Regulations 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.
Eligibility and training (Part 61)
- Minimum age 16 for the private certificate; 14 to solo a glider.
- No FAA medical certificate is required for glider operations; a current U.S. driver's license satisfies 14 CFR 61.23 for gliders.
- 61.109(f): at least 10 hours of flight time in gliders, at least 20 flights, and 2 hours of solo flight, plus 3 training flights within the 60 days before the practical test.
- Solo flight requires a student pilot certificate, a pre-solo written test, training in the specific make and model, and the instructor's 90-day solo endorsement (61.87).
Currency and authority (Part 91)
- Flight review every 24 calendar months (61.56); to carry passengers, three launches and landings in the preceding 90 days (61.57).
- 91.3 makes the pilot in command the final authority; 91.103 requires weather, launch and landing data, and alternates before flight.
- Required aboard: airworthiness certificate, registration, operating limitations, and weight and balance data.
- Converging aircraft: gliders have the right-of-way over airplanes, and a glider overtaking another glider must alter course to the right (91.113).
Worked example
A pilot's flight review was signed 12 March 2024 and the last three launches were flown 2 June. A passenger ride is requested for 20 September. The flight review is still valid (it expires 31 March 2026), but the 90-day passenger window closed on 31 August, so the pilot is not current to carry a passenger. Three launches and landings -- or a flight with an instructor -- restore currency.
Traps that cost marks
Assuming a medical certificate is required; confusing "flights" with "hours"; forgetting the 60-day checkride window; and treating the flight review as if it also established passenger currency.