NZ CAA PPL Aircraft Technical study plan

Map the airframe content area into a one-page checklist covering fuselage, wing, empennage, flight controls, and landing gear, then mark every sub-topic you cannot yet explain aloud

Explain in your own words how a semi-monocoque structure carries and distributes load, and why skin, stringers, and frames each matter

Describe primary and secondary flight controls and the mechanical linkage path from cockpit to control surface for each

Sketch a tricycle landing gear system and label shock absorption, steering, and brake components

Trace the four-stroke cycle and state what happens to pressure, temperature, and valve position in each stroke

Compare carburettor and fuel injection induction systems and explain icing risk, mixture control, and failure symptoms for each

Explain how a constant-speed propeller governor responds to RPM change, and describe the effect of manifold pressure and RPM settings on engine output

List the components of the ignition, lubrication, and cooling systems and state the consequence of each failing in flight

Build a systems matrix covering electrical, fuel, pitot-static, vacuum, and hydraulic systems with source, indication, and failure symptom columns

Interpret the six standard pitot-static instrument indications and explain what each shows during a blocked pitot or blocked static scenario

Explain the difference between indicated, calibrated, true, and ground speed and where each appears in your aircraft's documents

Describe how the magnetic compass and gyroscopic instruments are powered and their known errors

Define basic empty mass, dry operating mass, payload, zero-fuel mass, take-off mass, and landing mass, and state which limits apply to your aircraft

Read a real aircraft mass and balance schedule and compute take-off and landing mass for three loaded scenarios

Compute centre of gravity position in both millimetres from datum and percentage of mean aerodynamic chord, and state the forward and aft limits

Explain how underloading forward or aft of limits degrades stability, control, and performance

Extract take-off and landing distance, climb rate, and cruise figures from your aircraft's performance charts for five combinations of mass, pressure altitude, and temperature

Apply wind, runway slope, and surface corrections to a take-off and landing distance calculation and state the assumptions behind each correction

Explain how density altitude alters engine power, propeller thrust, and true airspeed, and calculate density altitude from given inputs

Describe the effect of mass and CG on stall speed, climb gradient, and glide range

Integrate a full pre-flight mass and balance and performance calculation into one scenario, from load sheet through to take-off and landing distance

Identify the airworthiness documents your aircraft must carry and state the purpose and validity condition of each

Explain the difference between a certificate of airworthiness, a maintenance release, and an airworthiness directive, and who is responsible for each

Outline the maintenance schedule structure, including periodic inspections, life-limited components, and defect recording

Describe the roles of the operator, the maintenance organisation, and the licensed engineer in maintaining airworthiness, and where responsibility sits for releasing an aircraft to service

Explain how defects are classified and recorded, and what must happen before flight after a defect is entered

Interpret a maintenance release and a technical log entry, identifying what each authorises and its limits

State the rules on who may certify maintenance and what records must be retained and for how long

Re-test every flagged weak item from weeks 1 to 7 and close each gap with a written explanation in your own words

Complete three full-length timed practice papers under exam conditions and log every error by domain and topic

Rehearse the calculation types most likely to appear: CG position, mass limits, density altitude, and corrected distances

Build a one-page formula and document-reference sheet you can revise from in the final 48 hours