PLT096: Effects of Altitude
What code PLT096 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Effects of Altitude before your checkride.
Recall aeromedical factors - effects of altitude
What this means for your checkride
As altitude increases, the reduced partial pressure of oxygen affects the body: hypoxia dulls judgment and vision, trapped gas in the ears, sinuses, and gut expands, and time of useful consciousness shrinks with height. The supplemental oxygen rules exist for exactly these reasons.
Altitude physiology drives the oxygen requirements and pilot performance, so the FAA tests the effects of altitude and when supplemental oxygen is required.
Pilots expect an obvious warning before hypoxia. It impairs judgment before you notice symptoms, which is why the oxygen requirements are set by altitude and time, not by how you feel.
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.