Private Pilot Ground School - Introduction & Human Factors

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Private Pilot certification, FAA resources, Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM), Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM), risk assessment models, and aviation physiology.

FAR/AIM

A combined FAA publication containing the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), features a single consolidated index covering both sections.

Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H)

An official FAA reference publication provided during the written Knowledge Test containing figures, legends, and charts referenced by exam questions.

BasicMed

A regulatory framework allowing eligible pilots who have held a prior FAA medical certificate to fly non-commercially under restrictions, including aircraft certified for no more than 7 occupants, maximum takeoff weight under 12,500 lbs, below 18,000 feet, and maximum airspeed of 250 KIAS.

Medical Certificate Expirations

Validity periods for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Class medical certificates based on whether the pilot was under 40 or 40 and older on the date of the medical examination, expiring on the last day of the month.

Category (Pilot Certification)

A broad grouping of aircraft for pilot certification purposes: Airplane, Rotorcraft, Glider, Lighter-than-air, and Powered Lift.

Class (Pilot Certification)

A classification of aircraft within a category having similar flight characteristics, such as Single engine land, Multi engine land, Single engine sea, and Multi engine sea.

Category (Aircraft Certification)

A grouping of aircraft based upon intended use or operating limitations: Transport, Normal, Utility, Acrobatic, Limited, Restricted, and Provisional.

Class (Aircraft Certification)

A broad grouping of aircraft having similar characteristics of propulsion, flight, or landing: Airplane, Rotorcraft, Glider, Balloon, Landplane, and Seaplane.

Flight Review

A mandatory review (commonly known as a Biennial Flight Review or BFR) required every 24 calendar months for a pilot to act as Pilot in Command (PIC).

High Performance Endorsement

A logbook endorsement from a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) required to act as PIC of an airplane with an engine of over 200 horsepower.

Complex Airplane Endorsement

A logbook endorsement from a CFI required to act as PIC of an airplane equipped with retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable-pitch propeller or Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC).

Advisory Circular (AC)

Informational guidance publications issued by the FAA to provide non-regulatory guidance for compliance with airworthiness, pilot certification, and operational standards within 14 CFR.

Airman Certification Standards (ACS)

An official FAA document outlining the required knowledge, risk management, and flight skill performance standards for practical tests.

Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM)

The practice of managing all available resources (onboard and external) prior to and during flight to ensure successful completion, comprising ADM, Risk Management, Task Management, Situational Awareness, CFIT Awareness, and Automation Management.

Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM)

A systematic approach to the mental process used by pilots to consistently determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances.

DECIDE Model

A six-step ADM model consisting of: Detect a change, Estimate the need to counteract, Choose a desirable outcome, Identify necessary actions, Do the action, and Evaluate the effect.

IMSAFE Checklist

A personal preflight fitness assessment checklist representing Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Emotion.

Hazardous Attitude Antidotes

Specific positive mindsets used to counter the five hazardous flight attitudes: 'Follow the rules' (Anti-authority), 'Think first' (Impulsivity), 'It could happen to me' (Invulnerability), 'Taking chances is foolish' (Macho), and 'I can make a difference' (Resignation).

PAVE Checklist

A risk management framework dividing flight risks into four categories: Pilot (experience/currency), Airplane (capabilities/equipment), Environment (weather/terrain), and External Pressures.

Five 'Ps' Check

An SRM evaluation matrix examining the Plan, Plane, Pilot, Passengers, and Programming throughout a flight.

Risk Assessment Matrix

A matrix evaluating likelihood (Probable, Occasional, Remote, Improbable) against severity (Catastrophic, Critical, Marginal, Negligible) to determine overall risk levels (High, Serious, Medium, Low).

Sterile Cockpit

An operational state during critical phases of flight (such as taxi, takeoff, and landing) where non-essential conversation is prohibited to minimize workload and distraction.

Positive Exchange of Aircraft Control

A standardized three-step communication procedure ('You have the airplane', 'I have the airplane', 'You have the airplane') ensuring clear command of flight controls.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

An accident where an airworthy aircraft is flown into terrain, water, or obstacles under pilot control due to inadequate awareness of the impending collision.

Stress Performance Curve

A graph illustrating that pilot performance increases with stress up to an optimum stress level, after which excessive stress causes performance to rapidly decline.

Eustachian Tube

An anatomical passage connecting the middle ear to the throat that allows air pressure to equalize across the eardrum during altitude changes.

Decompression Sickness (DCS) After Scuba Diving

A physiological hazard caused by nitrogen dissolving in body tissues under hyperbaric underwater conditions; pilots or passengers must wait 24 hours after scuba diving before flying.

14 CFR Part 91 Alcohol Regulation

Federal aviation regulation mandating that a pilot's blood alcohol concentration must be below 0.04 percent and that at least 8 hours must pass between alcohol consumption and performing crewmember duties.