Private Pilot Final Review Study Guide

A comprehensive collection of vocabulary-style flashcards covering the essential knowledge areas for the Private Pilot certificate based on the Pilot Institute study sheets.

Private Pilot Eligibility (FAR 61.103)

Requirements include being at least 17 years old, being able to read, speak, write, and understand English, receiving training and logbook endorsements, passing the knowledge test, meeting experience requirements, and holding a student pilot and medical certificate.

Pro-rata Share

The equal proportion of aircraft operating expenses (fuel, oil, airport expenditures, or rental fees) that a private pilot must pay; they cannot pay less than this share when carrying passengers.

Complex Aircraft

An aircraft that has flaps, a retractable landing gear, and a variable pitch propeller.

High-Performance Aircraft

An aircraft equipped with an engine that has more than $200$ horsepower.

Currency (Day)

To act as PIC while carrying passengers, a pilot must have made 3 takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days in the same category, class, and type of aircraft.

Night Passenger Currency

Requires 3 takeoffs and landings to a full stop during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and ending 1 hour before sunrise within the preceding 90 days.

Flight Review (FAR 61.56)

Required every 24 calendar months to act as PIC; consists of a minimum of 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training.

First-Class Medical Certificate

Required for Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) privileges; valid for 12 calendar months if under 40 years old, or 6 calendar months if 40 years old and over.

SODA (Statement of Demonstrated Ability)

A medical certificate issued to pilots with non-progressive medical conditions, such as color vision deficiency, after they demonstrate the ability to safely operate an aircraft.

BasicMed (FAR Part 68)

An alternative to traditional medical certification requiring a physical exam every 48 months and an online course every 24 months; available to pilots who held a valid medical after July 14, 2006.

ARROW

Acronym for required aircraft documents: Airworthiness Certificate, Registration, Radio Operators License (international), Operating Limitations (AFM/POH), and Weight and Balance.

AAV1ATE

Acronym for required aircraft inspections: Annual (12 months), Airworthiness Directives (ADs), VOR check (30 days, IFR), 100-hour (for hire/instruction), Altimeter (24 months, IFR), Transponder (24 months), and ELT (12 months).

ATOMATOFLAMES

VFR Day equipment requirements: Airspeed indicator, Tachometer, Oil pressure, Magnetic compass, Altimeter, Temp gauge (liquid-cooled), Oil temp (air-cooled), Fuel gauge, Landing gear position indicator, Anti-collision lights, Manifold pressure, ELT, and Seat belts.

FLAPS

VFR Night equipment requirements: Fuses (spare set), Landing light (if for hire), Anti-collision lights, Position (navigation) lights, and Source of electricity.

Special Flight Permit

A permit issued for an aircraft that is NOT currently airworthy but is safe for a specific flight, such as flying to a base for repairs.

METAR

Aviation Routine Weather Report; a surface observation issued hourly containing wind, visibility, weather phenomena, sky condition, temperature/dew point, and altimeter setting.

TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast)

A weather forecast valid for 24 or 30 hours, issued 4 times daily, covering a 5-statute-mile radius around an airport.

PIREP (Pilot Report)

A report of actual inflight weather conditions as seen by pilots; can be Routine (UA) or Urgent (UUA).

AIRMET Sierra

An inflight weather advisory for IFR conditions and extensive mountain obscuration.

AIRMET Tango

An inflight weather advisory for moderate turbulence, sustained surface winds of $\ge 30\text{ knots}$, and low-level wind shear.

AIRMET Zulu

An inflight weather advisory for moderate icing and freezing level information.

SIGMET

A weather advisory concerning severe icing, severe or extreme turbulence, and dust/sandstorms or volcanic ash reducing visibility to less than 3 miles; hazardous to all aircraft.

Convective SIGMET

A weather advisory issued for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, heavy precipitation, or hail $\ge 3/4\text{ inch}$ in diameter.

Standard Lapse Rate

The atmospheric rate where temperature decreases by $2^{\text{o}}C$ per $1,000\text{ ft}$ and pressure decreases by $1\text{ inHg}$ per $1,000\text{ ft}$.

Dew Point

The temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated; a small spread between this and temperature indicates a risk of fog or low clouds.

Temperature Inversion

An atmospheric condition where temperature increases with altitude, typically resulting in stable air but poor visibility.

Advection Fog

Fog formed when warm, moist air moves over a cold surface; common in coastal areas.

Microburst

A powerful, localized downdraft occurring in a thunderstorm that causes dangerous, rapid changes in wind speed and direction.

NWKRAFT

Preflight action checklist: NOTAMs, Weather, Known traffic delays, Runway lengths, Alternates, Fuel requirements, and Takeoff/landing distances.

VFR Fuel Requirements (FAR 91.151)

Fly to the first point of intended landing plus $30\text{ minutes}$ of cruise during the day, or $45\text{ minutes}$ at night.

NTSB Accident

An occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft where any person suffers death or serious injury, or in which the aircraft receives substantial damage.

Pilotage

A technique of navigation by reference to visual landmarks and checkpoints on a chart.

Dead Reckoning

Navigating by calculating heading, time, speed, distance, and wind drifting.

Variation

The angular difference between true north and magnetic north at a specific location.

RAIM (Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring)

A GPS technology that monitors the integrity of satellite signals and alerts the pilot if GPS data is unreliable.

Transponder Code 7500

The standardized emergency transponder code for a hijack.

Transponder Code 7600

The standardized emergency transponder code for lost communications (radio failure).

Transponder Code 7700

The standardized emergency transponder code for a general emergency.

Class A Airspace

Controlled airspace from $18,000\text{ ft MSL}$ up to and including $FL600$ ($60,000\text{ ft MSL}$); requires IFR clearance.

Class B Airspace

Controlled airspace from the surface to $10,000\text{ ft MSL}$ surrounding the busiest airports; requires explicit ATC clearance and a Mode C transponder.

Class G Airspace

Uncontrolled airspace extending from the surface to the base of the overlying Class E airspace.

Special VFR (SVFR)

An ATC clearance allowing VFR operation in controlled surface airspace when weather is below standard VFR minimums ($1\text{ SM}$ visibility and clear of clouds).

Angle of Attack (AoA)

The acute angle between the chord line of the wing and the direction of the relative wind.

Critical Angle of Attack

The specific angle of attack at which the airflow separates from the wing, causing an aerodynamic stall.

Parasite Drag

Drag caused by the aircraft structure (friction, form, and interference) as it moves through the air; it increases with the square of the airspeed.

Induced Drag

A byproduct of lift; drag created by the production of lift that increases at higher angles of attack and lower airspeeds.

V_a (Maneuvering Speed)

The maximum speed at which full or abrupt control movements can be made without overstressing the airframe; this speed decreases as aircraft weight decreases.

V_g (Best Glide Speed)

The airspeed that provides the maximum lift-to-drag ratio ($L/D \text{ Max}$) for the greatest gliding distance.

Density Altitude

Pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature; it represents the altitude at which the airplane 'feels' it is performing.

Absolute Altitude (AGL)

The vertical distance of the aircraft above the terrain or ground level.

Carburetor Icing

The formation of ice in the venturi of a carburetor due to temperature drop from fuel vaporization and pressure decrease; characterized by a drop in RPM or manifold pressure.

Detonation

The sudden, uncontrolled, explosive combustion of the fuel/air mixture in the cylinder, often caused by using lower-octane fuel or engine overheating.

IMSAFE Checklist

A personal health/readiness checklist for pilots: Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Emotion/Eating.

PAVE Checklist

A risk assessment tool: Pilot, Aircraft, enVironment, and External Pressures.

Hypoxic Hypoxia

A deficiency of oxygen reaching the body tissues due to insufficient oxygen in the atmosphere, such as at high altitudes.

Hypemic Hypoxia

Occurs when the blood is unable to transport a sufficient amount of oxygen, often caused by carbon monoxide poisoning or anemia.

Spatial Disorientation

The inability of a pilot to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude, or airspeed due to conflicting sensory inputs from the vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems.

Somatogravic Illusion

A vestibular illusion where rapid acceleration is misinterpreted as a nose-up pitch attitude, potentially leading the pilot to push the nose down into a dive.

Graveyard Spiral

A state where a pilot in a prolonged constant-rate turn loses the sensation of turning; when attempting to level wings, the pilot feels a turn in the opposite direction and returns to the original turn, losing altitude and potentially overstressing the aircraft.

Alcohol Regulation (FAR 91.17)

Pilots may not fly within 8 hours of consuming alcohol ('bottle to throttle'), with a BAC of $0.04$ percent or higher, or while suffering from a hangover.