FAA Private Pilot Airship (PLA) knowledge test — also preparing for Commercial Pilot Airship (CLA), lighter-than-air category, airship class
The written test for your airship rating — helium lift, superheat, pressure height and ballonets, static heaviness and dynamic lift, mast and ground handling, weather and airspace, with the commercial airship test covered too.
About the exam
A private pilot certificate with a lighter-than-air category, airship class rating lets you fly airships for personal flying, but not for compensation or hire. Most airship pilots go on to the commercial certificate, which lets you fly for hire, give airship flight instruction and act as pilot in command of an airship under IFR. The Private Pilot Airship (PLA) knowledge test is the written test you pass before the private airship checkride, and this bank also prepares you for the Commercial Pilot Airship (CLA) test. QuizMe does not cover the Sport Pilot Airship (SPL) test.
PLA has 60 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours 30 minutes; the FAA testing matrix lists CLA at 100 questions in 3 hours. Every question has three answer choices, and you need 70% to pass. You test on computer at a PSI test center with a photo ID and an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) from IACRA; minimum testing age is 15 for PLA and 16 for CLA. Both need an endorsement from an authorized instructor or a pilot school graduation certificate. A passing result is valid for 24 calendar months. If you already hold an airplane, rotorcraft, powered-lift, weight-shift or powered-parachute rating at the same certificate level, adding an airship rating needs no knowledge test (61.63); a balloon-only pilot does need one. The FAA has no current airship handbook, so study leans on the PTS, the general FAA handbooks and your operator's manuals. The 2025 MOSAIC rule rewrote sport pilot and light-sport aircraft rules (effective October 22, 2025 and July 24, 2026) but did not change private or commercial pilot requirements or these knowledge tests; the sport pilot practical test standards were revised in September 2026 and test banks are still catching up, so confirm details with your instructor.
Our practice covers every area with original questions mapped to the Private and Commercial Lighter-Than-Air PTS, with step-by-step worked solutions for every calculation — gross and net lift from helium volume, the effect of temperature, altitude and superheat on lift, fuel burn and heaviness, density altitude, wind triangle, time, distance and fuel. Add flashcards for regulations, right-of-way, airship terms and weather codes, worked case walkthroughs of weigh-off, a heavy takeoff and an envelope-pressure loss, illustrated guides to the envelope, ballonets and mooring mast, and timed practice tests at the PLA length — 60 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes — with a score.
How we track your progress
Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:
- Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
- Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
- DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
- ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
- Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.
The exam blueprint
FAA-S-8081-17A, Private Pilot Practical Test Standards for Lighter-Than-Air Category, airship section (November 2023; effective May 31, 2024), with FAA-S-8081-18A Commercial Pilot LTA PTS — no airship ACS has been published — Airship regulations, aerostatics and aerodynamics, airship systems, ground handling and flight operations, emergencies, weather, navigation and airspace, and human factors — one bank for PLA and CLA. Domain weights are QuizMe estimates — the FAA does not publish them. Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Airship Regulations and Pilot Qualifications about 15% (est.) of the exam
29 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Airship Aerostatics and Aerodynamics about 15% (est.) of the exam
29 practice questions in this domain so far
3 Airship Systems and Instruments about 12% (est.) of the exam
23 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Ground Handling and Flight Operations about 15% (est.) of the exam
29 practice questions in this domain so far
5 Emergencies and Hazards about 10% (est.) of the exam
20 practice questions in this domain so far
6 Weather Information about 13% (est.) of the exam
52 practice questions in this domain so far
7 Navigation, Airspace and Flight Planning about 12% (est.) of the exam
62 practice questions in this domain so far
8 Human Factors and Aeronautical Decision-Making about 8% (est.) of the exam
18 practice questions in this domain so far
What you get when you access this exam
Free with your QuizMe account.
Questions built on the PTS
Every question is original and tagged to a Private or Commercial Lighter-Than-Air PTS area of operation — three choices like the real test, with lift tables, loading data and sectional excerpts described in text, and weather reports.
Hints and worked solutions
Reveal the rule, reference or formula behind the question when you're stuck. Every answer has the full rationale, and every calculation is solved step by step.
Adaptive practice
Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted like the real test, and get harder as you get stronger.
Timed practice tests
Full-length tests at the real pace — 60 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, the PLA length — with a pacing indicator, full review and a percent score against the 70% pass mark.
Flashcards, walkthroughs and guides
Flashcards for regulations, airship terms, lift facts and weather codes, worked case walkthroughs that reason through harder questions step by step, and interactive illustrated guides you explore hotspot by hotspot.
Progress in every area
Each area moves from Not started to Exam ready, so you know exactly what to study next.
Test at home or at a center
PLA and CLA are scheduled and taken through PSI, the FAA's knowledge-testing provider. Get your FAA Tracking Number (FTN) in IACRA and your instructor's endorsement, then choose a PSI test center and time. Remote testing is not offered for FAA airman knowledge tests.
At a PSI test center
- Book through PSI's FAA scheduling site; the fee is paid to PSI, not the FAA — about $175 at PSI (confirm when you book).
- Bring a current government-issued photo ID that meets FAA identification rules, and your FAA Tracking Number (FTN).
- The center gives you the FAA testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H for private, FAA-CT-8080-1E for commercial) with the chart, weather and performance figures; some questions show images on screen.
- You may use an FAA-approved flight computer (E6B) and calculator under the test center's rules; PSI's testing system also includes an on-screen E6B.
Before you book
- Pick the right test: PLA for a private airship rating, CLA for commercial — the commercial certificate is what lets you fly airships for hire, instruct and operate under IFR.
- The testing matrix accepts an endorsement from an authorized instructor — for airships usually a commercial airship pilot — or a graduation certificate from an FAA-certificated pilot school.
- Already a pilot with an airplane, rotorcraft, powered-lift, weight-shift or powered-parachute rating at that certificate level? Adding an airship rating needs no knowledge test (61.63) — confirm with your instructor. A balloon-only pilot needs the test and the airship training time.
- If you retake after a failure, bring the failed test report and an endorsement from an authorized instructor who gave you the additional training.
Exam-day game plan
How to walk in ready — and how to pace 60 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes.
Pacing checkpoints
Our timed test uses the real length and time — 60 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, the PLA length — as one block of single-answer, three-choice questions; CLA is 100 questions in 3 hours. Figures that the real test shows from the FAA testing supplement or as embedded images are reproduced as described text, tables or simple diagrams — not the official FAA charts.
The week before
- Take one full-length timed practice test 4–7 days out, then shorter sets and rest.
- Explain out loud how superheat, pressure height and ballonet volume change as the airship climbs, descends and burns fuel.
- Rehearse lift arithmetic: gross lift from volume, net lift after the airship's weight, and heaviness after fuel burn.
- Confirm your PSI appointment, your endorsement (or graduation certificate), your FTN, your ID and the flight computer and calculator you'll bring.
During the test
- Pace yourself at about 2.5 minutes a question — lift and navigation problems take longer, recall questions much less.
- Read for airship-specific rules — right-of-way, experience requirements and commercial IFR privileges differ from airplanes.
- For lift and loading questions, write down the inputs and units before you calculate.
- Watch for EXCEPT and NOT — they flip what you're looking for.
- Mark hard questions, answer every one and come back if time allows — there's no penalty for guessing.
Keep your head
- A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the question.
- With three choices, ruling out one wrong answer leaves you a coin flip at worst.
- You need 42 of 60 — a few long chart problems won't sink you.
After you test
- You get your Airman Knowledge Test Report at the test center; it shows your score and codes for any knowledge areas you missed, and your instructor reviews them with you before the checkride.
- A passing result is valid for 24 calendar months — complete the airship practical test within that window or retake the knowledge test.
- Next comes the airship practical test under FAA-S-8081-17A (private) or FAA-S-8081-18A (commercial) — an oral on the same knowledge plus a flight test of ground handling, takeoffs and landings, ground reference maneuvers, navigation and emergency procedures; the examiner also checks your missed topics.
Official sources and further reading
- Private Pilot Lighter-Than-Air PTS (FAA-S-8081-17A) ↗The official areas of operation and tasks — airship is section 2.
- Commercial Pilot Lighter-Than-Air PTS (FAA-S-8081-18A) ↗The commercial airship and balloon standards.
- FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix ↗Official question count, time, minimum age and the authorization each test requires.
- FAA airman knowledge testing supplements ↗The figures books provided at the test center — FAA-CT-8080-2H for private tests, FAA-CT-8080-1E for commercial.
Ready to start?
262 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.
QuizMe is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA or PSI. All questions are original. Details are summarized from FAA sources (PTS, testing matrix, 14 CFR); rules and policies change — always confirm at faa.gov. Estimated scores are rough guides.