FAA Private Pilot Balloon knowledge tests — Hot Air (PBH) and Gas (PBG) — also preparing for Commercial Pilot Balloon Hot Air (CBH) and Gas (CBG)
The written test for your balloon certificate — buoyancy and lift, burners and propane, gas-balloon ballast and valving, inflation, steering by the winds, landings and power lines, with the commercial balloon tests covered too.
About the exam
A private pilot certificate with a lighter-than-air category, balloon class rating lets you fly balloons for personal flying and carry passengers, but not for compensation or hire. The FAA has two private balloon knowledge tests: Private Pilot Balloon – Hot Air (PBH) for balloons with an airborne heater, and Private Pilot Balloon – Gas (PBG) for hydrogen or helium balloons. This bank prepares you for both, and for the commercial tests — Commercial Pilot Balloon – Hot Air (CBH) and Gas (CBG). A commercial balloon pilot may also give balloon flight instruction; there is no separate balloon flight instructor certificate. QuizMe does not cover the Sport Pilot Balloon test (SPB).
PBH and PBG each have 60 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours 30 minutes; the FAA testing matrix lists CBH at 100 questions in 3 hours and CBG at 60 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes. 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 14 for the private tests and 16 for the commercial tests; the private balloon certificate itself needs age 16 and no medical certificate, while a commercial balloon pilot carrying passengers for hire needs a second-class medical. All four tests 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, powered-parachute or airship rating at the same certificate level, adding a balloon rating needs no knowledge test (61.63). 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 — lift from envelope volume and temperature, the effect of altitude and ambient temperature on payload, propane quantity and duration, gas-balloon ballast, wind drift and time to destination. Add flashcards for balloon regulations, right-of-way, fuel system facts and weather codes, worked case walkthroughs of false lift, approach to a landing field and power-line avoidance, illustrated guides to the envelope, burner and gas-balloon rigging, and timed practice tests at the private 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, balloon section (November 2023; effective May 31, 2024), with FAA-S-8081-18A Commercial Pilot LTA PTS — no balloon ACS has been published — Balloon regulations, lift and buoyancy, balloon systems and fuel, inflation, flight and landing operations, balloon weather, emergencies, weather, navigation and airspace, and human factors — one bank for PBH, PBG, CBH and CBG, hot air and gas. Domain weights are QuizMe estimates — the FAA does not publish them. Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Balloon Regulations and Pilot Qualifications about 13% (est.) of the exam
30 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Buoyancy, Lift and Performance about 10% (est.) of the exam
22 practice questions in this domain so far
3 Balloon Systems, Fuel and Equipment about 12% (est.) of the exam
26 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Inflation, Flight and Landing Operations about 13% (est.) of the exam
30 practice questions in this domain so far
5 Balloon Weather about 10% (est.) of the exam
22 practice questions in this domain so far
6 Emergencies and Hazards about 8% (est.) of the exam
19 practice questions in this domain so far
7 Weather Information about 13% (est.) of the exam
52 practice questions in this domain so far
8 Navigation, Airspace and Flight Planning about 12% (est.) of the exam
62 practice questions in this domain so far
9 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 load charts, fuel tables 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 PBH and PBG length — with a pacing indicator, full review and a percent score against the 70% pass mark.
Flashcards, walkthroughs and guides
Flashcards for balloon regulations, fuel and burner facts, balloon weather 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
PBH, PBG, CBH and CBG 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: PBH for hot air (airborne heater), PBG for gas; CBH or CBG for commercial. Your certificate will be limited to the type of balloon you test in until you add the other with training and an endorsement.
- The testing matrix accepts an endorsement from an authorized instructor — for balloons usually a commercial balloon pilot — or a graduation certificate from an FAA-certificated pilot school.
- Already a pilot with an airplane, rotorcraft, powered-lift, weight-shift, powered-parachute or airship rating at that certificate level? Adding a balloon rating needs no knowledge test (61.63) — confirm with your instructor.
- 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 PBH and PBG length — as one block of single-answer, three-choice questions; CBH 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.
- Rehearse how ambient temperature, altitude and load change the envelope temperature you need — and why a hot day eats your margin.
- Know the propane facts cold: vapor pressure and temperature, liquid versus vapor withdrawal, and fuel planning.
- 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 — load-chart and wind problems take longer, recall questions much less.
- Read for balloon-specific rules — right-of-way, no medical for private, hot-air and gas limitations differ from powered aircraft.
- For lift and load questions, write down the inputs and units before you read the chart.
- 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 balloon practical test within that window or retake the knowledge test.
- Next comes the balloon 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 inflation, launch, altitude control, approaches and landings 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 — balloon is section 1.
- Commercial Pilot Lighter-Than-Air PTS (FAA-S-8081-18A) ↗The commercial balloon and airship standards.
- Balloon Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-11B) ↗The FAA's reference for balloon theory, systems, inflation, flight and landing.
- 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?
281 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.