Private Pilot study

1st Class Medical Expiration

Under 40: 12 cm; Over 40: 6cm

2nd Class Medical Expiration

Under 40: 12cm; Over 40: 12cm

3rd Class Medical Expiration

Under 40: 60cm; Over 40: 24cm

1st Class Medical Privileges

Allows you to fly passengers (Airline transport Pilot)

2nd Class Medical Privileges

Allows for commercial pilots; can’t be pilot in command

3rd Class Medical Privileges

Allows you to fly yourself, or be a flight instructor

PAVE

Are you safe to fly? Pilot, Aircraft, Environment (weather), External Pressures

I’M SAFE

Is pilot ok to fly? Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Eating/Emotion

Hypoxia

Oxygen Deficiency in brain; Hypoxic, hyperemic, histotoxic, and stagnant

Hypoxic Hypoxia

Hypoxia due to not breathing in as much oxygen as usual at higher altitudes

Hypemic Hypoxia

Hypoxia when blood cells can’t transport oxygen to body cells (carbon monoxide poisoning)

Histotoxic Hypoxia

Hypoxia when cells can’t use oxygen properly; caused by alcohol and drugs

Stagnant Hypoxia

Hypoxia when blood cells don’t flow; due to hypothermia, high g-force, or heart attack

How does your body know what position you’re in

Visual, Vestibular System, and somatosensory system

Somatosensory system

Cavity inside inner ear has hairs that send signals to brain; tells you what position your head is in

Vestibular System

When eustachian tube hurts due to trying to equalize pressure difference with middle ear and outside world

Social disorientation

When your body has conflicting signals and can’t interpret orientation

Types of Social disorientation

Desensitization illusion, Coriolis illusion, graveyard spiral, leans, somatographic illusion, desensitization illusion

Desensitization illusion

Type of social disorientation: When you’re not upright for a while and hairs think ‘turn position’ is new normal; feels weird when you’re upright.

You also don’t notice things you’re used to

Coriolis illusion

Type of social disorientation: Abrupt head movement

Graveyard spiral

Type of social disorientation: When you’re spinning but feel like you’re straight and level

Leans

Type of social disorientation: When you don’t realize you’re straight and level after a long bank

Somatographic Illusion

Type of social disorientation: You feel like you’re falling but you’re actually climbing (during takeoff)

4 forces of flight

Thrust, drag, lift, weight

Straight and level

All 4 force are equal, constant speed

Angle of attack

Angle between chord line and relative wind

Stagnation point

Where the wind hits the wing, divides the air flow above and below the wing

Leading edge

Point furthest from the plane body

Chord line

Straight line from trailing edge to leading edge

Camber

Thickness of wing

Mean camber line

Curved line down middle of wing

Bernoulli’s Principle

A way the plane creates lift; air above plane speeds up due to traveling a further distance, creating higher pressure on top of wing. Pressure goes from low to high so lift is created

Newton’s 3rd law

A way the plane creates lift: propellor accelerates air over wings, the opposite action pushes air towards propellor and creates lift

Primary flight controls

Moves plane about an axis of flight: Rudder, aileron, elevator/horizontal stabler

Secondary flight controls

Flaps, trim, spoilers

Vertical axis of flight:

Controls nose left/right w/ rudder

Lateral axis of flight:

Controls pitch up/down w/ horizontal stabler

Longitudinal axis of flight

Controls roll w/ aileron

Differential aeilerons

One moves up more then the other moves down to stop slip/skid turns

Skid turn

Tail moves too far for turn, like drifting

Slip turn

Nose doesn’t move enough for turn

Left-turning tendencies

P-factor, torque, spiraling slipstream, gyroscopic precision

P-factor

Left turning tendency: right blade points down while left blade points up, right blade takes in more air which causes left turn

Torque

Left turning tendency: Due to Newton’s 3rd the clockwise propellor turn causes force from the left

Spiraling slipstream

Left turning tendency: Prop causes air to wrap around the plane, and pushes the rudder from the left causing a left turn

Gyroscopic precession

Left turning tendency: Slipping wheel causes pressure applied 90 degrees to the left (direction of prop rotation), which causes left turn and a nose dip before takeoff

Stability

What happens when you push nose down and let go

Positive stability

Static: nose goes back up, Dynamic: Nose goes up/down a lot, and angle decreases as it goes on

Neutral stability

Static: nose goes down at constant rate, Dynamic: Nose goes up/down a lot, and angle decreases as it goes on

Negative stability

Static: nose goes down at accelerated rate, Dynamic: Nose goes up/down a little, and angle increases as it goes on

What happens to air density as altitude increases

Decreases (air is the same, amount of molecules is changing)

Air pressure

Weight of all the air above the point you’re measuring

How to increase lift

Increase angle of attack or increase speed

Stall recovery

Relax (reduce AOA), max (power), roll (wings to level)

Spin

If plane is stalled and yaw is present

Angle of incidence

Angle between longitudinal axis and chord line (always the same)

Aspect ratio

Wingspan over average chord line length

Flaps

Allow you to lower nose without increasing speed by increasing aoa

Trim

Relieves pressure on flight controls

Spoilers

Deployed from wings to reduce lift and increase drag