PPL Aircraft General Knowledge study guide
PPL Aircraft General Knowledge · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Aircraft General Knowledge (AGK) is one of the theoretical knowledge subjects a candidate must pass before being issued a Private Pilot Licence (PPL). It sits alongside subjects such as air law, meteorology, navigation and human performance, and it underpins the practical flying training because almost every pre-flight decision - fuel, mass, performance, systems, instrument interpretation - depends on it. The PPL Aircraft General Knowledge study guide has 6 sections and about 1,969 words.
01Airframe, systems and powerplant
This domain tests how the airframe carries flight and ground loads and how the engine turns fuel into thrust. PPL questions are practical: identify a spar from a rib, explain why a magneto is independent of the battery, or recognise carburettor icing before it costs you the engine.
348 words, about 2 min02Mass and balance
This domain tests whether you can load an aircraft so it is both under its mass limits and inside its centre-of-gravity envelope. Almost every question reduces to mass × arm = moment and a comparison with the AFM limits.
325 words, about 2 min03Performance
Performance questions test whether you can predict what the aircraft will actually do on a given day, then apply the correct correction factors in the correct order. Pressure altitude is indicated altitude with 1013 hPa set; density altitude is pressure altitude corrected for temperature.
318 words, about 2 min04Flight planning and monitoring
Flight planning and monitoring tests the paperwork and arithmetic that turn an intended route into a legal, fuel-safe flight, and the in-flight checks that confirm the plan still works. A PLOG holds headings, TAS, wind, ground speed, leg times, distances and fuel.
347 words, about 2 min05Aircraft instruments
Instrument questions test what each dial actually measures, which pressure source drives it, and how it fails. The ASI compares pitot (total) pressure with static pressure and is calibrated for sea-level density; it over-reads at high altitude and in high temperature.
299 words, about 1 min06Electrics and electronics
Electrical questions cover the storage, generation, distribution and protection of power, plus the avionics that depend on it. Light aircraft use 14 V or 28 V DC systems.
332 words, about 2 min