PPAER cheat sheet
PPAER · Keep the key ideas within reach.
Air-law decision checks
Identify the operation, airspace and applicable Canadian requirement.
Confirm pilot qualifications and required aircraft documents.
Check current charts, aerodrome information and NOTAMs.
A taxi route is not an unconditional runway-crossing clearance.
Clarify ambiguous clearances and use the correct call sign.
Legal minima and conservative personal limits serve different purposes.
Navigation calculation checks
Time in hours = distance in nautical miles / groundspeed in knots.
Fuel used = consumption rate × time in matching units.
Separate consumption from required reserve and other allowances.
Track is ground path; heading is nose direction.
Distinguish true, magnetic and compass references.
Confirm a visual fix with more than one identifying feature.
A direct-to route still needs terrain and airspace review.
Weather interpretation checks
Check location, issue time and valid or observation time first.
METAR is an observation; TAF is an aerodrome forecast.
Thunderstorms involve moisture, instability and lift.
High density altitude generally reduces aircraft performance.
Visible rain boundaries do not define all thunderstorm hazards.
Actual deterioration requires reassessment even if the earlier forecast was favourable.
Aircraft and human factors
A stall is caused by exceeding critical angle of attack.
Increased load factor raises stall speed for otherwise comparable conditions.
Check both mass and centre of gravity against approved limits.
Moment = mass × arm; centre-of-gravity arm = total moment / total mass.
Static pressure is used by altimeter, vertical-speed and airspeed systems.
Use the aircraft-specific approved abnormal or emergency procedure.
Maintain control before allowing a secondary task to dominate attention.