GCAA PPL Theory Exam study plan

Order the GCAA regulatory documents from the civil aviation law down through implementing regulations to guidance material, and state which document governs each of: licensing, airspace, and aircraft operations.

List the privileges, limitations, recent-experience and medical-validity requirements attached to a PPL on a single reference card.

State the right-of-way rules, minimum safe altitudes and cruising-level rules that apply to VFR flight, and apply each to a written scenario.

Describe the airspace classes used in the state and the pilot, equipment and clearance requirements that change at each boundary.

Answer 60 Air Law practice questions in 60 minutes and log every incorrect item with the reason for the error.

Re-attempt every Air Law question missed in week 1 until each has been answered correctly twice without notes.

Draw and label, from memory, the piston-engine, fuel, oil, electrical and hydraulic systems of the training aircraft, and state the function of each component shown.

Explain the operating principle, normal indication and failure indication of the pitot-static and gyroscopic instruments, and the pilot action for each failure.

Extract the certified limitations (V speeds, maximum masses, CG range, load factors) for the training type from its flight manual and tabulate them.

Calculate takeoff and landing distances for six combinations of mass, pressure altitude, temperature, wind and runway surface using the flight manual charts.

Compute climb gradient, rate of climb and obstacle clearance for a departure, and state whether the required gradient is met.

Build a complete fuel plan for a two-hour cross-country including taxi, trip, contingency, alternate and final reserve.

Perform a full mass-and-balance calculation and confirm the load falls inside the certified envelope, then repeat with a deliberately out-of-limits load and state the correction.

Solve 25 numerical performance and planning problems without referring to worked examples, at 85% or better.

Decode ten METAR, TAF and SPECI reports and state the resulting VFR suitability and trend for each.

Explain the formation, recognition and avoidance action for icing, turbulence, thunderstorms, wind shear and microbursts.

Interpret surface and upper-air charts to identify pressure systems, fronts and the weather expected at a named aerodrome within 12 hours.

Convert between QNH, QFE and pressure altitude for given aerodrome data and state the resulting effect on altimeter and performance figures.

Plot a three-leg cross-country on a VFR chart and measure true tracks and distances to within 2 degrees and 0.5 nm.

Convert between true, magnetic and compass headings applying variation, deviation and wind, and show the working for each leg.

Calculate heading, ground speed, ETA and fuel to waypoint using the triangle of velocities, both on a flight computer and by mental dead reckoning.

Describe the operating principle, indications and characteristic errors of VOR, DME, ADF and GNSS.

Complete 30 navigation calculation questions at 85% or better, with each miss re-worked to a correct answer in writing.

Explain how lift is produced and how the four forces balance in straight-and-level flight, climb and descent, and sketch the force diagram for each.

Describe the stall from onset to recovery, including the effect of mass, load factor, CG, flaps and icing on stall speed and stall behaviour.

Explain static and dynamic stability in pitch, roll and yaw, and predict how moving the CG forward or aft changes control force, stall margin and cruise performance.

Transmit and read back standard phraseology for ground, tower, approach and emergency calls, including distress and urgency prefixes.

Score 90% or better on a 25-item phraseology and readback test, and identify every omitted readback item.

Sequence the pre-flight, pre-departure, approach and emergency checklists and explain the purpose and failure consequence of each item.

Apply wake-turbulence separation and runway-incursion avoidance procedures to five written scenarios and state the correct action in each.

Write the action sequence for engine failure after takeoff, forced landing, in-flight fire, radio failure and ELT activation.

Explain hypoxia, hyperventilation, carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression, including symptoms, recognition and treatment in flight.

Apply the IMSAFE and personal fitness-to-fly criteria to five case vignettes and justify each accept or decline decision.

Sit two full-length timed mock exams under exam conditions and record a score breakdown by domain.

Rebuild every domain scoring below 85% using targeted question sets until two consecutive clean passes are recorded.

Memorise a one-page data sheet covering unit conversions, fuel and mass-and-balance formulae, the triangle of velocities and the training-type V speeds.

Rehearse exam technique: flag-and-return on long items, a fixed time budget per question, and a two-pass review of marked items.