Pilot's Cafe Flashcards
When is an instrument rating required?
- When acting as PIC under IFR or in weather conditions less than VFR. (61.3)
- When carrying passengers for compensation or hire on xc flights in excess of 50 NM or at night. (61.133)
- For flight in Class A airspace (90.135)
- For special VRF between sunset and sunrise (91.157)
To act as PIC, when is a flight review required?
A flight review is required since the beginning of the 24 calendar months before the month of the flight in an aircraft for which the pilot is rated. Consists of minimum 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training. Conducted by an authorized instructor.
The flight review can be substituted for:
- A proficiency check or practical pilot test for a pilot certificate, rating or operating privilege (conducted by an approved examiner, pilot check airman, or US Armed Force).
- A practical test, conducted by an examiner, for flight instructor certificate, additional rating, renewal or reinstatement.
- Completion of one or more phases of the FAA-sponsored pilot proficiency award program (WINGS).
- Flight instructor renewal under part 61.197 exempts the pilot from the ground portion of the flight review.
When may a pilot log instrument time? When may an instructor log instrument time?
A person may log instrument time only for that flight time when the person operates the aircraft solely by reference to instruments under actual or simulated instrument flight conditions.
An authorized instructor my log instrument time when conducting instrument flight instruction in actual instrument flight conditions.
To carry passengers as PIC, a pilot must have
- 3 takeoffs and landings in category, class and type in the last 90 days.
- at periods between 1 hr after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise: 3 takeoffs and landings to full stop within 1 hr after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise
To act as PIC under IFR or in weather conditions less than the minimums for VFR
6HITS - within 6 calendar months preceding the month of flight:
- 6 instrument approaches
- Holding procedures & tasks.
- Intercepting and Tracking courses through the use of navigational electronic systems.
No “6 HITS” logged looking back six months?
You have an additional 6 months to regain currency by performing the 6HITS with a safety pilot (under simulated conditions), an instructor or examiner.
What are the requirements of the safety pilot?
The safety pilot
- holds at least a private pilot certificate with the appropriate category and class.
- Have adequate vision forward and to each side of the aircraft.
- Aircraft must have a dual control system.
More than 6 months since IFR current?
- An Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) is required. Administered by a CFII, examiner, or other approved person.
- Some IPC tasks, but not all, can be conducted in a FTD or ATD.
Personal Docs required for flight
- Pilot Certificate
- Medical certificate
- Gov’t issued photo ID
- Restricted Radiotelephpne operator permit (outside US)
Aircraft docs required
A- Airworthiness certificate R- Registration Certificate R- Radio station license (outside US) O- Operating limitations (in AFM) W- Weight and balance data
Preflight self-assessment (IM SAFE)
I - Illness M - Medication S - Stress A - Alcohol F - Fatigue E - Emotion
(alcohol - no more than 0.04% alcohol in the blood)
Risk management and personal minimums (PAVE)
P - Pilot
A - Aircraft
V - EnVironment
E - External Pressures
Pilot - general health, physical/mental/emotional state, proficiency, currency;
Aircraft - airworthiness, equipment, performance;
Environment - weather, hazards, terrain, airports/runways to be used & other conditions;
External pressures - meetings, people waiting at destination, etc.
Decision making (DECIDE)
D - Detect that a change has occurred
E - Estimate the need to counter the change
C - Choose a desirable outcome
I - Identify solutions
D - Do the necessary actions
E - Evaluate the effects of the actions
Passenger Briefing (SAFETY)
S - Seat belts fastened for taxi, takeoff & landing; Shoulder harness fastened for TOLs; Seat position adjusted and locked
A - Air vents location & operation; All environmental controls discussed; Action in case of any passenger discomfort
F - Fire extinguisher location and operation
E - Exit doors (how to secure; how to open); Emergency evacuation plan; Emergency/ survival kit
T - Traffic scanning, spotting & notifying pilot; Talking (sterile cockpit, flight deck expectations)
Y - Your questions?
Aircraft Mx inspections required for IFR:
A - ADs
V - VOR (30 days)
I - Inspections (100 hr & Annual)
A - Altimeter, & static system (24 calendar months)
T - Transponder (24 calendar months)
E - ELT (every 12 months)
S - Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) required inspections
Preflight info required for IFR:
NW KRAFT
N - NOTAMs W - Weather reports & forecasts K - Known traffic delays R - Runway lengths if intended use A - Alternatives available F - Fuel requirements T - TOL performance data
What are 4 ways to file and IFR flight plan?
1) FSS (phone 1-800-WX-BRIEF; Radio GCO/RCO; In person)
2) Online 1800wxbrief.com; www.fltplan.com
3) EFT (e.g. Foreflight)
4) With ATC (i.e., pop-up IFR)
How long before estimated departure should you file your IFR flight plan?
at least 30 minutes before
How can flight plans be cancelled?
- Towered airports - automatically cancelled by ATC upon landing.
- Non-towered airports - Pilot must contact ATC / FSS to cancel (by radio or phone)
- Can cancel anytime in flight if out of IMC and out of class A airspace.
What are IFR minimum fuel requirements?
Fuel from departure to destination airport + Fuel from destination to most distant alternate + 45 min calculated at normal cruise
Need a destination alternate?
123 Rule
A destination alternate is always required, unless:
An instrument approach is published and available for the destination AND,
-For at least 1 hr before to one hr after ETA,
Ceiling will be at least 2000’ above airport elevation; and
Visibility will be at least 3 SM.
What are the minimum wx conditions required at an airport to list it as an alternate?
The alternate airport minima published in the procedure charts, or, if none:
- Precision approach: 600’ ceiling and 2SM visibility
- Non-precision approach - 800’ ceiling and 2 SM visibility.
No IAP available at the alternate:
-Ceiling and visibility must allow descent from MEA, approach and landing under VFR.
What are the IFR cruising altitudes?
Uncontrolled airspace:
(Based on magnetic course)
Below FL 290:
0-179 ODD thousands
180-359 EVEN thousands
Controlled airspace:
Assigned by ATC
What are the IFR T/O minumums?
- No T/O min for part 91
- 1-2 engines - 1 SM visibility
- > 2 engines - 1/2 SM visibility
What are two types of DPs (Departure Procedures)?
1) Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODPs)
2) Standard Instrument Departure (SID)
What is a Standard Terminal Arrival Rout (STAR)?
- Serves as a transition between the en route structure adn a point from which an approach to landing can be made.
- Transition routes connect en route fixes to the basic STAR procedure.
- Usually named according to the fix at which the basic procedure begins.
- As with a SID, you can state “No STARs” in the remarks section of a flight plan to avoid getting a clearance containing a STAR
Define Decision Altitude (DA)
DA is the altitude (MSL) / Height above runway threshold on an IAP at which the pilot must decide whether to continue the approach or go around.
MCA
Minimum Crossing Altitude
Define MDA
Minimum Decent Altitude / Height (MDA) is the lowest altitude MSL / Height above the runway threshold to which descent is authorized on a non-precision approach until the pilot sees the visual references required for landing.
Define MEA
Minimum En-route Altitude is the lowest published altitude between radio fixes with assures acceptable navigational signal coverage and meets obstacle clearance requirements. An MEA gap establishes an area of loss in navigational coverage and annotated “MEA GAP” on IFR charts.
Define MOCA
Minimum Obstruction Clearance Altitude provides obstacle clearance and navigation coverage only up to 22 NM of the VOR
-If both an MEA and a MOCA are prescribed for a particular route segment, a person may operate an aircraft lower than the MEA down to, but not below the MOCA, provided the applicable navigation signals are available. For aircraft using VOR for navigation, this applies only when the aircraft is within 22 NM of the VOR.
Define MORA
Minimum Off Route Altitude
- Route MORA provides obstruction clearance within 10NM to either side of airway centerlines and within a 10NM radius at the ends of airways.
- Grid MORA provide obstruction clearance within a latitude/longitude grid block.
What is MRA
Minimum Reception Altitude
Define MTA
Minimum Turning Altitude provides vertical and lateral obstacle clearance in turns over certain fixes. Annotated with the MCA X icon and a note describing the restriction.
Define MVA
Minimum Vectoring Altitude is the lowest altitude at which an IFR aircraft will be vectored by a radar controller, except as otherwise authorized for radar approaches, departures and missed approaches. MVAs may be lower than the minimum altitudes depicted on aeronautical charts, such as MEAs or MOCAs.
Define OROCA
Off Route Obstruction Clearance Altitude provides obstruction clearance with a 1,000 ft buffer in non-mountainous terrain and a 2,000 ft buffer in mountainous terrain. OROCA may not provide navigation or communication signal coverage.
On charts:
16,000 -> MEA
1700G -> GPS MEA
*11000 -> MOCA
Describe the gyroscopic flight instrument:
Attitude indicator
The attitude indicator
- operates on the principal of rigidity in space.
- Shows bank and pitch information.
- Older AIs may have a tumble limit.
- Should show correct attitude w/in 5 minutes of starting the engine.
- Normally vacuum driven in GA Aircraft, may be electrical in others.
- May have small acceleration/deceleration errors and roll-out errors.
Describe the gyroscopic flight instrument:
Heading indicator
The Heading Indicator
- operates on the principle of rigidity in space.
- It only reflects changes in heading, but cannot measure the heading directly. You have to calibrate it with a magnetic compass in order for it to indicate correctly. HIs may be slaved to a magnetic heading source such as a flux gate, and sync automatically to the present heading.
- Normally powered by the vacuum system in a GA aircraft.
Describe the gyroscopic instrument:
Turn indicator
Turn indicators
- operate on the principle of precession
- show rate of turn and rate of roll
- turn-and-slip indicators show rate-of-turn only.
Describe the pitot-static instrument:
Altimeter
- An aneroid barometer that shows the height above a given pressure level, based on standard pressure lapse rate of 1000’ per inch of mercury.
- A stack of sealed aneroid wafers expand and contract with changes in atmospheric pressure to an altitude indication.
- An altimeter setting knob (on a “sensitive altimeter” which are most aircraft altimeters) allows the pilot to adjust the current pressure to the current altimeter setting published locally.
- The pressure setting is displayed in the “Kollsman Window” in mb and/or Hg.
- In the US, when operating below 18,000’ MSL, regularly set the altimeter to a station within 100 NM. Above 18,000’ MSL, the altimeter should be set to the standard sea level pressure 29.92 Hg, and operate in Flight Levels (FL).
- High to Low - Watch Out Below: Use caution when flying from high pressure to low pressure areas. If altimeter setting is not updated, altitude with indicate higher, causing the pilot to fly lower than desired. Flying from hot to cold areas results in the same error.
