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FAA Ground Instructor (Basic) Knowledge Test Practice Test

The FAA Ground Instructor (Basic) Knowledge Test practice material covers foundational aviation knowledge a ground instructor may need to explain to students. Sample topics include weather conditions such as wind shear and stable air, aircraft weight and balance, sectional-chart symbols, flight planning, wind effects on ground track, load factor, and basic flight instruments.

Exam overview

Exam providerFederal Aviation Administration
Exam codeBGI
CategoryAviation

About the FAA Ground Instructor (Basic) Knowledge Test Exam

Ground instruction involves helping students connect aviation concepts to sound flight-planning and operating decisions. Practice questions ask you to interpret a sectional-chart marking, explain why added passengers or baggage can change weight-and-balance considerations, and describe how crosswinds affect an aircraft’s ground track. Other items address the relationship between bank angle and load factor, the purpose of an altimeter setting, and how a pitot tube provides pressure information. Regulatory knowledge appears in questions about the preflight information a pilot in command must become familiar with under 14 CFR 91.103. These examples call for clear explanations as well as factual recall: a ground instructor must be able to make chart symbols, weather clues, aircraft limitations, and operating rules understandable to learners.

Sample Practice Questions

Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.

Question 1

Which condition is most likely to produce wind shear near the surface?

  1. AA steady, uniform breeze over level terrain
  2. BA temperature inversion with no wind at any level
  3. CA microburst associated with a strong thunderstorm
  4. DA distant high-pressure system with clear skies
Show answerCorrect answer: C

A microburst can create intense, rapidly changing winds over a short distance and time, producing hazardous low-level wind shear. Pilots should treat thunderstorm-associated wind shear as a serious flight hazard.

Question 2

A student asks why an airplane's weight and balance should be checked after passengers or baggage are added. What is the best explanation?

  1. ALoading affects only fuel consumption, not controllability.
  2. BThe airplane must remain within approved weight and center-of-gravity limits to preserve safe structural and handling characteristics.
  3. CThe center of gravity matters only when the airplane is parked.
  4. DAny loading is acceptable if the engine can produce enough power for takeoff.
Show answerCorrect answer: B

Operating within approved weight and center-of-gravity limits is important for structural strength, stability, and control. Excess weight or an out-of-range center of gravity can impair performance or make the airplane difficult or unsafe to control.

Question 3

A student asks what a dashed blue line surrounding an area on a sectional chart commonly depicts. What is the best explanation?

  1. AA Class D airspace boundary
  2. BA Class B airspace boundary
  3. CA Class E surface area boundary
  4. DA Class C airspace boundary
Show answerCorrect answer: C

On sectional charts, a dashed blue boundary commonly marks Class E airspace that extends to the surface. The chart legend should be consulted to interpret chart symbols and the specific airspace depiction.

Question 4

When teaching a student about load factor in a coordinated level turn, what happens as the bank angle increases?

  1. ALoad factor decreases because the wings support less weight
  2. BLoad factor increases, raising the aerodynamic load on the aircraft
  3. CLoad factor remains exactly one regardless of bank angle
  4. DLoad factor changes only if the aircraft's weight changes
Show answerCorrect answer: B

In a coordinated level turn, the wing's lift must have a vertical component equal to weight while also providing centripetal force. As bank angle increases, total lift and load factor increase; this also raises stall speed.

Question 5

Which condition is generally associated with a stable layer of air?

  1. ALimited vertical motion and potential for haze or widespread stratus
  2. BStrong, sustained vertical currents and frequent towering clouds
  3. CRapid vertical mixing that always clears visibility
  4. DAn absence of all wind at every altitude
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Stable air resists vertical displacement, so vertical mixing and convective cloud development tend to be limited. Haze, reduced visibility, and layered clouds may occur, though local conditions vary.

Question 6

Under 14 CFR 91.103, what information must a pilot-in-command become familiar with before beginning a flight?

  1. AOnly the aircraft's fuel quantity and engine indications
  2. BAll available information concerning that flight, including relevant weather and performance information
  3. COnly information issued by air traffic control
  4. DOnly the destination airport's runway lengths
Show answerCorrect answer: B

Before beginning a flight, the pilot in command must become familiar with all available information concerning the flight. For flights away from the vicinity of an airport, this includes items such as weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives, and known delays; applicable performance information must also be considered.

Question 7

When teaching the effect of wind on an airplane's ground track, which statement about a crosswind is correct?

  1. AA crosswind changes the airplane's heading automatically until it matches the desired ground track.
  2. BA crosswind can move the airplane's ground track sideways relative to its direction through the air.
  3. CA crosswind affects ground speed but cannot affect ground track.
  4. DA crosswind has no effect once the airplane reaches cruising altitude.
Show answerCorrect answer: B

Wind is part of the airplane's motion relative to the ground. A crosswind component causes drift, so the ground track differs from the airplane's heading unless the pilot corrects for it with an appropriate wind-correction angle.

How to use this practice test

Access is free. A practice session presents up to 20 random questions from the available BGI question bank, and results appear after the session. Use the questions to check how well you can explain aviation concepts, interpret common chart information, and connect regulations and aircraft performance to practical flight-planning decisions.

Preparation tips

  • Practice explaining how passenger or baggage changes affect aircraft weight, balance, and loading limits.
  • Review sectional-chart symbols and describe how features such as parachute jumping areas may affect flight planning.
  • Work through the relationship between bank angle and load factor in a coordinated level turn, and explain why the change matters.
  • Compare stable and unstable air clues with weather conditions that can produce low-level wind shear.
  • Review 14 CFR 91.103 and practise identifying the preflight information a pilot in command must consider.
Official sourceOfficial exam page ↗