Pilot Certificates and Privileges
What documents must you have with you to fly the airplane? (61.3)
Pilot certificate, medical certificate, and a government-issued photo ID are required.
What are your limitations as a student pilot? (61.89)
- Cannot carry passengers.
- Cannot carry property for compensation or hire.
- Cannot fly in furtherance of a business.
- Cannot fly if visibility is less than 3 statute miles (day) or 5 statute miles (night), and flight must maintain visual reference to the surface.
What privileges and limitations apply to a private pilot? (61.113, 91.146)
- Privileges:
- Act as PIC and carry passengers.
- Conduct search and rescue operations.
- Fly for charitable, non-profit, or community events.
- Act as an aircraft salesperson with at least 200 hours.
- Limitations:
- Cannot fly for hire.
- Must pay no less than a pro rata share of expenses.
Do you need to take your logbook with you? (61.51)
Only as a solo student pilot on a cross-country flight.
What type of pilot certificate do you have? Does it expire? (61.19)
- Student pilot: Expires after 60 months (under 40) or 24 months (over 40).
- PPL, CPL, CFI, ground instructors, ATP: No expiration date.
How do we keep our pilot certificate current? (61.56, 61.57)
- Student pilots: Maintain a valid medical certificate.
- Private pilots: Complete a flight review every 24 calendar months.
What are the currency requirements for carrying passengers? (61.57)
- 3 takeoffs and landings within the last 90 days in the same category, class, and type (if required).
- At night, 3 landings must be to a full stop.
What is the definition of night? When can you perform required night landings? (1.1, 61.57)
- Night: Evening civil twilight to morning civil twilight.
- Night landings: Loggable 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise.
Aircraft Documentation and Inspections
What documents should be in the aircraft before flight? (ARROW) (91.9, 91.203)
- Airworthiness Certificate
- Registration
- Radio License (for international flights)
- Operating Limitations (in the POH)
- Weight and Balance
- Equipment list
When will an aircraft registration certificate expire? (PHAK 8-6)
Every 3 years.
Which weight and balance information must be in the aircraft?
The updated weight and balance equipment list from the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM).
What do category, class, and type mean with respect to certification, privileges, and limitations? (61.5)
- Category: Airplane, Rotorcraft, Glider, Lighter-Than-Air, etc.
- Class: Single Engine Land/Sea, Multi Engine Land/Sea.
- Type: Specific to aircraft; required for aircraft over 12,500 lbs, turbojets, or FAA-specified (61.31).
If a pilot changes their permanent mailing address, how long can they exercise privileges without notifying the FAA? (61.60)
30 days.
Does an Airworthiness Certificate ever expire?
No, if inspections are current and the aircraft matches the original design.
Does the POH meet the requirement of having an AFM? (PHAK 8-2)
Yes, for most light aircraft built after 1975, the POH serves as the AFM.
Who says we have to follow the POH? (91.9)
FAR 91.9: “No person may operate a civil aircraft without complying with the operating limitations specified in the approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual.”
Who is responsible for ensuring an aircraft is maintained in an airworthy condition? (91.403)
The owner/operator.
Discuss AVIATES: Required Inspections
- Annual: Every 12 calendar months (91.409).
- VOR: Every 30 days for IFR (91.171).
- 100 Hour: If operated for hire.
- Altimeter/Pitot Static: Every 24 calendar months for IFR (91.411).
- Transponder: Every 24 calendar months (91.413).
- ELT: Every 12 months, or after 1 hour use or half battery life (91.207).
- Service bulletins/ADs: Must be complied with.
What is an Airworthiness Directive? Is it mandatory? (PHAK 8-12)
An AD is an FAA order to fix a known aircraft issue. Yes, it’s mandatory.
What different kinds of ADs are there?
- Emergency ADs: Immediate compliance required.
- One-Time ADs: Compliance required once.
- Recurring ADs: Compliance at specified intervals.
Can you overfly an annual or 100-hour inspection? (91.409)
- Annual: Only with a special flight permit from the FSDO.
- 100-hour: Up to 10 hours if enroute to inspection location.
- Note: Annual can substitute for 100-hour, not vice versa.
Do you need to have an ELT in the airplane today? (91.207)
No, not for training within 50 nm of the home airport.
When does an ELT battery have to be replaced or recharged? (91.207)
- After 12 calendar months.
- After 1 hour of cumulative use.
- After half its battery life.
What equipment and instruments are required for today’s flight? (ATOMATOFLAMES) (91.205b)
- Altimeter
- Tachometer
- Oil temperature gauge
- Magnetic compass
- Airspeed indicator
- Temperature gauge (liquid-cooled engines)
- Oil pressure
- Fuel quantity gauge
- Landing gear position indicator (retractable gear)
- Anti-collision lights (e.g., beacon or strobes)
- Manifold pressure gauge (constant-speed props)
- ELT
- Seatbelts
What additional equipment is needed to fly tonight? (FLAPS) (91.205c)
- Fuses: 3 of each kind or 1 complete set.
- Landing light: Required for hire (e.g., training).
- Anti-collision lights
- Position lights: Red (left), green (right), white (tail).
What would you do if the landing light was inoperative? (91.213)
- Day: Deactivate/remove and placard it inoperative.
- Night: Cannot fly per FARs.
Can you fly an airplane with known inoperative equipment?
Yes, if not listed in 91.205, and it’s deactivated, removed, and placarded.
What is a Minimum Equipment List (MEL)? (PHAK 8-9)
An FAA-approved list of equipment that can be inoperative.
Do we have an MEL?
No, we follow 91.205 and 91.213(d).
Can an aircraft owner change an MEL?
Yes, by submitting a letter and proposed MEL (based on the Master MEL) to the FAA for approval.
Aerodynamics and Flight Principles
What are the four forces of flight?
- Lift
- Weight
- Thrust
- Drag
What are the secondary flight controls? (PHAK 5-8)
- Flaps
- Leading-edge devices
- Spoilers
- Trim systems (e.g., anti-servo tabs)
How is lift created? (PHAK 3-4)
- Newton’s 3rd Law: Airfoils accelerate air downward, reaction forces airfoil upward.
- Bernoulli’s Principle: High-speed air over wing (low pressure) vs. slow air beneath (high pressure) creates lift.
What are the two main types of drag on an aircraft?
- Parasite drag
- Induced drag
What is parasite drag?
It increases with speed and includes:
- Form drag
- Skin friction drag
- Interference drag
What is form drag?
Caused by the aircraft’s shape and airflow disruption (e.g., antennas, pitot mast, cowling).
What is skin friction drag?
Caused by air slowing over the surface; worsened by rivets, dirt, or roughness.
What is interference drag?
Results from intersecting airstreams (e.g., wing-fuselage junction) creating turbulence.
What is induced drag?
- Byproduct of lift, decreases with speed.
- Caused by:
- High-pressure air under wing spilling to low-pressure above, forming wingtip vortices.
- Increased angle of attack tilting lift vector backward.
What is the significance of the airspeed where induced drag and parasite drag meet?
It’s Vg (best glide speed), also L/D Max (maximum lift-to-drag ratio).
What is camber?
The wing’s curvature, adjustable by extending/retracting flaps.
What is the angle of incidence?
The fixed angle between the wing’s chord line and the fuselage.
What is the center of gravity (CG)?
The point where all aircraft weight is concentrated and balanced.
How does a forward CG affect the aircraft?
- Makes it nose-heavy.
- Requires more back pressure and tail-down force.
- Lowers cruise speed, raises stall speed.
How does an aft CG affect the aircraft?
- Reduces tail-down force and drag.
- Increases cruise speed, lowers stall speed.
- Shortens CG-stabilator distance, reducing control authority and complicating stall recovery.
What causes a wing to stall?
Exceeding the critical angle of attack.
How do high temperatures affect aircraft performance?
- Less dense air reduces wing, prop, and engine efficiency.
- Results in longer takeoff rolls and weaker climbs.
How does higher weight affect takeoff and landing distances?
- Longer takeoff rolls: More power needed to reach liftoff speed.
- Longer landing distances: More braking force required.
What are the different types of airspeeds?
- IAS: Indicated Airspeed
- CAS: Calibrated Airspeed (IAS corrected for errors)
- TAS: True Airspeed (CAS corrected for temp/pressure)
- GS: Ground Speed (TAS corrected for wind)
What are the different types of altitudes?
- Indicated: Read from altimeter
- Pressure: Height above 29.92″ Hg datum
- Density: Pressure altitude corrected for temperature
- True: Height above MSL
- Absolute: Height above AGL
How do you calculate Pressure Altitude (PA)?
PA = Field Elevation + (29.92 – Current Altimeter Setting) × 1000
How do you calculate Density Altitude (DA)?
DA = PA + [120 × (Outside Air Temp in °C – Standard Temp)]
What factors affect air density?
- Heat: Warm air is less dense.
- Height: Higher altitudes have less dense air.
- Humidity: Moist air is less dense (water molecules lighter than nitrogen/oxygen).
What are the weight limits for the aircraft?
Maximum Ramp, Takeoff, and Landing Weights: 2550 lbs
What is the difference between ramp weight and takeoff weight?
- Ramp weight: Max for ground ops (e.g., taxiing).
- Takeoff weight: Max for takeoff.
What is the maximum demonstrated crosswind component for the aircraft?
17 knots
How do headwinds and tailwinds affect takeoff and landing distances?
- Headwinds: Shorten distances.
- Tailwinds: Lengthen distances.
What is the weight of one gallon of 100LL aviation fuel?
6 lbs
What are the V-speeds for the aircraft?
- Vso: 45 knots (stall, landing config)
- Vs1: 50 knots (stall, specific config)
- Vy: 76 knots (best rate of climb)
- Vx: 64 knots (best angle of climb)
- Vfe: 102 knots (max flap extension)
- Va: 89-113 knots (maneuvering; varies with weight)
- Vno: 125 knots (max structural cruising)
- Vne: 154 knots (never exceed)
Does Vg change with weight?
Yes, Vg is 76 knots at max gross weight, slower at lower weights.
When should you use Vx and Vy during a climb?
- Vx: Clear obstacles quickly.
- Vy: Reach altitude in shortest time.
What are the left turning tendencies in an aircraft?
Remembered by TGAS:
- Torque: Clockwise prop causes left roll; on ground, more left wheel weight yaws left.
- Gyroscopic Precession: Descent (tail up) yaws left; climb (tail down) slightly right (minor).
- Asymmetrical Thrust: Climb increases right blade lift, yaws left.
- Spiraling Slipstream: Prop wash hits left stabilizer (yaws left) and right wing from above (minor right roll).
- Strongest at low airspeeds, high angles of attack, and high power.
