Pass Pilot Exams

Commercial Pilot Airplane Knowledge Test (CAX) study guide

Commercial Pilot Airplane Knowledge Test (CAX), administered by FAA, is mapped here as 6 topic areas; the heaviest are Commercial Regulations & Operating Limitations (30%), Performance & Weight-and-Balance (22%) and Aerodynamics & Systems (16%).

About this course: 70 of 100 - the fast path. Sheppard-speed through the written, but privileges, limitations, and W&B stick for the oral.

Commercial Pilot Airplane Knowledge Test (CAX) at a glance

Questions
100
Time allowed
2.5 hours
Passing standard
70% (>=70 of 100)
Format
multiple choice, single best answer
Standard / edition
FAA-S-ACS-7B, effective May 31, 2024
Administered by
FAA

Source: FAA-S-ACS-7B, effective May 31, 2024, FAA. Confirm current details with the exam owner before you book.

Topic areas and weights

Topic areaWeightConceptsGuide
Commercial Regulations & Operating Limitations30%21Topic page
Performance & Weight-and-Balance22%14Topic page
Aerodynamics & Systems16%14Topic page
Weather16%11Topic page
Navigation10%6Section below
Aeromedical & ADM6%10Section below

Topic guides at a glance

Commercial Regulations & Operating Limitations

30% of the course blueprint, 21 concepts. Emphasized: What privileges does a commercial pilot certificate grant under 14 CFR 61.133(a)?, What limitations apply to a commercial pilot who does NOT also hold an instrument rating u and What is the legal distinction between common carriage and private carriage?.

Performance & Weight-and-Balance

22% of the course blueprint, 14 concepts. Emphasized: What is the fundamental weight-and-balance equation, and how do you find the aircraft's CG, An aircraft has the following loading: empty weight 1,840 lb at arm 41.2 in, pilot+front p and A second loading scenario: empty weight 2,010 lb at arm 39.5 in; pilot 200 lb at arm 35.0.

Aerodynamics & Systems

16% of the course blueprint, 14 concepts. Emphasized: What is the formula for load factor in a level banked turn, and what is the load factor at, How does load factor affect stall speed, and what is the formula? and What does the Vg (V-n) diagram show, and what are its structural limits?.

Weather

16% of the course blueprint, 11 concepts. Emphasized: What is the field-by-field decoding order for a METAR, and what unit does each field use?, Decode this METAR: KORD 151554Z 28014G22KT 3SM -RA BKN025 OVC060 17/14 A2989 RMK AO2 RAB45 and What are the key TAF groups — FM, TEMPO, and BECMG — and what does each mean?.

Study plan in this course

  1. Commercial Privileges & Limitations — 7 cards · free
  2. Oxygen & High-Altitude Operations — 4 cards · free
  3. Currency, Inspections & Equipment: Currency, Inspections & Equipment Requirements — 8 cards · free
  4. Fuel Reserves, Right-of-Way & Minimum Safe Altitudes — 5 cards · full course
  5. Weight & Balance — CG Fundamentals — 5 cards · full course
  6. CG Shift — Moving & Adding/Removing Weight — 4 cards · full course
  7. Performance Charts — Density Altitude, Takeoff & Landing — 5 cards · full course
  8. Load Factor & Stall Speed — 5 cards · full course
  9. Stalls & Spins — 4 cards · full course
  10. Complex Aircraft Systems — 5 cards · full course
  11. METAR / TAF / Winds-Aloft Decode — 5 cards · full course
  12. Weather Hazards for Commercial Operations — 6 cards · full course
  13. Navigation, Sectional Charts, and E6B — 6 cards · full course
  14. Aeromedical Factors — 5 cards · full course
  15. Aeronautical Decision-Making & Risk Management — 5 cards · full course

Navigation carries 10% of the Commercial Pilot Airplane Knowledge Test (CAX) blueprint used in this course, the 5th-largest of its 6 weighted areas. It spans 6 concepts. The course teaches it in 1 study unit: Navigation, Sectional Charts, and E6B.

What Navigation covers

  • What key information is encoded in an airport data block on a sectional chart? — FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide (current edition)
  • What is the difference between pilotage and dead reckoning, and when does each break down? — FAA-H-8083-25B Ch. 15
  • How do you solve a time-speed-distance problem using the E6B flight computer, and what is — FAA-H-8083-25B Ch. 15
  • Explain the relationship between True Heading, Magnetic Heading, and Compass Heading, incl — FAA-H-8083-25B Ch. 15
  • How does VOR navigation work, and what is the difference between a TO and FROM indication — AIM 1-1-3
  • What are the recommended lost procedures for a VFR pilot, and what does GPS/RNAV provide t — FAA-H-8083-25B Ch. 15

Official references for Navigation

  • FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide (current edition)
  • FAA-H-8083-25B Ch. 15
  • AIM 1-1-3

In the app this area comes with 6 memory cards and 12 module-quiz questions in the full course.

Aeromedical & ADM

Aeromedical & ADM carries 6% of the Commercial Pilot Airplane Knowledge Test (CAX) blueprint used in this course, the 6th-largest of its 6 weighted areas. It spans 10 concepts. The course teaches it in 2 study units: Aeromedical Factors and Aeronautical Decision-Making & Risk Management.

What Aeromedical & ADM covers

  • What are the four types of hypoxia and how does each deprive the brain of oxygen? — FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 17
  • How does time of useful consciousness (TUC) change at commercial-relevant altitudes, and w — FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 17 / AIM 8-1-2
  • How do you distinguish hyperventilation from hypoxia in the cockpit, and how is each treat — FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 17
  • Name three common vestibular/spatial disorientation illusions and the alcohol/drug rule un — 14 CFR 91.17 / FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 17
  • What night-vision technique is used at distance, and what are the scuba-to-altitude waitin — AIM 8-1-6
  • Name the 5 hazardous attitudes and their FAA-prescribed antidotes. — FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 2 / FAA-H-8083-2 Ch. 2
  • What does the I'M SAFE checklist assess, and when should a pilot use it? — FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 2
  • What are the six steps of the DECIDE model? — FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 2
  • What four categories does the PAVE risk-assessment framework cover, and what does each add — FAA-H-8083-2 Ch. 1
  • What is get-there-itis, and how does single-pilot resource management (SRM) counter it? — FAA-H-8083-2 Ch. 1 / FAA-S-ACS-7B

Official references for Aeromedical & ADM

  • FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 17
  • FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 17 / AIM 8-1-2
  • 14 CFR 91.17 / FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 17
  • AIM 8-1-6
  • FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 2 / FAA-H-8083-2 Ch. 2
  • FAA-H-8083-25 Ch. 2
  • FAA-H-8083-2 Ch. 1
  • FAA-H-8083-2 Ch. 1 / FAA-S-ACS-7B

In the app this area comes with 10 memory cards and 8 module-quiz questions in the full course.

Details that change — checked against official sources

Official references

Start the free Commercial Pilot Airplane Knowledge Test (CAX) modules → · Pricing · FAQ