PLT094: Aerodynamics
What code PLT094 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Aerodynamics before your checkride.
Recall aerodynamics - airfoil design / pressure distribution / effects of altitude
What this means for your checkride
This is how an airfoil is shaped and how it produces lift. The curved upper surface and the mean camber line create a pressure difference, lower pressure above and higher below, and the point where that lift effectively acts is the center of pressure. Altitude thins the air, so the same airfoil produces less lift for the same speed as you climb.
Airfoil behavior underlies every performance and stall question, so the FAA tests how pressure distribution, angle of attack, and air density combine to make lift.
A persistent myth is that air must travel over the top and rejoin at the trailing edge, forcing it faster. Lift comes from the pressure difference the airfoil and angle of attack create, not from any equal-transit-time rule.
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.