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Private Pilot Oral Exam Questions: 30 to Practice, Mapped to the ACS (2026)

30 private pilot checkride oral exam questions mapped to the ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), each with a short answer, the FAR or handbook to check, and AI practice tips.

Updated 2026-10-27 · Facts and prices checked against vendor sites

The private pilot checkride starts with an oral exam, and the examiner builds it from the FAA Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-6C, effective May 31, 2024, still the current edition on faa.gov as of October 27, 2026). Below are 30 questions that map to the knowledge and risk-management elements in that document, each with a short answer and the source to check it against. Rehearse them out loud with your CFI or an AI mock examiner, and confirm every answer in the source, not in this page or a chatbot.

These are practice questions we wrote from the ACS, not the examiner's actual list. DPEs use scenarios based on your airplane and route, so answer from your POH and your planned cross-country. Regulations were checked against the eCFR (current through October 23, 2026) for this guide; AIM paragraph numbers change between editions, so look them up in the current AIM.

Pilot qualifications (PA.I.A)

  1. What documents do you need on you to act as pilot in command today? Pilot certificate, a current medical certificate (or your BasicMed documents) and a government-issued photo ID. Check: 14 CFR 61.3.
  2. How long is your medical certificate valid for private pilot privileges? A third class medical lasts 60 calendar months if you were under 40 on the exam date, 24 calendar months if you were 40 or older. Check: 14 CFR 61.23(d).
  3. What do you need to carry passengers? At night? Three takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days in the same category and class (type, if one is required). For night passengers, three to a full stop during the period from 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise. Check: 14 CFR 61.57(a) and (b).
  4. When is your flight review due? You need a flight review within the preceding 24 calendar months to act as PIC. Check: 14 CFR 61.56.
  5. Can a friend pay for your fuel? You may not fly for compensation or hire, but you may share operating expenses (fuel, oil, airport expenditures, rental fees) with passengers, and you must pay at least your pro rata share. Check: 14 CFR 61.113.
  6. What are the BasicMed basics? A comprehensive medical exam checklist with a state-licensed physician every 48 months, an online medical education course every 24 calendar months, and operating limits on the aircraft and flight. Know the limits from the source rather than from memory. Check: 14 CFR part 68 and 61.113(i).

Airworthiness (PA.I.B)

  1. Show me this airplane is airworthy. Walk the documents (airworthiness certificate, registration, operating limitations, weight and balance) and the logbooks: annual, 100-hour if it carries passengers for hire or the instructor provides it for flight instruction for hire, ELT, transponder, and any airworthiness directives. Check: 14 CFR 91.203, 91.409, 91.207, 91.413, 91.403.
  2. When must the ELT battery be replaced? After more than 1 cumulative hour of use or when 50% of its useful life has expired. The ELT itself needs an inspection every 12 calendar months. Check: 14 CFR 91.207(c) and (d).
  3. The fuel gauge is inoperative. Can you go? No. A fuel gauge for each tank is required day-VFR equipment under 91.205(b), so it can't be deferred. For other inoperative items without an MEL, ask whether it is required by 91.205, the equipment list, an AD or the type certificate; if not, deactivate or remove it, placard it inoperative, and have a pilot or mechanic determine it isn't a hazard. Check: 14 CFR 91.205 and 91.213(d).
  4. What maintenance can you do yourself? Preventive maintenance listed in part 43 Appendix A (for example, replacing bulbs or servicing tires) on an aircraft you own or operate, as long as it isn't used under part 121, 129 or 135, and you make the logbook entry. Check: 14 CFR 43.3(g), part 43 Appendix A, 43.9.

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Weather (PA.I.C)

  1. Read me this METAR and TAF. Decode every group, then say what it means for your flight. Examiners care more about the decision than the decoding. Check: AC 00-45 (Aviation Weather Services).
  2. What's the difference between an AIRMET and a SIGMET? AIRMETs cover weather that is hazardous mainly to light aircraft (IFR conditions, mountain obscuration, moderate turbulence and icing, strong surface winds). SIGMETs cover severe hazards to all aircraft (severe icing and turbulence, dust or sandstorms, volcanic ash), and convective SIGMETs cover thunderstorms. Check: AIM chapter 7, section 1, and AC 00-45.
  3. What would make you cancel or divert today? State your personal minimums and the specific forecast or observation that would trip them. This is a risk management element, so a vague answer reads as weak. Check: PA.I.C.R1, FAA-H-8083-25.

Practicing the weather questions with a chatbot? Read Can ChatGPT decode a METAR or TAF? first, since it shows where AI decoders slip.

Cross-country planning (PA.I.D)

  1. How much fuel do you need for this trip? Enough to fly to the first point of intended landing plus 30 minutes at normal cruise by day, 45 minutes at night, and then explain your own reserve if it's more. Check: 14 CFR 91.151.
  2. What altitude will you cruise at, and why? Above 3,000 ft AGL, use odd thousands plus 500 for magnetic courses 0 to 179 degrees and even thousands plus 500 for 180 to 359. Then justify it with terrain, glide distance, winds and airspace. Check: 14 CFR 91.159.
  3. How do you open and close a VFR flight plan? File with Flight Service, activate it after departure with Flight Service, and close it when you land. Know what happens if you forget to close it. Check: AIM chapter 5, section 1.

Airspace (PA.I.E)

  1. What do you need to enter Class B, C and D? Class B needs an ATC clearance; Class C and D need two-way radio communication established before entry. Know the equipment requirements too, such as the transponder and ADS-B Out rules. Check: 14 CFR 91.130, 91.131, 91.129, 91.215, 91.225.
  2. What are the VFR weather minimums in Class E below 10,000 feet MSL? 3 statute miles visibility, 500 ft below, 1,000 ft above and 2,000 ft horizontal from clouds. Be ready for Class G day below 1,200 ft AGL too (1 mile, clear of clouds). Check: 14 CFR 91.155.
  3. What's your speed limit below a Class B shelf? 200 knots indicated in the airspace underlying a Class B area or in a VFR corridor through it, and 200 knots within 4 NM of the primary airport of a Class C or D area at or below 2,500 ft AGL (unless ATC authorizes otherwise). Check: 14 CFR 91.117.
  4. How do you request special VFR, and when can't you? Ask ATC for an SVFR clearance in a surface area; you need 1 mile visibility, clear of clouds, and an instrument rating at night. Check: 14 CFR 91.157.

Performance, systems and human factors (PA.I.F to PA.I.H)

  1. What is density altitude, and what does it do to your airplane? Pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature. High density altitude (hot, high, humid) means longer takeoff and landing rolls and a weaker climb, so recompute performance on hot days. Check: FAA-H-8083-25 chapters 4 and 11.
  2. Will we make it off this runway today? Work the takeoff and landing distance charts from your POH with today's density altitude, weight and wind, and add your own margin. Check: Your POH/AFM, FAA-H-8083-25 chapter 11.
  3. Walk me through the electrical system. What happens if the alternator fails? Answer from your airplane's POH: bus layout, what the ammeter or low-voltage light tells you, the checklist, and how long the battery should last after you shed load. Check: Your POH/AFM section 7 and 3.
  4. What are the four types of hypoxia, and when do you need oxygen? Hypoxic, hypemic, stagnant and histotoxic. Required crew oxygen kicks in above 12,500 ft MSL up to 14,000 ft for more than 30 minutes, and above 14,000 ft at all times; above 15,000 ft passengers must be provided oxygen. Check: FAA-H-8083-25 chapter 17, 14 CFR 91.211.
  5. What are the alcohol rules? No flying within 8 hours of drinking, while under the influence, or with a 0.04 blood alcohol concentration or higher. Eight hours is the legal floor, not a safe standard. Check: 14 CFR 91.17.

Radio, night and emergencies (PA.III.A, PA.XI, PA.IX)

  1. Your radio fails on the way into a towered airport. What do you do? Squawk 7600, stay VFR, and know the light gun signals and how to enter the pattern and watch the tower for them. Check: 14 CFR 91.185(b); AIM chapters 4 and 6 (light signals, radio failure).
  2. What equipment do you need for night VFR? Day VFR equipment plus position lights, an anticollision light system, a landing light if the flight is for hire, an adequate source of electrical energy, and spare fuses if fuses are installed. Check: 14 CFR 91.205(c).
  3. How do you turn on pilot-controlled lighting? Key the mic on the published CTAF or listed frequency, typically 7 times for high, 5 for medium and 3 for low, within 5 seconds. Check the Chart Supplement for your airport. Check: AIM chapter 2, section 1, and the Chart Supplement.
  4. You smell smoke in the cockpit. Talk me through it. Run the POH emergency checklist for an electrical fire, then explain the decision to land as soon as possible and how you'd communicate it. Check: Your POH/AFM section 3, PA.IX.C.K3.
  5. What's the difference between a stall and a spin, and how do you recover from a spin? A spin needs a stall plus yaw. Recovery in most trainers follows PARE (power idle, ailerons neutral, rudder opposite the rotation, elevator forward), but your POH's procedure wins. Check: FAA-H-8083-3 chapter 5, your POH.

How to drill these with an AI examiner

Comparing tools? See the best AI apps for checkride oral prep (15 tools, prices and free tries) or the head-to-head MockDPE vs HeyDPE vs Checkride.bot. For the radio portion of the flight, say our free 20-call ATC radio drill out loud.

Browse every tool on our checkride prep comparison page.

Frequently asked questions

What questions are asked on the private pilot oral exam?

The examiner builds the oral from the Private Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-6C), mostly from Area of Operation I, Preflight Preparation: pilot qualifications, airworthiness, weather, cross-country planning, airspace, performance, systems and human factors, plus radio procedures, night operations and emergencies. Questions are usually scenario-based around your airplane and a planned cross-country.

Which ACS is current for the private pilot checkride?

FAA-S-ACS-6C, Private Pilot for Airplane Category, published April 2024 and effective May 31, 2024. It was still the current edition on faa.gov when we checked on October 27, 2026.

How long is the private pilot oral exam?

It varies by examiner and applicant. Many run one to two hours, and the examiner can come back to knowledge topics during the flight. Ask your DPE when you schedule.

Can I use ChatGPT to practice for the oral?

Yes, as a question partner, but don't trust its answers or citations without checking the regulation, AIM or handbook. General chatbots sometimes invent or misnumber regulations. Purpose-built AI examiners are tied to the ACS, but they can still be wrong.

Can I bring references into the oral exam?

Yes. Examiners generally expect you to use your POH, charts, Chart Supplement and the FAR/AIM, and knowing where to find an answer is part of the skill. Saying "I don't know, but here's where I'd look" is better than guessing.

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