Private Pilot Ground School Exam
UPDATED Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Four W's of Aviation Communication - CORRECT ANSWER - Who you are calling,
Who you are, Where you are, and What you want.
Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) - CORRECT ANSWER - A radio
frequency used for air-to-air communication, allowing continued aircraft operation at non-
towered airports or outside of tower operating hours.
Phonetic Alphabet - CORRECT ANSWER - Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot,
Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra,
Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu
proper pronunciation for numerals - CORRECT ANSWER - 3 - "Tree"
5 - "Fife"
9 - "Niner"
Altitudes and Heights: pronunciation - CORRECT ANSWER - Express in thousands and
hundreds: "Niner thousand fife hundred" for 9,500 feet.
Above 10,000 feet, pronounce individual digits: "One two thousand fife hundred" for 12,500
feet.
Above 18,000 feet, use flight levels: "Flight Level Two Tree Zero" for 23,000 feet.
Pronunciation of frequencies - CORRECT ANSWER - State each digit, say "point" for
decimal: "One two two point one".
Headings and Bearings pronunciation - CORRECT ANSWER - Express as three-digit
numbers: "Heading zero one zero".
,Assumed to be magnetic unless "true" is specified.
Speeds pronunciation - CORRECT ANSWER - Speeds:
Pronounced as individual digits: "One two zero knots".The word "knots" may be included for
clarity.
Time pronunciation - CORRECT ANSWER - Time:
Use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or local time.State the time in four digits: "Zero niner
two zero" for 0920 Zulu.
Roger - CORRECT ANSWER - Roger" means the message was received (not yes or no).
Affirmative - CORRECT ANSWER - Affirmative" means yes; "Negative" means no.
Negative - CORRECT ANSWER - Affirmative" means yes; "Negative" means no.
Wilco - CORRECT ANSWER - "Wilco" means will comply with the instruction.
UNICOM - CORRECT ANSWER - UNICOM is a non-government radio station at
airports without control towers.
VFR Flight rules - CORRECT ANSWER - 3 miles visibility and a ceiling of no less than
1,000 ft
Ceiling - CORRECT ANSWER - is the lowest cloud layer covering most of the sky.
Overcast - CORRECT ANSWER - means the sky is completely covered with clouds.
,Broken ceiling - CORRECT ANSWER - indicates an overcast with some breaks or holes.
The Four Forces of Flight - CORRECT ANSWER - lift, weight, thrust, and drag
How Lift is Produced: - CORRECT ANSWER - Bernoulli's Principle -- Increasing the
speed of a fluid decreases its pressure.
Wing Shape Upper surface is curved (camber); lower surface is relatively flat.Airflow over the
top speeds up, decreasing pressure and creating lift.
Newton's Third Law ---- Action-reaction principle.Air striking the bottom of the wing is
deflected downward.The wing pushes air down; air pushes the wing up.
Total Lift ----Combination of decreased pressure on top and increased pressure below the wing.
Key Wing Parts - CORRECT ANSWER - Leading Edge: Front of the wing.
Trailing Edge: Back of the wing.
Chord Line: Imaginary line from leading to trailing edge.
Upper Camber: Top curve of the wing.
Lower Camber: Bottom curve of the wing.
Adverse Yaw - CORRECT ANSWER - Occurs when deflecting ailerons during turns.
Down aileron increases lift and drag on that wing.
This causes the airplane to yaw opposite the turn direction.
Coordination with Rudder: Rudder input counters adverse yaw. Ensures smooth, coordinated
turns.
Elevator - CORRECT ANSWER - Controls pitch (movement around the lateral axis).
Operated by pushing or pulling the yoke.
Pulling back moves the elevator up, pitching the nose up.
Pushing forward moves the elevator down, pitching the nose down.
, Ailerons - CORRECT ANSWER - Located at the outboard ends of the wings.
Control roll (movement around the longitudinal axis).
Operated by turning the yoke left or right.
Turning yoke right raises right aileron, lowers left aileron; airplane banks right.
Turning yoke left raises left aileron, lowers right aileron; airplane banks left.
Rudder - CORRECT ANSWER - Controls yaw (movement around the vertical axis).
Operated by pressing the rudder pedals.
Pushing right pedal moves rudder right, yawing nose right.
Pushing left pedal moves rudder left, yawing nose left.
Used primarily to counteract adverse yaw during turns.
Trim Tabs - CORRECT ANSWER - Used to relieve control pressure on primary control
surfaces.
Attached to trailing edge of elevator, sometimes rudder.
Elevator trim adjusted in flight; rudder trim often ground-adjustable.
Flaps - CORRECT ANSWER - Located on the inboard trailing edge of wings.
Both flaps extend and retract simultaneously.
Lowering flaps increases wing chord and camber.
Increases both lift and drag.
Allows for steeper, slower approaches during landing.
Can be used to shorten takeoff distance.
Air speed indicator - CORRECT ANSWER - Measures speed in knots (nautical miles per
hour).
Speed ranges and limitations are marked:
Red line: Never exceed speed.
UPDATED Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Four W's of Aviation Communication - CORRECT ANSWER - Who you are calling,
Who you are, Where you are, and What you want.
Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) - CORRECT ANSWER - A radio
frequency used for air-to-air communication, allowing continued aircraft operation at non-
towered airports or outside of tower operating hours.
Phonetic Alphabet - CORRECT ANSWER - Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot,
Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra,
Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu
proper pronunciation for numerals - CORRECT ANSWER - 3 - "Tree"
5 - "Fife"
9 - "Niner"
Altitudes and Heights: pronunciation - CORRECT ANSWER - Express in thousands and
hundreds: "Niner thousand fife hundred" for 9,500 feet.
Above 10,000 feet, pronounce individual digits: "One two thousand fife hundred" for 12,500
feet.
Above 18,000 feet, use flight levels: "Flight Level Two Tree Zero" for 23,000 feet.
Pronunciation of frequencies - CORRECT ANSWER - State each digit, say "point" for
decimal: "One two two point one".
Headings and Bearings pronunciation - CORRECT ANSWER - Express as three-digit
numbers: "Heading zero one zero".
,Assumed to be magnetic unless "true" is specified.
Speeds pronunciation - CORRECT ANSWER - Speeds:
Pronounced as individual digits: "One two zero knots".The word "knots" may be included for
clarity.
Time pronunciation - CORRECT ANSWER - Time:
Use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or local time.State the time in four digits: "Zero niner
two zero" for 0920 Zulu.
Roger - CORRECT ANSWER - Roger" means the message was received (not yes or no).
Affirmative - CORRECT ANSWER - Affirmative" means yes; "Negative" means no.
Negative - CORRECT ANSWER - Affirmative" means yes; "Negative" means no.
Wilco - CORRECT ANSWER - "Wilco" means will comply with the instruction.
UNICOM - CORRECT ANSWER - UNICOM is a non-government radio station at
airports without control towers.
VFR Flight rules - CORRECT ANSWER - 3 miles visibility and a ceiling of no less than
1,000 ft
Ceiling - CORRECT ANSWER - is the lowest cloud layer covering most of the sky.
Overcast - CORRECT ANSWER - means the sky is completely covered with clouds.
,Broken ceiling - CORRECT ANSWER - indicates an overcast with some breaks or holes.
The Four Forces of Flight - CORRECT ANSWER - lift, weight, thrust, and drag
How Lift is Produced: - CORRECT ANSWER - Bernoulli's Principle -- Increasing the
speed of a fluid decreases its pressure.
Wing Shape Upper surface is curved (camber); lower surface is relatively flat.Airflow over the
top speeds up, decreasing pressure and creating lift.
Newton's Third Law ---- Action-reaction principle.Air striking the bottom of the wing is
deflected downward.The wing pushes air down; air pushes the wing up.
Total Lift ----Combination of decreased pressure on top and increased pressure below the wing.
Key Wing Parts - CORRECT ANSWER - Leading Edge: Front of the wing.
Trailing Edge: Back of the wing.
Chord Line: Imaginary line from leading to trailing edge.
Upper Camber: Top curve of the wing.
Lower Camber: Bottom curve of the wing.
Adverse Yaw - CORRECT ANSWER - Occurs when deflecting ailerons during turns.
Down aileron increases lift and drag on that wing.
This causes the airplane to yaw opposite the turn direction.
Coordination with Rudder: Rudder input counters adverse yaw. Ensures smooth, coordinated
turns.
Elevator - CORRECT ANSWER - Controls pitch (movement around the lateral axis).
Operated by pushing or pulling the yoke.
Pulling back moves the elevator up, pitching the nose up.
Pushing forward moves the elevator down, pitching the nose down.
, Ailerons - CORRECT ANSWER - Located at the outboard ends of the wings.
Control roll (movement around the longitudinal axis).
Operated by turning the yoke left or right.
Turning yoke right raises right aileron, lowers left aileron; airplane banks right.
Turning yoke left raises left aileron, lowers right aileron; airplane banks left.
Rudder - CORRECT ANSWER - Controls yaw (movement around the vertical axis).
Operated by pressing the rudder pedals.
Pushing right pedal moves rudder right, yawing nose right.
Pushing left pedal moves rudder left, yawing nose left.
Used primarily to counteract adverse yaw during turns.
Trim Tabs - CORRECT ANSWER - Used to relieve control pressure on primary control
surfaces.
Attached to trailing edge of elevator, sometimes rudder.
Elevator trim adjusted in flight; rudder trim often ground-adjustable.
Flaps - CORRECT ANSWER - Located on the inboard trailing edge of wings.
Both flaps extend and retract simultaneously.
Lowering flaps increases wing chord and camber.
Increases both lift and drag.
Allows for steeper, slower approaches during landing.
Can be used to shorten takeoff distance.
Air speed indicator - CORRECT ANSWER - Measures speed in knots (nautical miles per
hour).
Speed ranges and limitations are marked:
Red line: Never exceed speed.
