FAA Commercial Pilot cheat sheet

ARROW documents aboard: Airworthiness certificate, Registration, Radio station license (international flights only), Operating limitations, Weight and balance data.

Part 91 VFR fuel reserve: enough to reach the first point of intended landing plus 30 minutes at normal cruise speed by day, 45 minutes at night.

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

Class G at or below 1,200 ft AGL by day: 1 SM visibility and clear of clouds; at night 3 SM, 1,000 ft ceiling, 500/1,000/2,000 cloud clearance.

Density altitude increases with high temperature, high field elevation, high humidity, and low atmospheric pressure; it degrades takeoff, climb, and landing performance.

Supplemental oxygen: required crew above 12,500 ft MSL for more than 30 minutes, and continuously above 14,000 ft MSL; passengers must be offered oxygen above 15,000 ft MSL.

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

Third-class medical validity: 60 calendar months if under age 40, 24 calendar months if age 40 or older, counted from the month of examination.

Aft CG reduces static stability and lowers stall speed; forward CG raises stall speed, increases takeoff distance, and increases elevator control force.

Magneto check: RPM drop must stay within the POH limit (commonly 125-175 RPM) and the difference between the two magnetos must not exceed 50 RPM.

Carburetor heat check during runup should produce an RPM drop (typically 50-150 RPM); no drop suggests the carburetor heat system is not working.

Sample fuel from every sump before the first flight of the day; 100LL is blue, and water or sediment shows as a separate layer or cloudiness in the tester.

Engine runup items: flight controls free and correct, instruments and vacuum/suction, ammeter, oil pressure and temperature, magnetos, carburetor heat, propeller cycle.

Set takeoff trim and flaps per the POH before taxi so the airplane is configured for the takeoff briefing.

Taxi wind corrections: aileron into the wind and elevator up with a tailwind, elevator down (neutral) with a headwind.

Passenger briefing covers seat belts and shoulder harnesses, door and emergency exit operation, fire extinguisher location, and smoking prohibition.

Pitot tube, static ports, stall warning vane, fuel vents, and drain valves are checked clear and unobstructed during the walk-around.

Light gun signals: steady green = cleared to land (air) or cleared for takeoff (ground); flashing green = return for landing (air) or cleared to taxi (ground).

Light gun signals: steady red = stop/give way and continue circling; flashing red = airport unsafe, do not land (air) or taxi clear of runway (ground).

Light gun signals: flashing white = return to starting point on the airport (ground); alternating red and green = exercise extreme caution.

Runway markings are white, taxiway markings are yellow; a runway holding position sign/marking has two solid and two dashed yellow lines, and the aircraft stops on the solid side.

Runway edge lights are white (blue on taxiways), threshold lights are green, and runway end lights are red; displaced thresholds are marked with white arrows.

PAPI/VASI: two white and two red means on glidepath; more white than red means high, more red than white means low.

Wake turbulence vortices form at rotation and touchdown, sink, and drift with the wind; take off before and land after the heavy aircraft's rotation/touchdown point, staying upwind and above its flight path.

LAHSO clearance must be explicitly accepted; accept only if the landing distance available permits a full-stop landing within the hold short point.

Traffic patterns are left turns unless published otherwise, with a typical pattern altitude of 1,000 ft AGL; read back all hold short instructions verbatim.

Vx (best angle) increases with altitude and Vy (best rate) decreases with altitude; the two converge at the absolute ceiling.

Short-field takeoff: use maximum available runway, set flaps per the POH, hold brakes, apply full power, rotate at Vr, and climb at Vx to clear obstacles.

Soft-field takeoff: keep weight off the nosewheel, lift off in ground effect, then accelerate to Vx or Vy before climbing out of ground effect.

Crosswind takeoff: apply aileron into the wind, hold opposite rudder for alignment, and lift off at a slightly higher speed to reduce drift after liftoff.

Go-around: apply full power, carburetor heat cold, pitch to arrest the descent, retract flaps in increments, establish a positive rate, then climb at Vx or Vy.

In a tricycle-gear airplane, touchdown occurs on the main wheels first; in a tailwheel airplane, on the main wheels followed immediately by the tailwheel.

Dynamic hydroplaning begins near a groundspeed of 8.6 times the square root of the tire inflation pressure in psi; viscous hydroplaning occurs at a lower speed on smooth, wet runways.

Ground effect exists within about one wingspan of the surface and reduces induced drag, causing the airplane to float and lengthen the landing flare.

Level turn load factor: 45 degrees bank = 1.41 G, 60 degrees bank = 2.0 G; stall speed increases by the square root of the load factor.

Pressure altitude = indicated altitude + 1,000 ft for each 1.00 inHg the altimeter setting is below 29.92 (and minus 1,000 ft for each inch above).

Pivotal altitude in feet equals groundspeed in knots squared divided by 11.3, the reference altitude for eights on pylons.

Rectangular course and S-turns are flown at 600-1,000 ft AGL with the downwind leg farthest from the reference line and the upwind leg closest.

Turns around a point require the steepest bank when the groundspeed is highest (downwind) and the shallowest bank when groundspeed is lowest (upwind).

Cruise performance planning uses TAS for range and endurance; endurance equals usable fuel divided by fuel burn rate, and range equals endurance times groundspeed.

Groundspeed and wind correction angle are derived from the wind triangle; use the E6B or a wind-side calculation before every cross-country leg.

Converting true heading to magnetic heading: subtract easterly variation and add westerly variation (east is least, west is best); then apply deviation from the compass card.

A VOR CDI centers when the aircraft is on the selected course; TO indicates flight toward the station, FROM indicates flight away from it.

The cone of confusion is the area directly over a VOR where TO/FROM indications reverse and the CDI fluctuates; fly through it rather than turning.

Flying from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area without resetting the altimeter places the aircraft lower than the altimeter indicates (high to low, look out below).

GPS navigation requires adequate RAIM or a WAAS-equipped receiver; check RAIM prediction when the receiver is not WAAS capable.

Above 18,000 ft MSL (Class A airspace) all aircraft set the altimeter to 29.92 inHg, giving pressure altitude and flight levels.

Time en route = distance divided by groundspeed; fuel required = fuel burn rate multiplied by time en route, plus the applicable reserve.

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

A stall occurs when the wing exceeds its critical angle of attack, regardless of airspeed, attitude, or weight.

Stall speed increases with weight, with load factor (stall speed times the square root of G), and with a forward CG; it decreases with flaps extended.

Slow flight is flown at minimum controllable airspeed with the landing gear down and flaps set per the POH, using pitch for airspeed and power for altitude.

Stall warning signs: aural stall horn, airframe buffet, mushy or ineffective controls, and a sinking or pitching tendency.

Stall recovery: reduce angle of attack by relaxing back pressure, add power, level the wings with coordinated rudder, and apply carburetor heat if equipped.

An accelerated stall occurs at a higher airspeed in a steep turn or abrupt pull-up because load factor raises the stall speed.

Spin recovery: Power idle, Ailerons neutral, Rudder opposite the rotation, Elevator forward until rotation stops, then neutralize and recover from the dive.

Cross-control stalls typically occur in the base-to-final turn when excess rudder is applied in the direction of the turn and the nose is allowed to drop.

Oxygen rules: crew above 12,500 ft MSL for more than 30 minutes and continuously above 14,000 ft MSL; passengers above 15,000 ft MSL.

Class A airspace extends from 18,000 ft MSL up to and including FL600, is IFR only, and requires the altimeter set to 29.92 inHg.

Hypoxia symptoms include euphoria, headache, tingling, impaired judgment, cyanosis, and loss of coordination; time of useful consciousness at FL350 is roughly 30-60 seconds.

Cabin decompression response: don oxygen masks first, establish communications, and begin an emergency descent to 10,000 ft MSL or the lowest safe altitude.

Cabin pressurization is regulated by the outflow valve; cabin altitude and differential pressure limits are specified in the airplane flight manual.

Mountain wave activity is signaled by lenticular clouds, rotor clouds, and standing lenticulars; expect severe turbulence and strong downdrafts on the lee side.

For a given indicated airspeed, true airspeed increases with altitude while Mach number also rises; high-altitude cruise is limited by the critical Mach number.

In cold air the altimeter indicates higher than true altitude, so obstacle and terrain clearance is less than the altimeter suggests.

Engine failure in flight: pitch for best glide speed, trim, select a landing area, attempt a restart per the checklist, and broadcast a mayday on 121.5 if time permits.

Emergency descent: reduce power, extend gear and flaps as appropriate, use a steep spiral or descent at Vno/Vle, and monitor airspeed and engine temperatures.

Engine fire in flight: shut off the fuel selector, pull the mixture to idle cutoff, turn the master switch off, and plan an immediate forced landing.

Electrical fire: turn off the master switch, close the vents to starve the fire, use the fire extinguisher, and land as soon as practical.

Transponder emergency codes: 7700 general emergency, 7600 communications failure, 7500 unlawful interference.

ELTs transmit on 121.5 and 406 MHz; testing is permitted only during the first five minutes after the hour and should not exceed three audio sweeps.

The impossible turn: attempting to return to the runway after an engine failure below about 1,000 ft AGL usually results in a stall or spin; land ahead instead.

Ditching: configure per the checklist, approach into the wind and parallel to the swells, and open doors and exits before touchdown.

Vmc is the minimum controllable airspeed with the critical engine inoperative, determined at maximum weight, aft CG, gear up, flaps up, takeoff power, and up to 5 degrees bank toward the operating engine.

The critical engine is the one whose failure most adversely affects performance and handling; on a conventional twin it is the left engine.

The red radial line marks Vmc, the blue radial line marks Vyse, and the white radial line (if present) marks the single-engine best angle of climb Vxse.

After an engine failure: maintain control, identify and verify the failed engine, feather its propeller, then reduce drag by raising the gear and retracting flaps.

Fly single-engine with a small bank (about 5 degrees) toward the operating engine and near zero sideslip to minimize drag and improve performance.

Vmc decreases as altitude increases because the operating engine produces less power; published Vmc assumes sea-level, standard-day conditions.

Dead foot, dead engine: the yawing airplane requires rudder pressure on the side of the operating engine, so the idle foot indicates the failed engine.

Accelerate-stop distance is the runway length needed to accelerate to V1 and stop, or to continue the takeoff after an engine failure at V1.

Single-engine service ceiling is the altitude at which the airplane can climb at 50 ft/min on one engine; single-engine go-arounds require prior planning and a guaranteed climb gradient.

Shutdown sequence: allow a cool-down period, bring the mixture to idle cutoff, turn the magnetos off, then turn the master switch off.

After shutdown, chock the wheels, set the parking brake or leave it released per the POH, tie down the wings, tail, and strut, and install the control lock.

Postflight inspection checks tire condition and pressure, oil quantity and leaks, fuel sumps, cowling fasteners, and any new skin or propeller damage.

Any airworthiness discrepancy found after flight is recorded in the maintenance log or squawk sheet and reported to maintenance before further flight.

Passenger currency requires three takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days in the same category, class, and type; night currency requires three full-stop landings.

Record Hobbs and tachometer times after every flight for maintenance tracking, cost allocation, and logbook accuracy.

Refuel to the planned level, sump the tanks after refueling, and verify fuel caps are secure before the aircraft is left unattended.

Secure the aircraft interior: keys removed, doors locked, windows closed, pitot cover installed, and any portable equipment stowed.