PPL Flight Performance and Planning study plan
PPL Flight Performance and Planning · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Flight Performance and Planning
Define the four forces in steady flight and state how each changes in climb, descent, and level turn
Compute load factor for 30, 45, and 60 degree banked turns and explain the resulting stall-speed increase
Read a POH stall-speed table and convert indicated speeds to true airspeed for a given altitude and temperature
Build a one-page formula sheet covering load factor, stall speed ratio, and turn radius and rate
Your checkpoint
Completed formula sheet plus 10 self-written load-factor and stall-speed problems solved with worked steps
Flight Performance and Planning
Interpret a takeoff and landing distance chart across weight, pressure altitude, temperature, and wind
Apply the four correction factors (weight, altitude, temperature, wind) in the correct order to a chart-derived distance
Calculate density altitude from pressure altitude and temperature using both the chart and the rule-of-thumb method
Explain the effect of runway slope and surface condition on ground roll
Your checkpoint
Three fully worked takeoff/landing performance scenarios with every chart reading annotated and the final distance compared to the available runway
Flight Performance and Planning
Derive crosswind and headwind components from wind speed, wind direction, and runway heading using trigonometry and a crosswind chart
Determine the maximum allowable crosswind for a given aircraft and decide go/no-go for three sample wind conditions
Convert between magnetic and true directions using variation and deviation
Calculate wind correction angle and groundspeed for a planned leg using the wind triangle
Your checkpoint
Crosswind and wind-triangle worksheet with six solved legs, including a written go/no-go decision for each
Flight Performance and Planning
Compute fuel burn, endurance, and range for a planned flight including taxi, climb, cruise, descent, and reserve
Apply the fixed reserve and contingency fuel rules to a sample flight plan
Calculate mass and balance: takeoff mass, zero-fuel mass, and centre of gravity position as a percentage of mean aerodynamic chord
Determine whether a loading is inside the centre of gravity envelope and shift load to correct an out-of-limits condition
Your checkpoint
Full mass-and-balance and fuel-planning sheet for a two-leg cross-country, with centre of gravity plotted and confirmed inside limits
Flight Performance and Planning
Read and interpret a P-chart (power required versus power available) to identify maximum level speed, minimum speed, and excess power
Explain the region of reversed command and why it matters on approach
Calculate climb gradient and rate of climb and relate them to obstacle clearance
Describe how weight, altitude, and temperature shift the performance curves
Your checkpoint
Annotated performance-curve diagram with maximum speed, minimum speed, best rate of climb, and best angle of climb identified and justified in writing
Flight Performance and Planning
Calculate takeoff and landing distances over a 50-foot obstacle and compare against available runway plus clearway and stopway
Determine accelerate-stop distance and balanced field length concepts for a given runway
Plan a diversion using equal-time-point and point-of-no-return reasoning
Recompute a planned leg with a 20-knot headwind and quantify the endurance change
Your checkpoint
Diversion and field-length worksheet with equal-time point calculated and a written comparison of two diversion aerodromes
Flight Performance and Planning
Assemble a complete flight plan from weather, NOTAMs, aircraft data, and route for a 250-nautical-mile cross-country
Identify the limiting performance factor (runway, obstacle, weight, or fuel) for that flight and state the mitigation
Rehearse the calculation sequence under a 45-minute timer to build exam pace
Review every missed item from the timed rehearsal and write the corrected method
Your checkpoint
Complete timed mock flight plan finished within 45 minutes with a written limiting-factor analysis
Flight Performance and Planning
Complete two full-length timed practice exams and score each against the pass mark
Categorise every error by cause: chart misread, formula error, unit error, or knowledge gap
Re-drill the three weakest calculation types until each is solved correctly three times in a row
Summarise the ten most error-prone rules into a final one-page revision card
Your checkpoint
Two scored practice exams with an error log and a final one-page revision card
Milestones
Week 2: Solve a takeoff and a landing distance problem from raw chart data with all four corrections applied and land within 10 percent of the reference answer
Week 4: Produce a mass-and-balance calculation showing centre of gravity inside limits and a fuel plan with reserves correctly applied, with no arithmetic errors
Week 6: Correctly compute crosswind component, wind correction angle, groundspeed, and equal-time point for three unseen scenarios without notes
Week 8: Score at or above the pass mark on two consecutive full-length timed practice exams, with no repeated error type in the second attempt