Commercial Certificate Review Notes

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering aeronautical knowledge, regulations, maneuvers, and aeromedical factors required for the Commercial Pilot Certificate.

Complex Airplane

An airplane that has retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller, or is a technically advanced airplane (TAA).

High-Performance Airplane

An airplane with an engine of more than $200\,hp$.

High-Altitude Airplane

An airplane with a service ceiling or maximum operating altitude, whichever is lower, above $25,000\,ft\,MSL$.

Aeronautical Experience: Total Flight Time

A minimum of $250\,hours$ of total flight time is required for a Commercial Rating.

Instrument Training Requirement

At least $10\,hours$ of instrument training using a view-limiting device, including attitude instrument flying, partial panel skills, and recovery from unusual attitudes.

Commercial Cross-Country Requirement (Day)

One $2\text{-}hour$ cross country flight in daytime conditions consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than $100\,nautical\,miles$.

Commercial Cross-Country Requirement (Night)

One $2\text{-}hour$ cross country flight in nighttime conditions consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than $100\,nautical\,miles$.

Solo Cross-Country Requirement

One flight of not less than $300\,nautical\,miles$ total distance, with landings at a minimum of $3\,points$, one of which is a straight-line distance of at least $250\,nautical\,miles$.

A TOMATO FLAMES

Mnemonic for VFR day equipment: Altimeter, Tachometer, Oil temperature, Manifold pressure, Airspeed indicator, Temperature gauge, Oil pressure, Fuel quantity, Landing gear position lights, ELT, Safety belts, Magnetic compass, and Anticollision lights.

FLAPS

Mnemonic for VFR night equipment: Fuses (spare set), Landing light (if for hire), Anticollision lights, Position lights, and Source of power.

GRABCARD

Mnemonic for Instrument flight equipment: Generator/Alternator, Radios (two-way and nav), Altimeter (sensitive), Ball (slip-skid indicator), Clock (with seconds), Attitude indicator, Rate of turn indicator, and Directional gyro.

NW KRAFT

Mnemonic for IFR preflight info: NOTAMs, Weather, Known traffic delays, Runway length, Alternatives, Fuel requirements, and Takeoff/landing performance.

6 HITS

Acronym for IFR recency: $6\,instrument\,approaches$, Holding procedures, Intercepting and Tracking courses using navigational systems.

Instrument Time (§ 61.51g)

Flight time logged only when the person operates the aircraft solely by reference to instruments under actual or simulated instrument flight conditions.

IFR Fuel Requirements (§ 91.167)

Fuel needed from departure to destination, plus fuel from destination to the most distant alternate, plus $45\,minutes$ at normal cruise speed.

VOT Check Tolerance

The maximum allowable error for a VOR Test Facility (VOT) check is $\pm 4^{\circ}$.

Hypoxic Hypoxia

A condition caused by insufficient oxygen available to the body as a whole.

Hypemic Hypoxia

Occurs when the blood is not able to take up and transport a sufficient amount of oxygen to the cells in the body.

Stagnant Hypoxia

Results when oxygen-rich blood in the lungs is not moving, preventing delivery to the tissues.

Histotoxic Hypoxia

The inability of cells to effectively use oxygen.

Hyperventilation

The excessive rate and depth of respiration leading to abnormal loss of carbon dioxide from the blood.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Exposure to a colorless, odorless gas (usually from exhaust) that causes tissues to be starved of oxygen; symptoms often start with drowsiness.

The Leans

An illusion caused by a sudden return to level flight following a gradual and unnoticed turn, causing the pilot to feel they must lean toward the original turn.

Coriolis Illusion

Occurs when a pilot in a turn moves their head, creating the illusion of turning or accelerating on an entirely different axis.

Graveyard Spiral

An illusion where a pilot recovering from a constant-rate turn feels they are turning in the opposite direction and returns the plane to the original turn, losing altitude.

Somatogravic Illusion

A rapid acceleration, such as during takeoff, that creates the illusion of being in a nose-up attitude.

Autokinesis

An illusion where a stationary light in the dark appears to move if it is stared at for a prolonged period.

Alcohol Regulation (§ 91.17)

No person may pilot an aircraft with a blood alcohol level of $.04\,percent$ or more, or within $8\,hours$ of consuming alcohol.

Night Definition (Recency)

For carrying passengers, the period from $1\,hour$ after sunset to $1\,hour$ before sunrise.

Common Carriage

Carriage for hire involving 'holding out' a willingness to transport persons or property from place to place for compensation.

Holding Out

Advertising oneself as a pilot for hire through agents, word of mouth, signs, or social media.

Private Carriage

Carriage for hire that does not involve holding out, typically involving one or a select few customers.

Detonation

An uncontrolled, explosive ignition of the fuel-air mixture within the cylinder's combustion chamber.

Preignition

Occurs when the fuel-air mixture ignites prior to the engine’s normal ignition event, usually caused by a residual hot spot.

Indicated Altitude

Uncorrected altitude indicated on the altimeter when barometric pressure is set to the current setting.

Pressure Altitude

Altitude corrected for non-standard pressure.

Density Altitude

Pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature.

True Altitude

The actual altitude above Mean Sea Level (MSL).

Absolute Altitude

The altitude of the aircraft above ground level (AGL).

$$V_{A}$$

Design maneuvering speed.

$$V_{NO}$$

Maximum structural cruise speed.

$$V_{NE}$$

Never exceed speed.

$$V_{X}$$

Best angle of climb.

$$V_{Y}$$

Best rate of climb.

Chandelle

A maximum performance $180^{\circ}$ climbing turn consisting of a constant bank and increasing pitch, then a constant pitch and decreasing bank.

Lazy Eight

A maneuver consisting of two $180^{\circ}$ turns in opposite directions while climbing and descending in a symmetrical pattern.

Steep Spiral

A maneuver involving at least $3\,complete\,360^{\circ}\,turns$ at a constant radius around a ground reference point at idle power.

Eights on Pylons

A maneuver where the pilot maintains a line-of-sight reference on a pylon by adjusting pivotal altitude based on groundspeed.

Clear Ice

Glossy, transparent ice formed by the relatively slow freezing of supercooled water.

Rime Ice

Rough, milky, opaque ice formed by the instantaneous freezing of supercooled droplets striking leading edges.

Bernoulli’s Principle

The principle that an increase in the speed of a fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure.

Microburst

A localized column of sinking air (downdraft) less than or equal to $2.5\,miles$ in diameter with winds up to $100\,mph$.

Positive Static Stability

The initial tendency of an aircraft to return to equilibrium after being disturbed.

Positive Dynamic Stability

The tendency for the motion of a displaced object to decrease in amplitude over time, returning to equilibrium.