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Private Pilot Licence · Subject 12, AC61-3

PPL Aircraft Technical Knowledge mock exam.

Tech is the longest PPL paper at 45 questions in 90 minutes and it has the widest spread: piston engines, fuel and ignition, the pitot-static and gyro instruments, airframe structure, weight and balance, performance and the aerodynamics of the stall, the turn and the glide. Our bank of 260 questions covers Subject 12 of AC61-3 item by item.

Because the syllabus is wide, the practice value is in the coverage. Three or four fresh papers will touch nearly every item at least once.

Questions45
Time90min
Pass mark70%
Question bank260
Sit a PPL Aircraft Tech paper · $5.99 Try the free 12-question paper first
What the paper covers

Subject 12 topic by topic.

The syllabus areas below are the ones the CAA lists for Aircraft Technical Knowledge, and every question in the bank carries the code of the item it tests.

  • Airframe structure, materials, corrosion and fatigue
  • Flight controls, trim and control surface aerodynamics
  • The four-stroke piston engine, engine handling and cooling
  • Carburation, carburettor icing and fuel injection
  • Fuel grades, fuel systems, contamination and refuelling
  • Ignition, magnetos, electrical systems and batteries
  • Lubrication systems and oil
  • Propellers, fixed and constant speed
  • Pitot-static instruments: ASI, altimeter, VSI and their errors
  • Gyroscopic instruments and the magnetic compass
  • Weight and balance and the effect of the centre of gravity
  • Lift, drag, stalling, load factor and performance in the climb, glide and turn
Where the marks go

What catches people in Aircraft Tech.

  1. Carburettor icing conditions. The temperature and humidity band is asked directly, and so is the first symptom in a fixed-pitch aircraft.
  2. ASI and altimeter errors when the static or pitot line blocks. Work out what each instrument reads in the climb and the descent.
  3. Aft centre of gravity effects. Learn the full chain: less stable, lighter in pitch, lower stall speed, harder stall recovery.
  4. Speeds for maximum range versus maximum endurance. One is minimum drag, the other is minimum power; the exam asks which.
From the bank

Sample Aircraft Tech questions.

Four questions as they appear in a paper, with the answer and the reasoning you get in the de-brief. Options are shuffled in the real thing.

PPL · Syllabus 12.52.6Sample 1 / 4

In high-performance piston aircraft, the massive cooling Cowl Flaps are typically operated:

  1. ACompletely automatically by a delicate thermostat buried in the cylinder head
  2. BBy high-pressure engine oil diverted from the propeller governor system
  3. CAutomatically by extreme dynamic ram air pressure at very high cruise speeds
  4. DManually by the pilot using a direct mechanical lever or switch in the cockpit
Show the answer and why
Manually by the pilot using a direct mechanical lever or switch in the cockpit

Engine temperature management is a critical pilot responsibility. The pilot must manually pull a lever or flick a switch to aggressively open the massive cowl flaps for high-power, low-speed climbs, and close them manually during high-speed cruise to eliminate immense aerodynamic drag.

PPL · Syllabus 12.70.6Sample 2 / 4

Traditional aluminum alloy airframes are primarily structurally susceptible to:

  1. ASevere UV radiation degradation of the metal skin
  2. BCorrosion (oxidation) and long-term Metal Fatigue
  3. CAggressive rusting similar to ferrous steel components
  4. DHidden internal delamination of the structural layers
Show the answer and why
Corrosion (oxidation) and long-term Metal Fatigue

Aluminum alloys do not 'rust' like iron, but they are highly susceptible to oxidation corrosion (especially in salty, coastal environments) and structural metal fatigue (cracking) caused by repeated aerodynamic stress cycles.

PPL · Syllabus 12.110.4Sample 3 / 4

Operating an aircraft with the Centre of Gravity (CG) dangerously aft of the approved limit:

  1. AMakes the aircraft incredibly stable and heavy on the controls
  2. BMassively increases the stall speed of the wing
  3. CSignificantly reduces cruise performance and speed
  4. DMakes stall recovery difficult
Show the answer and why
Makes stall recovery difficult

An aft CG physically shortens the lever arm of the tail elevator. In a deep stall, the pilot may physically lack the aerodynamic authority to push the heavy nose down, making recovery impossible.

PPL · Syllabus 12.60.10Sample 4 / 4

To achieve absolute Maximum Endurance (the greatest physical Time airborne), the aircraft must be flown at:

  1. AThe speed for Best aerodynamic Lift/Drag Ratio
  2. BThe absolute maximum structural cruising speed (VNO)
  3. CThe best possible engine-out glide speed
  4. DThe speed requiring Minimum Power
Show the answer and why
The speed requiring Minimum Power

Maximum Endurance means simply staying airborne in the sky for the absolute longest clock time. This strictly requires burning fuel at the lowest possible rate, which occurs exactly at the speed requiring Minimum Power.

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Aircraft Tech questions

Asked about this exam.

Straight answers. If yours is not here, email support and a person replies.

Our paper is 45 questions in 90 minutes, matched to the Aspeq sitting. Pass mark 70%.

Yes. In the New Zealand PPL syllabus the aerodynamics topics sit inside Subject 12, Aircraft Technical Knowledge, alongside engines, systems and instruments.

Some questions refer to instrument indications or system layouts. Where a picture is needed our question includes it; otherwise the stem describes the situation fully.

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