information we know about on the Internet. Our books are written by professional writers, independently referenced by certified authorities, reviewed by professional editors and proofreaders and printed by professional printers. These benefits are worth something. Most of the free information on the Internet is written by amateur writers, is not referenced or reviewed by independent professionals and is not published in easy-to-use formats. Free information is priced accordingly.

How can I pay for my books?
You can use your American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa credit card. If you don't have a credit card or are reluctant to use your credit cards over the internet, you may pay by check or money order. Read about your payment options.

Why don't you have one shipping charge for everyone?
That would be a lot simpler for you and us, but the shipping companies charge different amounts for different weights and regions. The heavier the package, the more it costs; the farther away it must be shipped, the more it costs. That's why our rates are different for different numbers of books and different regions of the world.

How can I buy my books if I don't want to provide my credit card over the Internet?
Your credit-card data are encrypted so that criminals who might intercept the transmission will not be able to read it. Therefore, every order placed through our secure form is safe from thieves. If you still don't want to use your credit card over the Internet, call us on the telephone, send us a fax, mail us your order or use a check or money order.

Are your books available in my country?
These flight-sim books are available on our web site and from Flight Sim Central and PC Aviator. They are not available in any retail stores.

Do your books contain all the necessary aviation charts and approach plates?
Our books are instructional. Charts for use with your flight simulation game are available from companies that publish and sell charts. Sporty's Pilot Shop. For other charts sources, go to our links site Popular and Excellent Flight-Sim Sites.

Do you have books containing navaids for the entire world?
We are unaware of any such books published by anyone. It's just not practical to list all the thousands of navaids around the world and keep up with constant changes.

Can I use these books on my simulator?
Yes, you can use our books on any noncombat flight-simulation program. They explain how to fly, how to follow aviation rules, procedures and practices, how to get from place to place and much more. To learn how to use your particular flight-simulation program, you need to refer to the manual that came with it or buy a special manual for that program, such as Inside Moves for Microsoft's flight-simulation series.

Can I use these books where I live?
Yes, you can use these books anywhere. The same basic aviation principles, procedures, rules, requirements, restrictions and guidelines are used all around the world, and our books are based on them. Our books even express measurements in metrics, which are used all over the world except the United States, and in the British Imperial System, which is used in the United States. The only exceptions are a few laws, regulations and customs unique to some countries.

Can I use your books to learn to fly real-world airplanes?
No. These books are written for computer flight-simulation games, only. Although they are based on real-world aviation knowledge, procedures, requirements and source material, they are not for real-world application, because they are adapted to flight simulation. To learn real-world flying, get real-world aviation manuals from Sporty's Pilot Shop .

Do you have versions in languages other than English?
Our books are published in English, only. We often receive requests for books in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian and other languages. As much as we would like to accommodate these requests, translating books for a narrow specialty market such as flight simulation into numerous languages is not cost effective or profitable. We barely cover our costs of writing, publishing and marketing our books in English, and we could not recover our costs of translations, separate inventories and so forth for other languages.

Why do you ask which country I live in?
Our customers are from all over the world Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Pacific Rim. In fact, 60 percent of our orders come from outside the United States. Consider these facts: Many cities in the United States, such as Boston, Massachusetts, are named after cities and towns in Europe; and Memphis, Tennessee, is named after a city in Egypt. Also, some countries such as Turkey and Indonesia use five digit postal codes like those used in the United States. When we are not told explicitly which country you are from, we are often left to guessing. That can delay the processing of your order.

Why do you ask for my e-mail address?
We like to send confirmations by e-mail within 24 hours of shipping your order. We also use your e-mail address to contact you if there are any problems. We occasionally update our customers on new releases and other timely information. We do not provide your e-mail address to internet marketers whatsoever.

Why do you ask for my telephone number?
Airborne Express requires telephone numbers so they can call recipients if necessary. Your telephone number is required by the shipping companies in case they need to contact you. They will not accept shipments without telephone numbers.

Why do you require that some fields be completed in your shopping cart?
Some information is absolutely necessary for us to process and ship your order. We must know who you are, where to ship your books, how we will be paid for them and how to contact you if there are any problems. We got tired of sending people special e-mails asking for this information, so we entered codes in the shopping cart requiring it. The last straw, actually, was someone who provided his credit-card number and expiration date but no name, address or contact information. Obviously, we had no idea of where to ship his books and no way to ask him for the information, so we posted his name on our web site asking for him to contact us, which he never did. We haven't had this problem since we started requiring necessary information. Other information is optional, such as which books you want.

I can't look over these books, so how can I know whether they are any good?
In recognition of this problem, we provide several means of reassuring you that our books are of top quality. First, book reviews on the Internet attest to the quality of our books — you'll find some at FlightSim.Com. Second, testimonials from satisfied readers further attest to their quality. Third, we fully guarantee your satisfaction — if you are not satisfied with our books, we will refund your purchase price. Frankly, we've never had anybody ask for a refund.

I've never heard of your company, so I can I be sure you will send me my books?
We have been in business since 1987, and we have been publishing flight-simulation books since 1996. We have thousands of satisfied customers throughout the United States and around the world. Read our testimonials — they are sincere comments from truly satisfied real customers. If you want references, we'll send you the names and e-mail addresses of customers you can ask for independent views of our trustworthiness.

Do you have other questions? Ask us and we will be glad to help.
(The only way to get the answers you need is to ask us!)

NOTICE:
All our flight-sim books are for flight-simulation computer games, only. They are not for real-world flying at all. We accept no liability for any misuse of our flight-sim flight-plan forms.