Stage 2 • Build the knowledge
Private Pilot (Airplane) Syllabus
Follow the actual training sequence below. Every phase is available without an account; an account adds progress tracking rather than unlocking the reading.
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Complete sequence
14 syllabus phases
Open a phase to see its ordered training steps. Risk management is included throughout the syllabus and appears again as an integrated phase where the approved syllabus calls for it.
1
Foundations
Build the qualifications, judgment, and personal-readiness habits that support every flight.
- Understand pilot privileges, limitations, currency, and records
- Determine eligibility, medical qualification, and fitness for flight
- Recognize basic physiological limitations and impairment
- Use aeronautical decision-making and personal minimums
2
Preflight Preparation
Prepare the pilot, aircraft, loading, weather plan, and risk controls for safe departure.
- Conduct the preflight assessment and inspection
- Organize the flight deck and brief occupants
- Determine aircraft legality and airworthiness
- Compute loading, weight and balance, and basic performance
- Obtain and interpret foundational weather information
- Make an initial weather and dispatch decision
3
Operation of Aircraft Systems
Understand and operate aircraft systems, controls, and equipment safely.
- Identify primary and secondary flight controls
- Understand basic aerodynamics, stability, and coordinated control
- Understand powerplant, propeller, fuel, oil, and environmental systems
- Understand electrical, avionics, and flight-instrument systems
- Understand landing gear, deicing, oxygen, and class-specific systems
4
Ground Operations
Start, taxi, communicate, and complete the before-takeoff check with disciplined surface awareness.
- Start the engine and detect unsafe conditions
- Taxi safely on land
- Assess water operations, taxi, and sail a seaplane (if applicable)
- Communicate and avoid runway or surface incursions
- Complete the before-takeoff check and departure briefing
5
Traffic Pattern Operations
Master normal and varied takeoffs, traffic patterns, go-arounds, landings, and postflight procedures.
- Perform a normal takeoff and climb
- Enter, maintain, and depart the traffic pattern
- Recognize an unsafe approach and execute a go-around
- Perform a normal approach and landing
- Complete after-landing, parking, securing, and postflight procedures
- Refine crosswind takeoff, approach, landing, and go-around control
- Apply runway, obstacle, density-altitude, and performance margins
- Perform short-field takeoffs and landings (if applicable)
- Perform soft-field takeoffs and landings (if applicable)
- Use a forward slip to landing (if applicable)
- Perform confined-area seaplane operations (if applicable)
- Perform glassy-water seaplane operations (if applicable)
- Perform rough-water seaplane operations (if applicable)
6
Managing Abnormalities and Emergencies
Recognize problems early and manage malfunctions, engine failures, emergency descents, and survival needs before solo flight.
- Recognize system abnormalities and manage malfunctions
- Perform an emergency descent
- Manage an engine failure and emergency approach or landing
- Select and use emergency equipment and survival resources
- Manage multiengine takeoff and landing emergencies (if applicable)
- Maneuver with one engine inoperative (if applicable)
7
Ground Reference Maneuvers
Develop precise outside-reference maneuvering while compensating for wind.
- Maneuver using outside references and compensate for wind
8
Airwork Procedures
Build coordinated aircraft control through fundamental maneuvering, slow flight, stalls, steep turns, and instrument reference.
- Control attitude, power, configuration, trim, and coordination
- Maneuver during slow flight
- Recognize and recover from power-off stalls
- Recognize and recover from power-on stalls
- Recognize spin entries and apply spin-awareness principles
- Perform steep turns with coordinated energy control
- Control the airplane by reference to instruments
- Perform instrument climbs, descents, and turns
- Recover from unusual attitudes and inadvertent IMC
- Use communications and navigation resources during instrument contingency
- Recognize and manage minimum-control-speed hazards (if applicable)
- Operate one engine inoperative by reference to instruments (if applicable)
9
Local Solo Phase
Apply traffic-pattern and local-area skills during instructor-authorized solo operations.
- Complete instructor-authorized traffic pattern solo flights
- Complete instructor-authorized local-area solo flights
10
Cross-Country Flight
Plan, navigate, monitor, and adapt during dual cross-country operations.
- Understand local airspace, charts, and operating requirements
- Use pilotage and dead reckoning
- Use navigation systems, automation, and radar services
- Plan a complete VFR cross-country flight
- Monitor weather, fuel, position, and risk en route
- Divert when conditions or resources change
- Apply lost procedures and obtain assistance
11
Cross-Country Solo Phase
Demonstrate independent planning, navigation, risk management, and postflight accountability on solo cross-country flights.
- Complete required solo cross-country flights
12
Night Operations
Prepare for and safely conduct flight in the night environment.
- Recognize night physiology, illusions, equipment, and weather hazards
- Conduct night takeoff, navigation, approach, landing, and emergencies
13
Integrated Risk Management
Integrate pilot, aircraft, environment, and external-pressure risk throughout complete flight scenarios.
- Integrate pilot, aircraft, environment, and external-pressure risk
14
Checkride Preparation
Integrate knowledge, risk management, and skills for practical-test readiness.
- Select and execute normal, variation, abnormal, or emergency procedures
- Demonstrate complete private-pilot airplane proficiency
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