The author of this study guide, Jim Burch, has been a pilot for 60 years, a flight instructor for 33 years, and a pilot examiner for 18 years. The material presented here is based on his experience in learning, teaching, and testing what one needs to know to fly gliders safely and to pass the related FAA tests. Little if any of the material is truly original. It comes from observing and questioning other pilots and instructors and from study of much aviation literature. Some of that literature is also part of the subject matter references used by the FAA in their knowledge tests. Those used in preparing this study aid are included in the adjacent table. You will find some direct quotes from them in the material when their words seem to express an idea particularly well or if the actual words appear in a test question or answer. Passing the FAA knowledge test and practical test is not the only objective of this study guide. It also is intended to impart knowledge of practical value to the glider pilot. These objectives are not mutually exclusive, but in many cases information not contained in the FAA references will be provided. |
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The FAA has separate knowledge and practical tests for private pilots, commercial pilots, and flight instructors. The first ten sections of this guide apply to all three. The last will be of more interest to those preparing for flight instructor tests. Students are urged to study the material here and then review the applicable knowledge test questions. You can do that either of two ways. You can select the QUESTIONS column next to the chapter you have just reviewed and see all the private, commercial and flight instructor questions covered in that chapter, or you can select knowledge test format to review all questions that appear on either the private, commercial, instructor, or fundamentals of instructing test. You may want to look at the "knowledge test format" first in either case for an explanation of the question and answer format used for both.