PLT246: Forces in a Climb
What code PLT246 covers, why the FAA tests it, and how to study Forces in a Climb before your checkride.
Recall forces acting on aircraft - steady state climb / flight
What this means for your checkride
In a steady-state climb the airplane is again in equilibrium but tilted: thrust must overcome drag plus the component of weight acting along the flight path. Climb performance comes from excess thrust (or power) beyond what level flight needs, and that excess shrinks with altitude until the airplane reaches its ceiling.
Climb depends on excess thrust, so the FAA tests the force balance in a climb and why climb performance falls off with altitude.
Pilots think lift pulls the airplane up in a climb. A steady climb is driven by excess thrust; lift is actually slightly less than weight in the climb, and it is the extra thrust, not extra lift, that sustains it.
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.