FAA Recreational Pilot - Airplane (RPA) study guide
FAA Recreational Pilot - Airplane (RPA) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The FAA Recreational Pilot Certificate - Airplane (RPA) is a pilot certificate that sits between no certificate at all and a Private Pilot Certificate. It is designed for people who want to fly for personal enjoyment, typically in a single-engine, four-seat-or-fewer airplane, without the full training commitment of a private certificate. The FAA Recreational Pilot - Airplane (RPA) study guide has 7 sections and about 3,074 words.
01Regulations and Legal Responsibilities
The Regulations and Legal Responsibilities domain asks one core question over and over: is this flight legal for a pilot holding a recreational certificate? Expect questions on privileges and limits, medical certification, currency, required documents, and alcohol.
479 words, about 2 min02Aircraft Airworthiness and Performance
The Aircraft Airworthiness and Performance domain checks two things: whether the airplane is legally and mechanically fit to fly, and whether it can actually do what you are asking of it on today's runway, at today's temperature, at today's weight. An annual inspection must have been completed within the preceding 12 calendar months.
474 words, about 2 min03Navigation and Flight Planning
The Navigation and Flight Planning domain checks whether you can turn a chart, a wind forecast, and a fuel burn rate into a plan you can actually fly, and then find your way when the plan falls apart. Sectional charts are 1:500,000, about 6.86 nautical miles per inch.
428 words, about 2 min04Weather and Meteorology
The Weather and Meteorology domain asks you to read an observation, judge it against VFR minimums, and recognize the conditions that turn a routine flight into an emergency. A METAR reports wind (direction true, speed, gusts), visibility in statute miles, weather, sky condition, temperature and dewpoint in Celsius, and altimeter in inches of mercury.
416 words, about 2 min05Aeromedical Factors and Decision Making
The Aeromedical Factors and Decision Making domain tests whether you can recognize when your body or your attitude is the biggest threat to the flight, and whether you will act on that recognition. Hypoxia comes from insufficient oxygen and shows as euphoria, tingling, headache, and poor judgment; the response is supplemental oxygen and descent.
418 words, about 2 min06Airport Operations and Radio Communications
The Airport Operations and Radio Communications domain covers the practical mechanics of moving on and around an airport: traffic patterns, signs and markings, radio calls, and the light signals you need when the radio quits. The standard pattern is left-hand at 1,000 ft AGL unless charted otherwise; enter on a 45° to the midpoint of the downwind at pattern altitude.
429 words, about 2 min07Principles of Flight and Aircraft Systems
The Principles of Flight and Aircraft Systems domain asks why the airplane behaves as it does, and which mishandled system turns a normal flight into an accident. Lift depends on air density, wing area, airspeed squared, and angle of attack.
430 words, about 2 min