PLT203: The Atmosphere
What code PLT203 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study The Atmosphere before your checkride.
Recall earth’s atmosphere - layers / characteristics / solar energy
What this means for your checkride
The atmosphere is layered. The troposphere is the lowest layer, where nearly all weather occurs and temperature falls with height; the tropopause caps it and marks the strongest winds; above lies the stratosphere. The air is mostly nitrogen and oxygen, thinning with altitude.
The layers frame where weather and flight happen, so the FAA tests the troposphere, tropopause, and how temperature and density change with height.
Pilots think weather can be topped at any fixed altitude. Weather is concentrated in the troposphere, and the tropopause, where it and the jet stream top out, varies with latitude and season rather than sitting at one height.
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.