Pass Pilot Exams

Private Pilot study guide

Private Pilot, administered by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S, is mapped here as 6 topic areas; the heaviest are Regulations & Airspace (28%), Weather (22%) and Performance & Weight-and-Balance (17%).

About this course: Pass the written without drowning in charts - VFR minimums, weight-and-balance, and all.

Private Pilot at a glance

Questions
60
Time allowed
2.0 hours
Passing standard
70% (at least 42 of 60 scored questions)
Format
Computer-based multiple-choice test with 60 scored questions
Standard / edition
FAA-S-ACS-6C, effective May 31, 2024
Administered by
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S

Source: FAA-S-ACS-6C, effective May 31, 2024, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Confirm current details with the exam owner before you book.

Topic areas and weights

Topic areaWeightConceptsGuide
Regulations & Airspace28%23Topic page
Weather22%12Topic page
Performance & Weight-and-Balance17%9Topic page
Aerodynamics & Systems13%8Topic page
Navigation12%6Topic page
Aeromedical & ADM8%5Topic page

Topic guides at a glance

Regulations & Airspace

28% of the course blueprint, 23 concepts. Emphasized: VFR Minimums — Class B, VFR Minimums — Class C/D/E below 10k and VFR Minimums — Class E/G at or above 10k MSL. Watch for: Applying Class G DAY minimums (1 SM, clear of clouds) at NIGHT — night is 3 SM + 500/1000/2000.

Weather

22% of the course blueprint, 12 concepts. Emphasized: METAR vs TAF — Purpose and Format, METAR Field Decode — Wind/Vis/Altimeter/Temp and Cloud Cover Codes and Ceiling Definition. Watch for: Reading METAR/ATIS winds as magnetic — they are TRUE; only tower-spoken winds are magnetic.

Performance & Weight-and-Balance

17% of the course blueprint, 9 concepts. Emphasized: W&B Method — Moment / Weight / CG Computation. Watch for: Reading the wrong row/column on a takeoff or landing performance chart.

Aerodynamics & Systems

13% of the course blueprint, 8 concepts. Emphasized: Pitot-Static System — Blockage Failures and Static Port Blocked — Instrument Error Direction. Watch for: Thinking a wing only stalls at a single 'stall speed' — it stalls at the critical AOA at ANY speed/attitude.

Navigation

12% of the course blueprint, 6 concepts. Includes: Magnetic Variation and Deviation — True to Compass, Wind Correction Angle and E6B Ground Speed and Time-Speed-Distance Arithmetic. Watch for: Confusing variation (chart/magnetic-north) with deviation (aircraft compass card).

Aeromedical & ADM

8% of the course blueprint, 5 concepts. Includes: Hypoxia — Symptoms and Remedy, Hyperventilation vs Hypoxia — Treat O2 First and Spatial Disorientation and CO Poisoning. Watch for: Confusing hyperventilation (too little CO2) with hypoxia (too little O2) — but at altitude, treat hypoxia first.

Study plan in this course

  1. VFR Weather Minimums — 6 cards · free
  2. Airspace Classes and Entry Rules: Airspace Classes — 3 cards · free
  3. Required Documents and Equipment: Required Docs & Equipment — 3 cards · free
  4. Required Inspections (AVIATES): Required Inspections — 4 cards · full course
  5. Pilot Currency and Ops Rules — 10 cards · full course
  6. METAR and TAF Decode — 5 cards · full course
  7. Weather Hazards — 6 cards · full course
  8. Density Altitude and Performance — 4 cards · full course
  9. Weight and Balance — 4 cards · full course
  10. Takeoff and Landing Performance — 4 cards · full course
  11. Aerodynamics and Stall — 3 cards · full course
  12. Aircraft Systems — 5 cards · full course
  13. Sectional Charts and VOR — 3 cards · full course
  14. Navigation Planning — 5 cards · full course
  15. Aeromedical Factors and ADM: Aeromedical & ADM — 9 cards · full course

Details that change — checked against official sources

Official references

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