Study from notes you can check.
Knotes takes you through all seven PPL theory subjects one topic at a time, with short videos, 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.
- 7 PPL subjects
- Videos under 5 minutes
- 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, watch it, then question it.
Each topic follows the same three steps, so you always know what comes next.
- Step 1
Read the topic notes
Notes follow the 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
Watch the short video
Where a diagram explains it better, there's a video of under five minutes. Turn videos off on mobile data and read instead.
- Step 3
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.
It would rather say “not in the notes” than guess.
SACAA and CAAZ papers are written to catch the confident-sounding wrong answer, the option that sounds right but trips the exact regulation you half-remember. 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.
Free for 7 days. 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 subjectsBeing written now and published subject by subject as each one is checked.
- Practice questions, starting with Air LawThe Air Law questions are being reviewed by a flight instructor before they open.
- 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.