PPL Flight Performance and Planning study guide
PPL Flight Performance and Planning · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Flight Performance and Planning is one of the theoretical knowledge subjects a candidate must pass before being issued a Private Pilot Licence (Aeroplane). The UK Civil Aviation Authority lists private pilot licences, learning to fly, pilot training organisations and medical requirements under its General Aviation pages, and pilot licences and examiner processes under Licensing, so candidates should treat the CAA as the authority for licence requirements and for the publications that support study. The subject itself is practical: it asks you to work with an aircraft's mass and balance, take-off and landing distances, climb and cruise performance, fuel planning and the effect of density altitude, wind and runway conditions, and to build a navigation flight plan with headings, times and fuel figures that add up. Expect calculation questions rather than recall alone, so practise with the flight manual and planning documents for your own aircraft type and check every arithmetic step. Preparation usually combines a ground-school course with the CAA's Civil Aviation Publications (CAPs), which the CAA publishes and lists on its site, plus timed practice papers. This page is an independent study guide and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the CAA; always confirm exam administration, fees and booking details with your training organisation or the CAA directly. Topics on this exam: Flight Performance and Planning. The PPL Flight Performance and Planning study guide has 1 section and about 427 words.
01Flight Performance and Planning
Domain: Flight Performance and Planning. The examiner tests whether you know which inputs move the numbers, by how much, and whether your loading and fuel plan leave a legal margin. Pressure altitude is indicated altitude with 1013 hPa set; density altitude adds temperature, rising roughly 120 ft per °C the OAT is above ISA. Thinner air means less engine power, a less effective propeller and a higher IAS for the same lift, so ground roll grows and climb gradient falls.
427 words, about 2 minMore study resources for PPL Flight Performance and Planning
- Practice questionsIn the PPL mass-and-balance context, what does the maximum take-off mass (MTOM) represent?
- FlashcardsDensity altitude. Pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature; it represents the altitude at which the aircraft would perform in ISA conditions and drives takeoff, climb, and landing performance.
- Cheat sheetDensity altitude = pressure altitude + 120 x (OAT - ISA temperature at that level); ISA is 15 degC at MSL dropping 1.98 degC per 1000 ft.
- Key termsTake-off distance available (TODA). The total length of runway plus any clearway, measured from the start of the take-off run, within which an aircraft can complete its take-off and reach a defined height.
- Study planDefine the four forces in steady flight and state how each changes in climb, descent, and level turn.
- Common mistakesCandidates treat the chart output as the final answer because it is the last number read.
- Exam-day guideBring the same identity document you used at booking; name and spelling must match.