Stage 1 Knowledge Prep - Flight Training

Vocabulary flashcards covering solo flight documentation, medical certificate durations, aircraft inspections (SPARROW, AV1ATE), engine specifications, and aircraft systems.

Required Solo Documents

The documents a student must have in their possession when flying solo: student pilot licence, medical, government-issued photo ID, and logbook with instructor’s endorsement.

1st Class Medical Validity (Under 40)

$12$ calendar months of 1st class privileges, followed by $48$ calendar months of 3rd class privileges ($60$ calendar months total).

2nd Class Medical Validity (Under 40)

$12$ calendar months of 2nd class privileges, followed by $48$ calendar months of 3rd class privileges ($60$ calendar months total).

3rd Class Medical Validity (Under 40)

$60$ calendar months of 3rd class privileges.

1st Class Medical Validity (Over 40)

$6$ calendar months of 1st class privileges, $6$ calendar months of 2nd class privileges, and $12$ calendar months of 3rd class privileges ($24$ calendar months total).

2nd Class Medical Validity (Over 40)

$12$ calendar months of 2nd class privileges and $12$ calendar months of 3rd class privileges ($24$ calendar months total).

3rd Class Medical Validity (Over 40)

$24$ calendar months of 3rd class privileges.

SPARROW

An acronym listing the required documents on board an aircraft: Supplements, Placards, Airworthiness certificate, Registration, Radio licence (only if flying out of the country), Operating limitations, and Weight & balance.

Aircraft Document Locations

Supplements, operating limitations, and weight & balance are behind the passenger seat; placards are stickers in the cockpit; airworthiness and registration certificates are in the baggage compartment.

Airworthiness Certificate Expiration

It never expires, as long as required inspections are kept up to date.

Aircraft Registration Renewal Periods

State registration must be renewed every year; Federal registration must be renewed every $7$ years.

AV1ATE

An acronym for required aircraft inspections: Annual ($12$ cal months), VOR ($30$ days), 100 hour ($100$ hours), Altimeter/static system ($24$ cal months), Transponder ($24$ cal months), and ELT ($12$ cal months).

Special Flight Permit

A permit required to overfly the annual inspection to a maintenance facility.

100-Hour Inspection Overflight Allowance

An inspection that can be overflown by up to $10$ hours if the aircraft is enroute to a maintenance facility, without needing a special flight permit.

Flows

Routines memorized in a logical order to quickly accomplish tasks, which are subsequently verified with a checklist to ensure every item was completed for safety.

METAR

Meteorological Aerodrome Report; a report of the current weather at an airport.

TAF

Terminal Aerodrome Forecast; the forecast for an airport.

Standard Temperature and Pressure at Sea Level

$15\text{C}$ / $59\text{F}$ and an altimeter setting of $29.92$.

Primary Flight Controls

The main aerodynamic flight controls: Ailerons, Stabilator, and Rudder.

Secondary Flight Controls

Auxiliary flight controls consisting of Flaps and Trim.

LHAND

An acronym describing the characteristics of the aircraft engine: Lycoming, Horizontally opposed, Air-cooled, Naturally aspirated, and Direct drive.

Warrior Engine Ratings

$160\text{HP}$ at $2700\text{RPM}$.

Archer Engine Ratings

$180\text{HP}$ at $2700\text{RPM}$.

Four Engine Strokes

The operational cycle of the engine: Intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust.

Runup

A pre-flight engine check performed to make sure the engine and systems are functioning properly before takeoff.

Fuel Capacity

$50\text{ gallons}$ total, with $48\text{ gallons}$ useable ($24\text{ gallons}$ useable in each tank).

100LL Fuel

The type of aviation fuel used in the aircraft, identifiable by its blue color.

Electrical System

An aircraft system powered by a $14\text{ volt}$, $60\text{ amp}$ alternator and a $12\text{ volt}$ battery.

Pitot/Static Instruments

Instruments connected to the pitot-static system: Airspeed indicator, Altimeter, and Vertical speed indicator.

Gyroscopic Instruments

Instruments powered by gyroscopes: Attitude indicator, Heading indicator, and Turn coordinator.

Factors Affecting Aircraft Performance

Variables that alter performance, including aircraft weight, runway conditions (wet/dry/icy/etc), winds, outside air temperature (OAT), and altitude.