PSTAR Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the PSTAR exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 PSTAR Exam Format at a Glance
📚 PSTAR Topics to Study (23)
✍️ Sample PSTAR Questions & Answers
1. A student pilot is offered payment to fly a local business owner to a nearby airport. Which regulation most directly prohibits this?
FAR 61.89(a)(2) specifically prohibits student pilots from acting as PIC of an aircraft carrying a passenger, and 61.89(a)(3) prohibits flight for compensation or hire.
2. What does a NOTAM stand for and what is its purpose?
NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) is an official notice distributed to pilots about changes in airspace, navigation aids, procedures, or hazards.
3. What is the proper way to state the time 1435 UTC in a radio transmission?
Times in aviation radio communications are stated digit by digit: 'One-four-three-five' to avoid confusion with similar-sounding numbers.
4. What are Warning Areas in relation to US airspace?
Warning Areas extend from 3 NM offshore and contain military activities that may pose hazards, but unlike restricted areas, the US has no authority to prohibit civilian flight there.
5. When should a pilot say 'MAYDAY' on the radio?
MAYDAY (repeated three times) is reserved for life-threatening emergencies requiring immediate assistance from rescue services.
6. On a sectional chart, what does a number in a box with a 'T' symbol indicate?
A tower symbol on a sectional chart with a number above the T-icon shows the tower's height above mean sea level (MSL) with AGL height in parentheses.