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Private Oral Exam Guide: The Comprehensive Guide To Prepare You For The FAA Oral Exam

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Updated to reflect vital FAA regulatory, procedural, and training changes, this indispensable tool prepares private pilots for their one-on-one "checkride" with an FAA examiner. It answers the most commonly asked questions, clarifies the requirements of the written and oral portions, and presents study material for the exam. Topics covered include certification and documents, weather, airplane systems, and cross-country flight planning. This newly revised edition also includes a section on aeronautical decision-making and crew resource management.

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

175 people are currently reading
91 people want to read

About the author

Michael D. Hayes

30 books5 followers

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5 stars
120 (52%)
4 stars
73 (31%)
3 stars
27 (11%)
2 stars
6 (2%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for riley :).
182 reviews3 followers
September 7, 2024
was definitely a book i read! helped me and will continue to help me immensely
Profile Image for Jerimiah Baldwin.
15 reviews1 follower
Read
March 1, 2023
This was a great book to study in preparation for PPL/ASEL practical exam. I highly recommend it.

If you can answer most of these questions from memory then you'll do very well on the oral portion of your exam.

Thanks for the great help, Michael!
Profile Image for Abigail.
157 reviews1 follower
Read
February 16, 2026
Wishing my husband luck on his check ride tomorrow :/
1 review
November 17, 2020
This book is one of the best investments I did in my Private pilot career. It touches most, if not all, the topics you need to be aware of for your PPL final Check ride. Amazing book 100% recommended and I bought another one for my friend which is about to do his Private Pilot career.
Profile Image for Leah Hanley.
229 reviews3 followers
January 26, 2018
Excellent study guide. Highly recommended for a thorough review before any check ride, but of course it’s especially helpful for private prep.
Profile Image for Larry Ausley.
27 reviews
December 16, 2018
Ok resource but I found the material and format in Virgil Royer’s Study guide more valuable and to the point.
51 reviews
April 26, 2023
Good review, but not enough detail. I really wish the scenario section was more thorough.
Profile Image for Amy.
79 reviews
December 19, 2023
Tougher questions than the real real exam. Good practice; didn't read it cover to cover
Profile Image for Sharon.
103 reviews10 followers
March 2, 2025
A great resource that I would recommend to anyone preparing for the FAA private pilot checkride oral exam.
Profile Image for EJ Kellerhals.
13 reviews
April 17, 2025
good for scenarios but general information is either severely outdated or just wrong

got the point across but if you’re using it for genuine prep, use the FAR/AIM as a reference.
Profile Image for Rick Galavan.
3 reviews
August 11, 2020
The book helped immensely with my checkride! Highly recommended to anyone seeking their private pilot license!
Profile Image for Kiri.
Author 1 book42 followers
January 28, 2017
I found this book to be a great source in preparing for my private pilot checkride. The questions are more open-ended than the multiple-choice questions used in the knowledge exam, so it's a better practice for what you'll actually get during the oral part of the checkride. I also liked that each chapter includes "Additional Study Questions" which don't have the answers included - an inspiration to dig deeper. The content of this book also inspired some interesting in-depth discussions with my instructor during prep for the checkride. Finally, the book concludes with some "Scenario-Based Training" questions which aim to emulate real situations and allow you to practice (and demonstrate) judgment. They are not easy, but they are important exercises to get you thinking about how you'd handle real events with competing goals.
Profile Image for torque.
328 reviews
April 13, 2016
Good refresher I guess. However, I would rely too much on only this book. Make sure you go over relevant FAA materials to get the info from the horse's mouth and up to date.
Profile Image for Vic.
226 reviews1 follower
July 24, 2023
This is so terrifying. There is so much to know. And so much more to learn.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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