PLT034: Stopway and Clearway
What code PLT034 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Stopway and Clearway before your checkride.
Define stopway / clearway
What this means for your checkride
A clearway is a defined area beyond the runway, clear of obstacles, over which an airplane may make its initial climb to a screen height; a stopway is a defined area beyond the runway able to support the airplane during an aborted takeoff. Both extend the declared distances used in transport takeoff performance.
These declared-distance concepts affect takeoff performance planning, so the FAA tests what a clearway and stopway are and how they factor into the numbers.
Pilots treat clearway and stopway as usable runway. A clearway supports only the climb over it, and a stopway is for stopping, not for the takeoff roll, so neither is the same as runway length.
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.