Pre-Solo Test of Air Regulations (PSTAR) study guide
Pre-Solo Test of Air Regulations (PSTAR) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Pre-Solo Test of Air Regulations (PSTAR) is a Transport Canada written knowledge test that a student pilot must pass before flying solo. It is aimed at candidates training toward a Recreational Pilot Permit or Private Pilot Licence, and it checks the regulatory knowledge needed to operate safely without an instructor on board. The Pre-Solo Test of Air Regulations (PSTAR) study guide has 9 sections and about 3,829 words.
01Air Law and Regulations: The Legal Framework and the Pilot-in-Command
Air law and regulations is the backbone domain of the PSTAR. It tests whether you know where Canadian aviation rules come from, who is responsible inside the aircraft, and how the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) shape ordinary private and recreational flying.
483 words, about 2 min02Licensing and Medical Fitness for Student Pilots
Licensing and medical fitness covers the permits, certificates and conditions that make a flight legal, plus the medical requirements that make it safe. The PSTAR tests specific numbers here: minimum ages, medical categories, validity periods, the PSTAR pass mark, and the exact set of items a student needs before the first solo.
441 words, about 2 min03Aircraft Airworthiness, Registration, and Documentation
Airworthiness, registration and documentation asks one question in many forms: is this aircraft legal to fly right now, and can you prove it? The PSTAR tests the difference between a certificate of airworthiness and a maintenance inspection, Canadian registration marks, the documents that must be on board, and the equipment rules in CAR Part VI.
425 words, about 2 min04Airspace Classification, Control Zones, and Operating Rules
Airspace classification decides what you need before you enter a piece of sky: nothing at all, a radio call, or a full ATC clearance. PSTAR questions in this domain are short and precise, usually asking for the class, the altitude band, and the permission or equipment required.
400 words, about 2 min05ATC Clearances, Communications, and Radio Procedures
Communications questions test whether you can talk on the radio and, more importantly, whether you understand what you were told. Most PSTAR items here concern readback requirements, mandatory frequencies, transponder codes and where a VFR flight plan fits into the system.
379 words, about 2 min06VFR Flight Rules, Right-of-Way, Minimum Altitudes, and Cruising Altitudes
This domain is where the exam checks numbers you must know cold: weather minima, who gives way to whom, how low you may fly, and which altitudes are correct for a given track. Questions are usually a short scenario with a track, an altitude and a cloud layer.
500 words, about 3 min07Aerodromes, Circuit Procedures, and Ground Operations
Aerodrome questions cover what happens at an airport with no control tower and how aircraft and vehicles move around one that has a tower. The PSTAR focuses on circuit direction and altitude, joining procedures, radio calls at uncontrolled aerodromes, and the meaning of runway and taxiway markings.
405 words, about 2 min08Emergency Procedures, Accident Reporting, and Occurrence Reporting
This domain covers the worst day: what a pilot is allowed to do in an emergency, what must be reported afterwards, and to whom. The PSTAR asks about emergency authority, distress and urgency signals, ELT use, and the difference between a reportable accident and an incident.
407 words, about 2 min09Human Factors, Pilot Responsibilities, and Fitness to Fly
Human factors asks whether you should be in the aircraft at all. It covers self-assessment, alcohol and drugs, hypoxia and carbon monoxide, disorientation, fatigue, and the pilot-in-command's duty to passengers and to the public.
389 words, about 2 min