Private Pilot training Syllabus
- FAA Airman Certification Standards / Practical Test Standards Documents
When you take a Checkride (Practical Test) for a new Pilot Certificate or Rating, your examiner does not randomly select the tasks you are asked to perform. They are clearly defined in the appropriate FAA standards book. The PTS and the ACS are an agreement between you, your examiner and the FAA on exactly what you can be tested on and the criteria the examiner will use to determine if you meet the standard. You will find at the link the current PTS and ACS books for the most common Certificates and Ratings.
As of June 15, 2016, the ACS replaced the Practical Test Standards (PTS) for both the Private Pilot Certificate and the Instrument Rating.
- FAR/AIM and NTSB Online Repository
Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) - Rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governing all aviation activities in the United States. The FARs are part of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). A wide variety of activities are regulated, such as aircraft design and maintenance, typical airline flights, pilot training activities, hot-air ballooning, lighter-than-air aircraft, man-made structure heights, obstruction lighting and marking, and even model rocket launches, model aircraft operation, and kite flying. The rules are designed to promote safe aviation, protecting pilots, flight attendants, passengers and the general public from unnecessary risk.
Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) - This manual contains the fundamentals required in order to fly legally in the country of origin. It also contains items of interest to pilots concerning health and medical facts, factors affecting flight safety, a pilot/controller glossary of terms used in the ATC System, and information on safety, accident, and hazard reporting. Although the AIM is not regulatory in nature, parts of it re-state and amplify federal regulations.
NTSB Part 830 - Notification and Reporting of Aircraft Accidents or Incidents and Overdue Aircraft, and Preservation or Aircraft Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records. This part gives you the rules to follow if you are involved in an aircraft accident or incident.
