PPC Practical Test Standards

The FAA Practical Test Standards are the requirements for a pilot to pass a checkride. They are fundamental to a successful checkride, and provide tasks and the tolerances for the skills and knowledge that must be demonstrated.

The FAA Practical Test Standards are used by instructors, students, and examiners to prepare for, review, take, and issue pilot certificates. Each PTS is written by the FAA and details the type and levels of skill and knowledge that must be demonstrated before an examiner can issue a certificate or rating to an applicant, and describes background study and reference materials.

The Powered Parachute PTS is the FAA-S-8081-31 and Change 2 is the most current (effective February 2008).

An outline of the PTS tasks for the practical test/checkride is:

First portion of the Checkride is the ORAL exam which includes:

____ Certificates and documents
____ Airworthiness requirements
____ Weather information
____ Cross-country flight planning
____ National airspace system
____ Operation of systems
____ Aeromedical Factors
____ Performance and limitations
____ Principles of flight

Second portion of the Checkride is the Flight portion which includes:

Pre-Flight procedures
____ Pre-flight Inspection
____ Canopy Layout
____ Engine warmup/Starting
____ Cockpit management
____ Taxiing (canopy inflated)
____ Before takeoff check

Airport operations
____ Radio communications, light signals ____ Traffic patterns
____ Airport runway markings and lighting

Takeoffs, landings, and go-arounds
____ Normal Takeoff and Climb
____ Normal Approach and Landing
____ Go-around/rejected landings

Seaplane only:
____ Glassy water takeoff and climb ____ Glassy water approach and landing
____ Rough water takeoff and climb ____ Rough water approach and landing

Performance maneuvers
____ Constant Altitude Turns

Ground reference maneuvers
____ Rectangular course ____ S –turns ____Turns around a point

Navigation
____ Pilotage and dead reckoning ____Diversion ____Lost procedures

Emergency operations
____ Emergency approach and landing ____ Systems and equipment malfunctions
____ Emergency equipment and survival gear

Post-flight procedures
____ After landing, parking and securing

Seaplane only:
____ Anchoring ____ Docking and mooring ____ Ramping/beaching

The PTS with all the tasks detailed and the tolerances specified is available at:
Sport Pilot Practical Test Standards

The “Sport Pilot Checkride Book” provides guidance, sample questions and the answers for the Practical test Standards and is found at:
Sport Pilot Checkride Book

 

Next: Practical Test Checkride
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