PLT080: Standard Terminal Arrivals
What code PLT080 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Standard Terminal Arrivals before your checkride.
Interpret information on an Arrival Chart
What this means for your checkride
A standard terminal arrival (STAR) is a charted route from the enroute structure to a fix where an approach begins. It simplifies the clearance and manages traffic into a busy terminal area, with routes, altitudes, speeds, and crossing restrictions.
Flying an arrival correctly keeps you within ATC's flow, so the FAA tests reading the routing and meeting the altitude and speed restrictions on a STAR.
Pilots descend or slow on their own timing. On a STAR you meet the published or assigned crossing restrictions; a descend-via clearance means flying the charted altitudes and speeds in sequence.
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.