Some comments I wouldn't normally make but, in the case where the confused student is well accustomed to detailed formal study, a different approach may just help out a bit.
Caveat: I'm an engineer, not a lawyer so cut me some slack if I don't toe the strict legal story below.
First, I use this approach in my training work for CPL/ATPL level Air Law subjects elsewhere and, overall, the results have been fine. The reason for the approach is that the student cadres are all aiming to end up in airline flying where the pilots need to know all the rules and have an extensive and effective capability to look up specific requirements on the fly. While the reality may be a little different out there in the real world, the CPL and ATPL are both professional level licences and, really, the holders of either should be right up to speed with the rules and so on. There is only one way to get there and that is hard yakka; there are no short cuts available when it comes to learning the rule books.
Second, Bob's courses are not aimed at post grad level background capability so you need to cut Bob's books a bit of slack: the majority of his students will be secondary level and, for many, junior secondary level, education. Many of the students will be older, long out of the classroom and, for whom, the CASA exams come as a big bit of a culture shock. Bob is not setting out to write a post grad reference text treatise; rather a "can I give you a hand with this stuff and some helping guidance for the CASA exam". For these two goals, he does a fine job as shown by the student results.
The style of rules has changed dramatically since the raft of administrative management changes within the Regulator since the late 80s. In earlier times things were fairly straightforward: we had the head of power in the Air Navigation Act (1920), which is still in vogue although not of great immediate relevance to pilot activities. Back in the ancient days, old blokes like me knew our way around the Act and Regulations issued under the Act because they were relatively static. We could rattle off chapter and verse for the majority of stuff from memory and it all worked just fine.
Then, for a number of reasons, the Government started to muck around with the system and what was the Department of Civil Aviation morphed through a dreadful variety of name changes at great expense for precious little benefit. Eventually, in the late 80s (this was tied up with deregulation and a bunch of considerations associated with that) the Government of the day introduced the Civil Aviation Act of 1988 and raised up the Civil Aviation Safety Authority as the new Regulator.
So, now we have a bunch of rulebooks to replace the previous (comparatively) simple system .... there is a summary on the CASA website which you may find useful -
www.casa.gov.au/standard-page/overview-c...n-safety-legislation
Civil Aviation Act 1988. This is the head bit from Parliament and signed off by the GG. Step too far out of line with respect to this set of rules and you can get well and truly hung. While the professional pilot should have a working familiarity with the Act, it generally doesn't fit the requirement for day to day rules.
Civil Aviation Regulations (1988). The CARs are issued pursuant to provisions in the Act and, again, if you step too far out of line with respect to the CARs, you can get well and truly hung. Now, the CARs cover the day to day stuff at a higher level than other subordinate documentation so the professional pilot needs to be right up with specifics of the CARs. In general, one can view the CARs as providing more detail required to comply with the intent of the Act.
Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (1998). Associated with a lot of tinkering, it became apparent that the CARs really needed to be tidied up to meet a number of requirements, including harmonisation with foreign aviation regulatory structures. Progressively the suite of 1988 rules will be subsumed into the 1998 suite and the 1988 stuff will be consigned WPB. In the interim we have to keep abreast of two sets of transitioning rules - great fun for all.
Civil Aviation Orders. The CAOs provide further amplification of what might be required to satisfy the various rules in the CARs. Eventually, the CAOs will disappear along with the CARs.
Aeronautical Information Publication. The AIP is the day to day bible and you do yourself a great disservice if you don't know most of the stuff in it from memory (cover to cover as appropriate to your class of operation). You will find that the great majority of airline pilots have a self made pocket notebook summary of key requirements for the various rules, including the AIP. I commend such an effort for your benefit.
Manuals of Standards. The MOSs provide significant amplification of CASR detail and, in general, you will find them very useful, if a bit long-winded.
Airworthiness Bulletins. AWBs are advisory information (so won't see the light of day in the exams) but are very useful background reading. As their title suggests, the provide airworthiness information for the benefit of all.
Advisory Circulars. These provide guidance amplification of the CASR requirements
Airworthiness Directives. ADs generally don't concern pilots but can be a useful source of lots of information relating to aircraft and systems stuff.
Acceptable Means of Compliance. AMCs are useful amplifying documents which give some more detail as to what a rule might mean.
Civil Aviation Advisory Publications. CAAPs provide amplification of CAR/CAO.
I'd also include the ANR bits -
Air Navigation Act and
Air Navigation Regulations
So, where does this leave us ? I suggest that you ignore the syllabus for a professional pilot licence and spend enough time reading through the above (especially where highlighted in blue) until you have a good handle on where stuff is and, in particular, have a good idea of what stuff obviously applies to pilots. Is this an easy task ? Not by any stretch of the imagination. However, do the hard yards and the (open book) exam should be a doddle. If you can't come out with near 100%, you really weren't trying your best on the day.
For the RPL/PPL level, forget the above unless you are interested in learning a bunch of stuff. Bob's books fit really well into this level.
For the CPL/ATPL level, Bob's book endeavours to provide a level of support compatible with that embodied in his other subject material. However, if you don't find his book sufficiently useful for your purposes and requirements, you might try my approach as suggested above. If that gets a tad too torrid, then the next best thing is to work it through Bob's book aiming to get a pass for the exam and then adding to your knowledge bank once you get out into the big, bad world of aviation.
