Study

Private pilot checkride study guides

Direct answers for questions that show up on a private pilot oral, each one tied to the current regulation or handbook section. Read them here. No account required.

Study aid, not legal advice. Regulations, the AIM, and handbook editions change. Check the current text and confirm anything that affects a flight or a checkride with your CFI.

• 30-Day Oral Pacing Checklist (PPL)

  A printable day-by-day plan for the private pilot airplane oral, organized to FAA-S-ACS-6C.

• Do you need two-way radio communication to enter Class C airspace?

  What “established” means when ATC says standby, and the transponder and ADS-B Out equipment the same rule points to.

• What are the VFR fuel minimums?

  Day, night, and rotorcraft reserves, measured before departure to the first point of intended landing.

• What is night for pilots?

  Logging, position lights, and passenger-carrying currency do not share one definition of night.

• When is supplemental oxygen required?

  The 12,500 / 14,000 / 15,000 foot crew and occupant rules, including what “provided” means above 15,000.

• What is density altitude?

  Pressure altitude, temperature, the PHAK chart method, and why takeoff distance changes.