The areas below follow the Private Pilot — Airplane ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), which is the document your examiner actually tests from. Tap an area to open it; each question carries the key points an examiner is listening for, not a script to recite.
This page is the reading half. The AI Examiner is the practice half — it asks questions like these in conversation, follows up on what you actually said, and scores the session by ACS area. Read here, then say it out loud there.
What documents must you have in your personal possession to act as PIC?
Key points: Think CMGP — Certificate, Medical, Government-issued photo ID, (Pilot logbook for endorsements if student)
What documents must be in the aircraft for it to be legal to fly?
Key points: ARROW — Airworthiness certificate, Registration, Radio station license (international), Operating limitations (POH), Weight & balance data
What are the required inspections for your aircraft, and how do you verify they're current?
Key points: AV1ATES — Annual, VOR (IFR), 100-hour (if for hire), Altimeter/pitot-static (IFR), Transponder, ELT, Static system
When are you required to have a flight review, and what does it involve?
Key points: 14 CFR §61.56 — 24 calendar months, minimum 1 hour ground + 1 hour flight
What is the standard weather briefing, and what information does it include?
Key points: Adverse conditions, synopsis, current conditions, en route forecast, destination forecast, winds aloft, NOTAMs, ATC delays
How do you read a METAR? Walk me through this one.
Key points: Station, date/time, wind, visibility, weather phenomena, sky condition, temp/dewpoint, altimeter setting, remarks
Walk me through your preflight inspection of the aircraft.
Key points: Systematic flow — cockpit, left wing, nose, right wing, empennage. Check fuel quantity/quality, oil, tires, control surfaces, antennas.
What are you looking for when you sump the fuel?
Key points: Water (clear, settles to bottom), debris, correct fuel color (100LL = blue), correct grade
How do you determine if the aircraft is airworthy?
Key points: Required inspections current, MEL/KOEL compliance, all ADs complied with, no known defects
What is a runway incursion and how do you prevent one?
Key points: Any unauthorized presence on a runway. Prevention: read back hold-short instructions, positively identify runway before entering, use correct taxi procedures.
Explain the standard traffic pattern and the legs involved.
Key points: Upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, final. Standard = left turns. Enter at 45° to downwind at pattern altitude.
What are the light gun signals and when would ATC use them?
Key points: Steady green = cleared. Flashing green = cleared to taxi / return to land. Steady red = stop / give way. Flashing red = taxi clear / airport unsafe. Alternating red/green = caution.
When would you use a short-field takeoff versus a normal takeoff?
Key points: Short-field: obstacle or short runway. Use full flaps per POH, maximum performance climb at Vx to clear obstacle, then Vy.
What is a forward slip and when would you use one?
Key points: Cross-controlled (opposite aileron and rudder) to increase rate of descent without increasing airspeed. Used for no-flap landings or steep approaches.
When should you execute a go-around?
Key points: Anytime the approach is not stabilized, runway is not clear, you're uncomfortable, or ATC instructs. Go-around is ALWAYS an option.
What is density altitude and how does it affect performance?
Key points: Pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature. High DA = longer takeoff roll, reduced climb rate, higher true airspeed for same indicated.
How do you calculate weight and balance, and why does it matter?
Key points: Moment = weight × arm. Total moment / total weight = CG. CG must be within limits for stability and controllability.
What factors affect takeoff distance?
Key points: DA, weight, wind, runway surface/slope, temperature, pressure altitude, humidity. Koch chart or POH performance charts.
What is the difference between pilotage and dead reckoning?
Key points: Pilotage = navigating by visual reference to landmarks. Dead reckoning = calculations of heading, speed, time, and distance.
How does a VOR work, and how do you track a radial?
Key points: VHF Omnidirectional Range — ground station emits 360 radials. Select OBS to desired radial, center CDI, correct for wind.
You realize you're lost. Walk me through your lost procedures.
Key points: Climb, communicate, confess, comply. Use the 5 C's. Contact ATC for radar vectors. Use VOR/GPS. Look for landmarks.
What causes a stall?
Key points: Exceeding the critical angle of attack — not a function of airspeed. A stall can occur at ANY airspeed, ANY attitude, ANY power setting.
What are the different types of stalls you'll demonstrate?
Key points: Power-off (landing configuration) and power-on (departure configuration). Recognize by buffet, mushy controls, stall horn, uncommanded roll.
What is load factor and how does it affect stall speed?
Key points: Load factor = total lift / weight (expressed in G's). In a 60° bank, load factor = 2G, stall speed increases by √2 (41%).
Which instruments are pitot-static and which are gyroscopic?
Key points: Pitot-static: airspeed, altimeter, VSI. Gyroscopic: attitude indicator, heading indicator, turn coordinator.
What happens to your airspeed indicator if the pitot tube is blocked?
Key points: Acts like an altimeter — reads higher in a climb, lower in a descent. If drain is also blocked, reading freezes.
What is spatial disorientation and how do you avoid it?
Key points: Vestibular illusions override visual cues. Trust your instruments, not your body. If disoriented, go to straight-and-level on instruments.
You have an engine failure at 500 feet AGL after takeoff. What do you do?
Key points: Land straight ahead or within 30° of runway heading. Do NOT turn back — insufficient altitude for the "impossible turn." Establish best glide, secure engine if time.
What is your emergency authority as PIC?
Key points: 14 CFR §91.3(b) — in an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the PIC may deviate from any rule in Part 91 to the extent required to meet that emergency. §91.3(c) then asks for a written report, but only on request of the Administrator; the rule sets no deadline. (The familiar 10-day figure is the NTSB accident report under 49 CFR §830.15, a different requirement.)
How do you handle an electrical fire in flight?
Key points: Master switch OFF, cabin heat OFF, vents open to clear smoke. Land ASAP. If fire extinguishes, you can try to isolate the circuit.
How does night vision work and how do you protect it?
Key points: Rods adapt in 30+ minutes (dark adaptation). Protect with dim red cockpit lighting, avoid bright lights, use off-center viewing.
What additional equipment is required for VFR flight at night?
Key points: FLAPS — Fuses (spare set), Landing light (for hire), Anti-collision lights, Position lights (nav lights), Source of electricity
What are common visual illusions at night?
Key points: Black hole approach, autokinesis, false horizon, landing on wider/narrower runway illusions.
Sources
Read the rule itself before you quote it on a checkride — these are the primary texts behind the regulatory answers above.
- FAA Airman Certification Standards — the ACS the areas of operation on this page come from (Private Pilot — Airplane is FAA-S-ACS-6C)
- 14 CFR §61.3 — certificate, medical and photo ID required in your personal possession
- 14 CFR §61.56 — flight review — 24 calendar months, 1 hour ground and 1 hour flight
- 14 CFR §91.3 — PIC responsibility, emergency deviation authority, and the on-request written report
- 14 CFR §91.103 — preflight action — the rule behind the weather-briefing and performance questions
- 14 CFR §91.205 — required instruments and equipment, including the night list
- 49 CFR §830.15 — the NTSB report that carries the 10-day deadline — not §91.3
Don't Just Read — Practice Out Loud
Real DPEs evaluate how you explain concepts, not just whether you know the answer. FlightKit's AI Examiner asks these questions conversationally and scores your performance by ACS area.
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