PPL study notes you can check.
Knotes takes you through the seven PPL theory subjects one topic at a time, with notes you can check and a study assistant that only answers from those same notes. When they don't cover something, it says so instead of guessing. The notes are written by a fellow student pilot and published subject by subject, so check them with your instructor as you go.
- Built on the 7 PPL subjects
- Answers show their sources
- Light on mobile data
Heat and elevation both lower air density. Johannesburg sits at 5,558 ft, so on a 28 °C afternoon the density altitude can exceed 8,000 ft(source 1). Thinner air means less engine power and less lift, so you need more runway(source 2).
- 1Flight Performance & PlanningDensity altitude
- 2Principles of FlightLift and air density
Read it, then question it.
Each topic follows the same steps, so you always know what comes next. Short videos will join them later.
- Step 1
Read the topic notes
Notes follow the SACAA PPL syllabus in order, from Air Law through to Principles of Flight. Each topic ends with a short list of key facts to revise from.
- Step 2
Ask the study assistant
Ask anything about the notes. The answer lists the exact sections it used, so you can read them yourself before your exam.
- Step 3Coming soon
Watch the short video
Where a diagram explains it better, a video of under five minutes is planned. None are ready yet, so for now, read the notes instead.
It would rather say “not in the notes” than guess.
In a multiple-choice exam, the wrong options are often the ones that sound right: close to the exact regulation you half-remember, but not quite it. A general chatbot doesn't know that: it gives you a fluent, sure-sounding answer whether or not it's actually correct. The Knotes assistant only answers from your course notes, shows the exact passage behind every answer, and tells you plainly when the notes don't cover something, instead of filling the gap with a guess.
- Sources
- Every answer lists the note sections it drew from, so you can read the passage yourself.
- Limits
- If the notes don't contain enough to answer, you get a clear “not covered” reply instead of a guess.
- Scope
- It won't answer from the open internet, and it won't give live operational information like NOTAMs, weather or fees.
- Your call
- It is a study aid. Your instructor and the current regulations remain the authority.
The seven PPL theory subjects
- Subject 1
Air Law
Rules of the air, airspace classes, licensing, VFR minima
- Subject 2
Aircraft Technical & General
Airframes, piston engines, fuel and electrical systems, instruments
- Subject 3
Flight Performance & Planning
Mass and balance, density altitude, take-off and landing performance
- Subject 4
Human Performance & Limitations
Hypoxia, spatial disorientation, fatigue, decision making
- Subject 5
Meteorology
The ISA, pressure systems, clouds, thunderstorms, METAR and TAF
- Subject 6
Navigation
Charts, the triangle of velocities, dead reckoning, radio navigation
- Subject 7
Principles of Flight
Lift and drag, stability, stalls and spins, load factor
- Coming later
Radiotelephony and operational procedures are being considered for a later release.
A 7-day trial, by invitation for now. Plans from R199 a month.
Two plans, priced in rand. Both open the same notes and practice questions; Plus gives you more study assistant questions.
Payments open at launch
Free trial
Try the notes and the assistant on your own subjects before you pay.
R0 for 7 days
- The same notes and practice questions as the paid plans
- Study assistant: 5 questions in totalAcross the whole trial, not per day.
- Beta: by invitation, no card. Once billing opens, a card is needed to start. One trial per person.
Standard
For working through the syllabus with notes and practice questions.
R199 per month
About US$11.99 a month
R2,029.80 per year
About US$122.30 a year. Works out to R169.15 a month, paid once a year.
- Detailed notes for all seven PPL subjectsWritten by a fellow student pilot and published subject by subject. Check them with your instructor as you go.
- Practice questions, starting with Air LawThe Air Law questions are still being checked and open once that is done.
- Study assistant: 10 questions an hour, up to 30 a day
- Assistant answers show the note sections they came fromIt answers only from the notes, so it covers a subject once that subject's notes are published.
Plus
For students who use the study assistant every day.
R299 per month
About US$17.99 a month
R3,049.80 per year
About US$183.50 a year. Works out to R254.15 a month, paid once a year.
- Everything in Standard
- Study assistant: 20 questions an hour, up to 100 a day
- Short topic videos Coming soonUnder five minutes each.
Prices are in South African rand. US dollar amounts are approximate, for students paying from Zimbabwe or elsewhere. The final price, in the currency you pay in, is confirmed at checkout.