Private Pilot Lessons 2–4 Vocabulary Study Guide

Vocabulary and core definitions covering pilot decision-making, weather fundamentals, and aircraft aerodynamics from Lessons 2, 3, and 4.

Go/no-go decision

The decision about whether current conditions are safe and appropriate for the planned flight or training lesson.

VFR

Visual Flight Rules.

Ceiling

The lowest cloud layer that covers most of the sky.

Overcast cloud layer

A solid cloud layer covering most of the sky.

Broken cloud layer

A cloud layer with holes/openings that still covers most of the sky.

Minimum training visibility

The transcript identifies $3\,\text{miles}$ as the lowest practical visibility for VFR training.

Crosswind conditions

The result when wind is not aligned with the runway.

Four basic flight maneuvers

Climbs, descents, straight-and-level flight, and turns.

Actual weather

What you see and experience right now, as opposed to merely what was predicted earlier.

Weather forecasting

A practice that is not an exact science and generally becomes less reliable the farther ahead it looks.

Lift

The force of flight that acts in an upward direction.

Weight

The force of flight that acts in a downward direction.

Thrust

The force of flight that acts forward, produced by the engine and propeller.

Drag

The force of flight that acts opposite to thrust and is caused by air resistance.

Bernoulli's principle

The principle stating that increasing the speed of a fluid decreases its pressure.

Leading edge

The front of the wing.

Trailing edge

The back of the wing.

Chord line

An imaginary line from the leading edge to the trailing edge.

Upper camber

The top curve of the wing.

Lower camber

The bottom curve of the wing.

Longitudinal axis

The axis running lengthwise through the fuselage, around which roll or bank occurs.

Lateral axis

The side-to-side axis passing through the wings, around which pitch occurs.

Vertical axis

The axis running vertically through the center of gravity, around which yaw occurs.

Elevator

The primary flight control used to control pitch, operated by pushing or pulling the yoke.

Ailerons

Primary flight controls located at the outboard ends of the wings used to control roll.

Rudder

The primary flight control used to control yaw, operated by pressing the rudder pedals.

Adverse yaw

Yaw opposite the direction of the turn caused by aileron deflection and the resulting unequal drag.

Trim tabs

Components used to relieve control pressure on primary control surfaces.

Flaps

Components located on the inboard trailing edge of the wings that increase chord, camber, lift, and drag when lowered.

Newton's Third Law (in flight)

The principle applied when the wing pushes air down, causing the air to push the wing upward.