PLT002: Airspeed
What code PLT002 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Airspeed before your checkride.
Calculate aircraft performance - airspeed
What this means for your checkride
Airspeed comes in several forms: indicated is what the gauge reads, calibrated is indicated corrected for installation and position error, and true is calibrated corrected for air density. As you climb, true airspeed exceeds indicated because the thinner air understates the pitot pressure.
Performance and flight planning use true airspeed while the gauge shows indicated, so the FAA tests whether you can convert between them and understand why they diverge with altitude.
Pilots treat indicated and true airspeed as the same. At altitude true airspeed can be well above indicated, which is why cruise and groundspeed figures use TAS, not the raw gauge reading.
Where to study it
A code on your test report is an area of deficiency. An authorized instructor must review it with you and endorse that review before you take the practical test, and the examiner may revisit it during the oral. Study it until you can explain it out loud, not just recognize the answer.