FAA Private Pilot - Glider (PGL) study guide
FAA Private Pilot - Glider (PGL) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The FAA Private Pilot certificate with a glider rating lets you act as pilot in command of a glider, carrying passengers, without compensation or hire. It suits people who want to fly sailplanes and motorgliders recreationally, and many airplane pilots add it to sharpen stick-and-rudder skills and energy management. The FAA Private Pilot - Glider (PGL) study guide has 8 sections and about 3,147 words.
01Regulations and Aeronautical Knowledge
The regulations questions on this exam come from 14 CFR Parts 61 and 91 and the AIM, with the wording adapted to gliders: launches replace takeoffs, and the medical requirement is different. The exam expects you to know what you may do, when your privileges lapse, and what documents belong in the cockpit.
406 words, about 2 min02Aerodynamics, Performance, and Weight and Balance
Performance questions for gliders are not about fuel and runway distance -- they test the drag curve, glide ratio, and how weight, bank, and wind change both. Expect a weight-and-balance computation and a qualitative question about speed to fly.
406 words, about 2 min03Weather and Meteorology
Weather decides whether a glider flies at all. The exam asks you to identify lift sources, estimate thermal tops from the temperature-dewpoint spread, recognize mountain wave and its hazards, and read a TAF or winds-aloft forecast.
374 words, about 2 min04Navigation, Flight Planning, and Cross-Country Operations
Cross-country soaring questions combine chart reading, wind, and the arithmetic of the final glide. The exam is less about paper flight logs than about deciding whether you can still reach the field.
379 words, about 2 min05Glider Operations, Launch Procedures, and Soaring Techniques
Launch and soaring questions test procedure and judgment: what signal means what, what to do when the rope breaks, and how to work lift efficiently. The glider sits behind and below the towplane; the glider pilot rocks the wings to request release, and a wing rock from the towplane means release now or acknowledges the signal.
426 words, about 2 min06Airspace, ATC, and Radio Communications
Airspace questions on the glider exam test whether you can use the exemptions gliders enjoy without violating the airspace rules that still apply. Class B: explicit ATC clearance and a private pilot certificate or higher.
376 words, about 2 min07Human Factors, Aeronautical Decision Making, and Emergency Procedures
Human factors and emergency questions reward a systematic approach. The exam asks you to recognize hypoxia and dehydration at altitude, apply a decision model, and know the first actions for a rope break, a spin, or a landing out.
401 words, about 2 min08Airworthiness Requirements and Aircraft Systems
Airworthiness questions confirm that you know what keeps a glider legal: inspections, documents, placards, and the systems you preflight. An annual inspection within the preceding 12 calendar months (91.409); a 100-hour inspection is not required because gliders are not operated for hire.
379 words, about 2 min