FAA · Private Pilot Knowledge Test

Private Pilot Flight Instruments

Reading the six-pack and beyond: pitot-static, gyros, the magnetic compass, and the scan.

There is no separate Flight Instruments exam. It is one of the subjects on the Private Pilot Knowledge Test, a single test that covers them all.

The Knowledge Test

60questions
2.5 htime limit
70%to pass

Syllabus

What the test covers

Pocket Pilot teaches Flight Instruments in six lessons, about 35 minutes of reading in all.

01
The Pitot-Static System
6 min
Two pressures, three instruments · What the pitot tube does · What the static ports do · How the VSI works · Alternate static source · What happens when things block · Mounting positions · Position error vs. instrument error · Pre-flight checks
02
The Altimeter
6 min
How it works · Altimeter settings: three you need to know · What the altimeter actually reads · Pressure-altitude vs. density-altitude vs. true altitude · High to low / hot to cold · Reading the altimeter · Common altimeter errors · The pre-takeoff check
03
Airspeed Indicator & V-Speeds
5 min
How it works · Indicated, Calibrated, Equivalent, True · Ground speed and the wind triangle · V-speeds: the colored arc system · V-speeds you must know · Va: design maneuvering speed, by weight · ASI failure modes · Reading airspeed correctly
04
Gyroscopic Instruments
6 min
Gyroscopic principles · Attitude Indicator (AI) · Heading Indicator (HI) · Turn Coordinator (TC) · Vacuum system architecture · Partial-panel operations · Pre-flight gyro checks
05
The Magnetic Compass
6 min
How it works · Magnetic vs. true north · Deviation · The four compass errors · Practical procedure: setting the HI · Using the compass as a primary · Compass servicing · Cross-checking heading sources
06
The Six-Pack & Glass Cockpit
6 min
The six-pack layout · Why this layout · The instrument scan · Pitch and bank: primary and supporting · The glass cockpit: PFD layout · Multi-function display (MFD) · AHRS vs. mechanical gyros · Backup instruments · Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) · Choosing between six-pack and glass for training

Format

How the test works

The Private Pilot Knowledge Test, often called the written, is one multiple-choice test of 60 questions drawn from every area of the FAA's Airman Certification Standards. Flight Instruments questions are mixed in with the rest.

You have 2.5 hours, and you need 70% to pass, which is 42 correct answers.
You take it at an approved testing center, once your instructor has endorsed you for it.
A pass is valid for 24 calendar months, and you need to pass your checkride within that time.

In Pocket Pilot you can practice Flight Instruments on its own, from a growing question bank, then sit a full 60-question mock exam that mixes every subject, timed like the real test.

Sample questions

Try three test questions

From the Pocket Pilot Flight Instruments question bank, each with the app's explanation and the source it cites.

01 / 03
You fly from an area of high pressure into an area of low pressure without resetting the altimeter. The altimeter will read:
1. ALower than your true altitude
2. BPressure altitude
3. CYour exact true altitude
4. DHigher than your true altitude
Show the answerHide the answer
Answer D. From high to low, look out below. The altimeter still references the old, higher pressure, so it indicates higher than the aircraft's true altitude. You are lower than the needle suggests.
Source
FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 8
Lesson
The Altimeter
02 / 03
The pitot tube ram opening and drain hole both become blocked by ice during a climb. The airspeed indicator will:
1. ADrop to zero immediately
2. BFreeze and never move again at any altitude
3. CIndicate an increasing airspeed as the aircraft climbs, like an altimeter
4. DRead accurately as long as static pressure is available
Show the answerHide the answer
Answer C. With ram and drain both blocked, the pressure trapped in the line is constant while static pressure falls in the climb. The growing differential makes the ASI read progressively higher, behaving like an altimeter. This is the most dangerous pitot failure mode.
Source
FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 8
Lesson
The Pitot-Static System
03 / 03
In the Northern Hemisphere, when rolling out of a turn onto a northerly heading using the magnetic compass, you should roll out:
1. AAfter the compass passes north (overshoot)
2. BOnly when the turn coordinator centers
3. CExactly when the compass reads north
4. DBefore the compass reaches north (undershoot)
Show the answerHide the answer
Answer D. UNOS: Undershoot North, Overshoot South. The compass lags when turning through northerly headings, so begin the rollout before the compass reaches the desired heading, by roughly your latitude in degrees.
Source
FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 8
Lesson
The Magnetic Compass