PPL Deck 1 Flashcards
VFR requirements (distance and ceiling), MVFR
5sm, 3000ft
3-5sm, 1k-3k ft
Define cloud ceiling + difference between broken and overcast
Lowest cloud layer
Overcast - solid
Broken - spotty
Takeoffs and landings ideally ___ (direction) the wind?
Into.
Aircraft performs better in warm or cold weather and why?
Cold, air is more dense
Acronym for basic instruments in an airplane and what does each do?
Which ones need to be adjusted prior to/during flight?
AAHTAV Airspeed Altimeter (adjust prior to and during) Heading indicator (adjust during every 15 mins) Turn coordinator Attitude indicator Vertical speed indicator
Define colors on airspeed indicator
White - operating range of flaps
Green - normal operating
Yellow - smooth air only
Red - Vne
Statute and nautical miles = how many feet? How to convert knots to statute miles?
1 statute mile = 5280 ft. 1 nautical mile = 6076 ft
1 nautical mile x 1.15 - statute miles
Differences between compass (where is it located?) and heading indicator?
Heading is gyroscopically stabilized, not affected by speed/banks/turns
Compass typically located away from electrical and metal to reduce impact of local magnetic fields
Turn coordinator, another name for the ball, what forces does it measure, and what does it measure and how to fix if turn is not coordinated (and what is it called and also define each)?
Inclinometer; centrifugal, gravity, resultant forces; slipping or skidding?
Slipping: angle of bank is not enough for rate of turn
Describe control surfaces and how each work. Relationship of drag and lift?
Aileron (yoke left = left aileron up…down aileron has more drag and more lift…yoke down pitch down/elevator down)
Elevator - determines speed of airplane
Trim - maintains speed of airplane and reduces control pressures needed to maintain
Rudder
Define adverse yaw and how to fix
What does throttle and mixture control do?
Throttle - similar to accelerator in a car
Mixture = ratio of fuel to air
What does using flaps do?
More lift at lower airspeed
How does a plane stay in the air? (think propeller/wings/wing design)
Propeller - forward
Wings - up
Wing design - curved upper part of wings, low pressure up top, high pressure on bottom, air velocity accelerated over top creating the lift to keep plane in the air.
Phonetic alphabet and numbers
Name 4 forces
Lift, weight, thrust, drag
Describe a 4-stroke ICE
Typical engine in a trainer aircraft Intake - Compression Power Exhaust
Describe 6 major parts of an engine
Piston Cylinder (2x spark plugs per) Valves Connecting rod Crankshaft Crankcase
More cylinders = what?
Smoother engine because more rotation/RPM’s per cycle
How are most engines cooled?
Air-cooled
Oil cooled
Exhaust pipe
Name several purposes of engine oil
Cooling Lubrication Prevent direct metal to metal contact Seal Contaminants
Two major types of engine oil and when they are used?
Mineral oil - brand new engines
Ashless dispersant oil
Why are airplane engines so reliable?
2x magnetos; run independently of electrical system; 1x magneto can fail and still be fine + 2x spark plugs per cylinder
What does this mean - vented fuel caps?
Allows air to replace spent fuel
Warm day, fuel drain valves?
Fuel might expand, normal to see some dripping
What to check for in fuel on preflight?
Fuel color (blue for 100LL), water separation, and presence of dirt or other contaminants
What color is 100LL and jet?
100LL - blue
Jet - clear or straw colored (smells like kerosene)
Describe fuel system for this aircraft
Gravity fed fuel system - fuel goes from:
tanks -> selector valve -> reservoir -> auxiliary fuel pump -> cylinders
Curved propeller is similar to wings in what sense?
Curved propeller similar to curved top of wings, but instead of generating lift, pulls airplane forward
RPM relationship between propeller and engine?
Same since they’re both connected through the crankshaft
Describe your airplane’s electrical system
24V battery
28V alternator
Circuit breaker
Ammeter
Describe a carbureted engine, advantages, disadvantages, mixture position?
Primer, puts fuel into cylinder, help start in cold weather, mixture is in full rich position (vs. fuel-injected is typically in idle/cutoff),
Susceptible to carb icing (high humidity and/or 70F and below temps);
How to recognize carb icing and how to fix?
Drop in RPM; use carb heat
When to “always” use carb heat?
Landing
AROW
Airworthiness certificate (AD’s, never expires)
Registration (3 years)
POH
Weight and balance
AIM stands for?
Aeronautical Information Manual
FL20 means?
When is “FL” used?
Flight level 20 = 20,000 feet
Anything over 18k feet
Default time zone unless otherwise specified?
Zulu
Meaning of: roger/wilco/affirmative/negative
Taxi speed should be?
No faster than a brisk walk
Know which direction to turn aileron and elevator for headwind/tailwind/quartering headwind/tailwind, etc.
Standard traffic pattern unless otherwise indicated?
Left
Name all legs of a traffic pattern
Upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, final
Proper way to enter/exit TPA?
How are runways numbered?
Magnetic direction (e.g. run 26R is magnetic heading of 260 degrees)
Three common windsocks and direction of the wind?
Windsock (fly small to large)
wind tee, tetrahedron (fly big to large))
What are AWOS and ASOS and what do they stand for?
Automated weather observation system, Automated surface observation system
After takeoff, when is it okay to turn?
300 feet below TPA
4 fundamental maneuvers and 3 associated control inputs?
Turns
Descents
Banks
Straight and level
Pitch/bank/power
3 primary controls?
Aileron, rudder, elevator
Define minor/moderate/steep banks and how to maintain altitude
0-20 degrees, 20-45, 45+
Back pressure due to loss of horizontal lift
Which of the 6 basic instruments has a lag?
VSI - 6-9 seconds
Define best glide speed
Speed at which you travel the most distance per foot of altitude lost
Define angle of attack and why is it important?
Angle at which wind is hitting the wing chord
Critical AoA leads to a stall
What happens at critical AoA?
Air flow over the top of the wing is not sufficient to keep plane in the air; plane will stall
How to recover from a nose up and nose down stall?
Concept: crabbing into the wind
Know the difference between heading, course, and track
Minimum safe altitudes?
Not congested: 500 ft AG
Congested: 1000 feet with 2000 ft radius AG
Sports events: 3000ft, 3 mi radius, +/- 1 hour of event
What to do at higher altitudes and why?
Above 3000 ft, lean mixture; air is thinner, less dense, reduce flow of fuel
Discuss EGT
Exhaust gas temperature; for max economy, lean until peak EGT (or until engine runs rough), then slightly richen mixture
Tips/precautions for leaning mixture?
When in doubt, run on slightly richer side; do not over-lean at high power settings
Define detonation and preignition, symptoms, causes and fixes
Detonation: Ignition of fuel in an uncontrolled manner
Preignition: Ignition of fuel resulting as cylinder is moving away from the crankshaft (opposing forces) hence causing large strain on the engine
Symptoms: loss of power
Causes: using low grade of fuel, overleaned mixture, ascending too slowly,
Fixes: Mixture rich, reduce power,
Two types of drag?
Parasite (protrusions, landing gear, skin friction); and induced drag (byproduct of lift from the wings).
Where does a stall begin?
Wing root, and extends outward. Designed this way (high speed/low speed airfoils depending on design) so that pilot has a heads-up of an impending stall
Parasite drag and induced drag: increase/decrease with relation to speed?
Parasite drag increases as speed increases
Induced drag: opposite
Name 4 different types of stalls
Power on
Power off
Imminent
Full
When will a wing stall?
Always at the same angle, but not necessarily the same speed/pitch attitude depending on things like weight and load factor
How does CG and weight placement affect stall and stall recoverability?
Things to be mindful of on extending and retracting flaps…
If extending flaps, may need to push nose down to keep airspeed up;
If retracting flaps, only do so once best rate of climb Vy is reached
3 factors affecting AoA
Speed (lower speed, higher AoA)
Weight (higher weight, higher AoA)
Load factor (higher load, higher AoA)
Spin recovery procedure?
PARE (power idle, aileron neutral, rudder opposite of spin, elevator forward of neutral)
When to generally contact tower?
About 10 miles out
Strategies to deal with crosswinds
Crabbing, forward slip (altitude), side slip
Avoiding wake turbulence
How far out to make initial call to tower?
Generally 10 miles out
When is a transponder required and what to squawk?
Squawk 1200 (VFR) Transponder is required in class C and within 30nm of class B AND also above 10,000ft (except below 1200)
Turns around a point - understand the relationship between wind speed/direction, and rate of turn/bank
Ideally, start an S-turn ___ the wind.
Downwind.
What are 3 categories of aircraft and corresponding G’s?
Normal (-1 to 4), aerobatic (-3 to 6), and utility (-1 to 5);
Generally tested for 1.5 times, but don’t use that as a safety net
What is load factor also known as and defined as?
G’s; defined as air load divided by weight of airplane.
Define manuevering speed and how it changes with weight of the plane and why.
Speed at which plane will stall before exceeding its load limits.
Decreases as weight of aircraft decreases because aircraft becomes more susceptible to aerodynamic forces.
Name 2 types of clouds, what they look like, and what they mean for visibility and smooth/rough air.
Stratus: poor visibility, smooth air (layered clouds)
Cumulus: good visibility, turbulence (vertically stacked)
Name the different layers of the atmosphere from the inside out.
Where does most flying occur?
troposphere (most flying occurs here), tropopause, stratosphere
What is an inversion?
Temperature increase as altitude increases.
Define humidity and dew point and what this means for visibility.
Humidity: amount of water vapor in relation to how much it could hold at that temperature
Dew point: temperature at which air is fully saturated with water vapor
If temperature is close to dew point, could have issues with fog/low visibility.
Define and give another name for: radiation fog, advection fog
Where/why do each form?
Radiation fog: AKA ground fog (usually forms around cities as contaminants are picked up by water vapor; caused when warm land is cooled by the air))
Advection fog: AKA sea fog (usually forms at sea due to differences in temperature; caused when wind transports warm air to cool surface)
What contributes to the formation of fog?
Addition of moisture to the air and/or cooling of the air to the dew point
What winds help/hurt the formation of fog?
Calm winds are favorable to the formation of fog.
What is standard temperature (F/C, and altimeter setting)?
59F, 15C, 29.92 inches of mercury
As altitude increases, does temperature generally increase or decrease? What about pressure?
For both, they generally decrease as altitude increases.
1 inch of mercury equates to how many feet?
1000 feet.
How do temperature and pressure changes affect the altimeter setting, all things being equal?
All other things being equal (e.g. assuming no actual change in altitude and ONLY a change in temperature/pressure), as temperature increases, the altimeter will show a lower altitude than actual. As pressure increases, the same will happen.
What conditions are needed for a thunderstorm to form?
Moisture, updraft/lift, and unstable air.
What are the stages of a thunderstorm?
Formation (cumulus clouds), precipitation (mature stage), and dissipation
Hazards of a thunderstorm?
Turbulence, wind shear, hail, lightning, poor visibility
Name 3 types of a weather briefing and what each could be used for.
Standard - standard
Outlook - forecast or if your flight isn’t for X number of hours
Abbreviated - looking for an update to your last briefing
When looking at the weather, is a high/low-pressure area more likely to result in bad weather, and why?
Low; warm air rises causing turbulence up above.
Know what a METAR is how to read it, SPECI METAR, TAF,
What do radars detect?
Areas of precipitation.
Name 3 kinds of airspeeds and describe each.
Indicated - what the airspeed indicator shows
Calibrated - corrected for certain errors (installation, use of flaps, etc.)
True - corrected for changes in air density
What happens to true airspeed as altitude increases, and why?
It goes down due to less dense air.
Name 3 different types of altitude/altimeter readings and briefly describe each.
Indicated - what the altimeter shows
Pressure - using standard pressure 29.92 inches of mercury
Density - corrected for nonstandard temperature
What is pressure altitude used for?
Used to solve calculator problems of density and airspeed.
If temperature is warmer than standard, is density altitude higher or lower?
Higher than pressure altitude.
What do you call altitude AGL/MSL?
Absolute is AGL;
True is MSL
Name and describe different types of drag, as well as how to reduce each.
Skin friction - dirt, rivets, etc. polish/waxing to reduce.
Interference drag - mixture of air vortices from different parts of the aircraft interacting with one another
Define stability.
Ability of an airplane to return to previous position after some kind of interruption.
How is stability achieved?
Dihedral; angle of attack increases on the lower wing, creating more klift and causing it to level out.
Understand weight and balance and how center of gravity affects an airplane’s stall and ability to recover from a stall.
Acronym for right of way rules?
EBGAAR Emergency Balloon Glider Aircraft refueling Airship Rotorcraft
Pass slower aircraft on the right or left?
Pass on the right.
Who has right of way? Higher or lower altitude?
Aircraft at a lower altitude has right of way.
Light gun signal meanings on ground // in the air:
Solid green Flashing green Solid red Flashing red White Flashing red and green
Solid green: clear for takeoff // cleared to land
Flashing green: clear to taxi // return to land
Solid red: stop // go around
Flashing red: taxi clear of the active runway // airport unsafe do not use
White: go to starting point // no meaning
Flashing red and green: use extreme caution // use extreme caution
Limitations for flying under basic med?
Max 5 passengers, 6 seats, 6000 pounds, below 18,000 feet and max speed 250 knots.
Basic Med requirements?
Valid medical issued on or after 7/15/2006; visit a physician for an exam every 4 years, valid driver’s license, Basic Med education course every 2 years
What is hypoxia and hyperventilation, how to recognize each, and how to fix?
Hypoxia - lack of oxygen to the brain; decrease altitude, open air vents
Hyperventilation - irregular breathing oxygen to the lungs; talk or sing to yourself
What altitudes are safe before needing to use supplemental oxygen?
Typically safe up to 10,000 feet, 30 mins 12,500 feet, and required above 15,000 feet.
What is CO poisoning and how to detect and fix?
Odorless tasteless gas, can happen if there’s a leak in the seal of the shroud and you’re using cabin heat. Turn off cabin heat, close vents, open outside air vents.
Be aware of runway illusions.
What items do you need to fly solo?
Student pilot certificate, logbook with solo endorsement from CFI, gov’t issued ID like a driver’s license, medical certificate
Solo endorsements valid for how long and restrictions on where can you fly?
Any specific visibility restrictions for day and night?
90 days; aside from any CFI-specific limitations (e.g. VFR day/night, wind speed, visibility, cloud ceiling, etc.) cannot fly more than 25nm from home airport without another endorsement (same for class B airspace)
VFR day must be 3nm visibility; 5nm at night
Position light colors?
Left wing: red
Right wing: green
Tail beacon: white
Airport light colors: Taxi Runway edge Runway begin and end Beacon for military/civilian airports Obstructions
Taxi edge: blue Runway edge: white Runway begin and end: green/red Beacon for military/civilian airports: civilian flashes white/green Obstructions: red
When do lights need to be on for the airplane?
Sunset to sunrise (turn on strobe anticollision, nav lights, and landing lights)
Different definitions of night.
Beginning of evening civil twilight and end of morning civil twilight
1 hour before sunrise, 1 hour after sunset
AIM and chart supplements
Aeronautical information manual.
