FAA AGI Advanced Ground Instructor cheat sheet

14 CFR 61.3 requires the pilot to carry a pilot certificate, a photo identification, and a medical certificate (or BasicMed documentation) when acting as PIC.

14 CFR 61.56 flight review: within the preceding 24 calendar months, at least 1 hour of ground training and 1 hour of flight training; a practical test or a new certificate also satisfies the requirement.

14 CFR 61.57 passenger currency: 3 takeoffs and 3 landings within the preceding 90 days; night currency requires 3 takeoffs and 3 full-stop landings at night.

Third-class medical validity: 24 calendar months if the pilot is under age 40, 12 calendar months if age 40 or older.

14 CFR 91.3: the PIC is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of the aircraft.

14 CFR 61.213 AGI eligibility: at least 16 years old, able to read, speak, and understand English, and pass the required knowledge test; no medical certificate is required.

14 CFR 61.189: the instructor signs the logbook and retains the endorsement record for 3 years.

NTSB 830: accidents are reported to the NTSB immediately; the operator also files a written report within 10 days.

Core advisory circulars: AC 00-6 (Aviation Weather), AC 00-45 (Aviation Weather Services), AC 61-65 (endorsements), AC 61-67 (stall/spin awareness).

Parasite drag increases with the square of airspeed; induced drag decreases with the square of airspeed; total drag is lowest at L/D max.

Level-turn load factor = 1 / cos(bank angle): 30 deg = 1.15 G, 45 deg = 1.41 G, 60 deg = 2.0 G, 75 deg = 3.9 G.

Stall speed increases with the square root of load factor: at 2 G, stall speed rises about 41 percent.

A wing stalls at the critical angle of attack regardless of airspeed, weight, load factor, or density altitude.

Vx increases with altitude and Vy decreases with altitude; they converge at the absolute ceiling (0 fpm), with the service ceiling defined at 100 fpm.

A forward CG raises stall speed, lengthens the takeoff roll, increases longitudinal stability, and reduces elevator authority.

Ground effect exists within about one wingspan of the surface, reducing induced drag by reducing downwash and wingtip vortices.

Aspect ratio = wingspan squared divided by wing area; a higher aspect ratio reduces induced drag.

Four-stroke cycle: intake, compression, power, exhaust; the camshaft times the valves and the crankshaft converts reciprocating motion into rotation.

Detonation is explosive uncontrolled ignition caused by high manifold pressure, low RPM, high temperatures, or an overly lean mixture; preignition ignites the charge before the spark.

Carburetor icing is most likely with outside air temperature between about 20 deg F and 70 deg F and high humidity; carburetor heat typically causes an initial RPM drop.

Pitot-static instruments are the airspeed indicator, altimeter, and VSI; gyroscopic instruments are the attitude indicator, heading indicator, and turn coordinator.

A blocked pitot tube with an open drain makes the airspeed indicator behave like an altimeter, increasing in a climb and decreasing in a descent.

Selecting the alternate static source makes the altimeter and airspeed indicator read higher and the VSI show a momentary climb.

Magnetos are independent of the aircraft electrical system, so the engine continues to run if the alternator or battery fails.

An ammeter shows current flow to and from the battery; a discharging indication after start suggests the alternator is not charging.

In most light aircraft the attitude and heading indicators are vacuum-driven while the turn coordinator is electrically driven.

Weight x arm = moment; CG = total moment divided by total weight.

Weight-shift formula: weight moved / total weight = change in CG / distance the weight is moved.

Standard weights: aviation gasoline 6 lb/gal, oil 7.5 lb/gal, water 8.35 lb/gal; 170 lb per occupant is used when actual weights are unknown.

Useful load = maximum gross weight minus empty weight; it includes occupants, usable fuel, baggage, and cargo.

Operating empty weight includes the airframe, engines, equipment, unusable fuel, and full oil but no payload.

An aft CG reduces longitudinal stability, may increase cruise speed, and raises the risk of an unrecoverable stall; a forward CG is more stable but degrades performance.

The aircraft must be within both weight and CG limits for every phase of flight, including takeoff, landing, and zero-fuel condition.

Maximum zero fuel weight limits the weight of the aircraft without usable fuel, keeping wing bending loads within design limits.

True course plus or minus wind correction angle = true heading; true heading plus or minus variation = magnetic heading; magnetic heading plus or minus deviation = compass heading.

Variation: 'east is least, west is best' - subtract easterly variation and add westerly variation when converting true heading to magnetic heading.

Time = distance divided by groundspeed; fuel required = fuel burn rate multiplied by time.

14 CFR 91.151 VFR fuel reserves: 30 minutes during the day, 45 minutes at night.

One degree of latitude equals 60 nautical miles, and one minute of latitude equals one nautical mile.

Pressure altitude is indicated altitude with the altimeter set to 29.92 in Hg; density altitude is pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature.

Flying from high pressure toward low pressure without resetting the altimeter places the aircraft lower than the altimeter indicates.

VOR: the CDI centers when the OBS is set to the bearing to or from the station, and the TO/FROM flag shows whether the selected course leads to or away from the station.

Standard atmosphere: sea-level pressure 29.92 in Hg, temperature 15 deg C, and a lapse rate of about 2 deg C (3.5 deg F) per 1,000 ft.

Stable air produces stratiform clouds, steady precipitation, and smooth air; unstable air produces cumuliform clouds, showery precipitation, and turbulence.

AIRMET Sierra = IFR conditions and mountain obscuration; Tango = turbulence and strong surface winds; Zulu = icing and freezing levels. SIGMETs cover severe or urgent conditions.

Thunderstorm life cycle: cumulus (updrafts), mature (updrafts and downdrafts, hail, lightning - most hazardous), and dissipating (downdrafts).

A temperature-dew point spread of about 4 deg F or less combined with cooling indicates likely fog formation.

Cold fronts move faster, are steeper, and produce more violent but shorter-lived weather than warm fronts.

Density altitude increases with high elevation, high temperature, high humidity, and low pressure, degrading all aircraft performance.

METAR is an observed surface report, TAF is a terminal forecast, and PIREP is a pilot report of actual conditions aloft.

A microburst produces a sudden headwind, then a downdraft, then a tailwind, causing a rapid loss of airspeed and altitude on approach.

Class A: 18,000 ft MSL to FL600, IFR only. Class B: ATC clearance and Mode C. Class C: two-way radio and Mode C within 10 NM. Class D: two-way radio within 4 NM.

Class E below 10,000 ft MSL VFR minimums: 3 SM visibility, 1,000 ft above, 500 ft below, and 2,000 ft horizontal from clouds.

Class G at the surface: daytime 1 SM and clear of clouds; nighttime 3 SM with 1,000 above, 500 below, and 2,000 ft horizontal.

VFR cruising altitudes above 3,000 ft AGL: magnetic course 0-179 deg uses odd thousands plus 500 ft; 180-359 deg uses even thousands plus 500 ft.

Special VFR requires an ATC clearance, 1 SM visibility, and clear of clouds; at night it also requires an instrument rating and an IFR-equipped aircraft.

Oxygen: crew above 12,500 ft MSL for more than 30 minutes, required above 14,000 ft MSL, and provided to passengers above 15,000 ft MSL.

Wake turbulence vortices sink and drift downwind; fly above and upwind of the preceding aircraft and land beyond its touchdown point.

Runway markings: threshold bars mark the landing threshold, displaced-threshold arrows lead to a threshold bar, blast pads use chevrons, and a closed runway is marked with a yellow X.

Converging aircraft of the same category: the aircraft on the right has the right of way; head-on, both aircraft turn right.

IMSAFE: Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion.

Hazardous attitudes and antidotes: anti-authority - follow the rules; impulsivity - not so fast; invulnerability - it could happen to me; macho - taking chances is foolish; resignation - I'm not helpless.

14 CFR 91.17: no flying within 8 hours of consuming alcohol, while under the influence, or with a blood alcohol level of 0.04 percent or higher.

Time of useful consciousness: roughly 20-30 minutes at 18,000 ft, 5-10 minutes at 25,000 ft, and 1-2 minutes at 35,000 ft.

Hyperventilation causes dizziness and tingling and is treated by slowing the breathing rate; its symptoms resemble those of hypoxia.

Spatial disorientation is countered by trusting the instruments; the leans and the graveyard spiral are common illusions.

The DECIDE model: Detect, Estimate, Choose, Identify, Do, Evaluate.

Scuba diving: allow at least 24 hours before flying after a dive, or 12 hours if the dive involved no controlled ascent.

Carbon monoxide causes headache and drowsiness; suspect it whenever exhaust odors are present and use cabin heat sparingly.

Levels of learning, lowest to highest: rote, understanding, application, correlation.

Domains of learning: cognitive (knowledge), affective (attitudes), psychomotor (skills).

Laws of learning: readiness, exercise, effect, primacy, intensity, recency.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs: physiological, security, social, esteem, self-actualization.

Defense mechanisms include rationalization, flight, aggression, resignation, repression, denial, compensation, projection, and reaction formation.

Teaching methods include lecture, guided discussion, demonstration-performance, computer-based training, and cooperative or group learning.

A lesson plan is characterized by unity, content, scope, and practicality (flexibility).

Criterion-referenced tests measure performance against a standard; norm-referenced tests compare a student with other students.

Characteristics of a good test: validity, reliability, usability, and objectivity.