FAA Flight Navigator (FNX) knowledge test
The written test for an FAA flight navigator certificate — dead reckoning, celestial sight reduction, grid and pressure pattern navigation and chart projections, worked step by step.
About the exam
A flight navigator certificate is the FAA certificate for a crewmember who navigates the airplane by dead reckoning, celestial observations and radio aids. Air carriers once needed navigators on long overwater routes; with inertial and satellite navigation almost no U.S. civil operation needs one today, and the test is taken by very few people. It is still offered: the Flight Navigator (FNX) test is on the FAA testing matrix revised September 25, 2026. Expect classic navigation — celestial, dead reckoning, grid and pressure pattern methods — rather than modern avionics, and confirm with PSI before you book in case a test center can't schedule it.
FNX has 80 multiple-choice 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. No instructor endorsement or other authorization is needed for a first attempt, and the testing matrix lists no minimum testing age, though the certificate itself needs age 21, English proficiency and a second-class medical (63.51). A passing result is valid for 24 calendar months (63.53). After the test you still need 63.55 experience — an approved course or 200 hours of flight navigation with day and night celestial fixes — and a practical test in dead reckoning, celestial and radio navigation.
Our practice covers every area with original questions mapped to the 63.53 knowledge areas, with step-by-step worked solutions for every calculation — wind triangle, point of no return and equal-time point, arc to time, LHA and intercept from almanac and Pub 249 extracts, grid heading and convergence, and Bellamy drift from D-values. Add flashcards for regulations, projections and celestial terms, worked case walkthroughs that plot a fix from start to finish, illustrated guides to the navigational triangle and chart projections, and timed practice tests at the real length — 80 questions in 3 hours — 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
No ACS — 14 CFR 63.53 knowledge areas and the FAA flight navigator learning statement codes; FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (revised September 25, 2026); FAA-H-8083-18 Flight Navigator Handbook (2011) — Navigator regulations, dead reckoning and cruise control, chart projections and grid navigation, celestial navigation, pressure pattern navigation and meteorology, radio and electronic aids, and navigation instruments — the FNX test. Domain weights are QuizMe estimates — the FAA does not publish them. Tap a domain to see its topics.
1 Regulations and Navigator Duties about 10% (est.) of the exam
16 practice questions in this domain so far
2 Dead Reckoning, Flight Planning and Cruise Control about 18% (est.) of the exam
28 practice questions in this domain so far
3 Charts, Projections, Pilotage and Grid Navigation about 12% (est.) of the exam
20 practice questions in this domain so far
4 Celestial Navigation about 22% (est.) of the exam
36 practice questions in this domain so far
5 Pressure Pattern Navigation and Meteorology about 15% (est.) of the exam
24 practice questions in this domain so far
6 Radio Aids and Electronic Navigation about 12% (est.) of the exam
20 practice questions in this domain so far
7 Navigation Instruments and Compasses about 10% (est.) of the exam
16 practice questions in this domain so far
What you get when you access this exam
Free with your QuizMe account.
Questions built on the navigator knowledge areas
Every question is original and tagged to a 14 CFR 63.53 flight navigator knowledge area — three choices like the real test, with almanac and Pub 249 extracts, plotting problems and upper-air charts described in text.
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 — wind triangle, LHA and intercept, grid heading, Bellamy drift — 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 — 80 questions in 3 hours — with a pacing indicator, full review and a percent score against the 70% pass mark.
Flashcards, walkthroughs and guides
Flashcards for Part 63 rules, celestial terms and chart projections, worked case walkthroughs that take a sight from almanac to plotted fix 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
FNX is scheduled and taken through PSI, the FAA's knowledge-testing provider. Get your FAA Tracking Number (FTN) in IACRA, then choose a PSI test center and time — no endorsement is needed for a first attempt. Because so few people take FNX, confirm with PSI that your center can deliver it. 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).
- Almanac, sight-reduction, chart and weather material appears in the question or as a figure supplied at the center.
- You may use an FAA-approved flight computer and calculator under the test center's rules; PSI's testing system also includes an on-screen E6B.
Before you book
- No instructor endorsement or written authorization is required for a first FNX attempt.
- Plan the whole path: the certificate needs age 21, a second-class medical, 63.55 experience (an approved course, or 200 hours of flight navigation with day and night celestial fixes) and a practical test.
- Brush up on the classic tools — the Air Almanac, Pub 249 sight-reduction tables and plotting charts — since the test is built on them.
- If you fail, you wait 30 days to retest unless a certificated flight navigator or ground instructor signs a statement that they gave you additional instruction in each failed subject (63.59).
Exam-day game plan
How to walk in ready — and how to pace 80 questions in 3 hours.
Pacing checkpoints
Our timed test uses the real length and time — 80 questions in 3 hours — as one block of single-answer, three-choice questions. Almanac and sight-reduction extracts, charts and weather products are reproduced as described text, tables or simple diagrams — not official FAA or government publications.
The week before
- Take one full-length timed practice test 4–7 days out, then shorter sets and rest.
- Drill the routines until they're automatic: arc to time, GHA to LHA, Hc and intercept, toward or away.
- Rehearse grid and pressure pattern problems with the sign conventions written out — hemisphere, east or west longitude, and which way drift goes.
- Confirm your PSI appointment, your FTN, your ID and the flight computer and calculator you'll bring.
During the test
- Pace yourself at about 2 minutes 15 seconds a question — sight-reduction and plotting problems take longer, recall questions much less.
- Write down every input with its sign before you compute — east or west, north or south, toward or away.
- Check time zones and dates when converting to UTC — a day change hides in many celestial problems.
- 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 56 of 80 — a few long celestial problems won't sink you.
After you test
- You get your Airman Knowledge Test Report at the test center; it shows your score and the learning statement codes of any knowledge areas you missed, and your examiner reviews them before the practical test.
- A passing result is valid for 24 calendar months — complete the flight navigator practical test within that window or retake the knowledge test.
- Next comes the practical test under Appendix A to Part 63 — a ground test of star identification and celestial observations and a flight test of at least 4 hours navigating by dead reckoning, celestial means and radio aids.
Official sources and further reading
- 14 CFR Part 63, Subpart C — Flight Navigators ↗Eligibility, knowledge, experience and practical test requirements (63.51–63.61 and Appendix A).
- FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix ↗Official question count, time and authorization for FNX.
- Flight Navigator Handbook (FAA-H-8083-18) ↗The FAA's navigation text: dead reckoning, celestial, grid and pressure pattern navigation (2011).
Ready to start?
160 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 (testing matrix, 14 CFR Part 63, FAA handbooks); rules and policies change — always confirm at faa.gov. Estimated scores are rough guides.