PLT060: Cruise Performance Graph
What code PLT060 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Cruise Performance Graph before your checkride.
Interpret information on a Performance Curve Chart
What this means for your checkride
A cruise performance graph is a manufacturer performance chart that plots true airspeed against altitude, temperature, and power setting. You enter the graph with the known conditions, follow the printed curves to their intersection, and read the resulting airspeed. Because these combined graphs pack a great deal of information, accurate line tracing is essential.
Extracting a value from a performance curve is a core skill for predicting real aircraft performance during planning.
Treating a combined graph like a simple table, a small reading error at the entry point leads to a large error at the output.
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.