FAA Commercial Pilot flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

ARROW documents

The documents required aboard an aircraft: Airworthiness certificate, Registration, Radio station license for international flight, Operating limitations, and Weight and balance data.

VFR fuel reserve

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

Third-class medical validity

Valid for 60 calendar months for pilots under age 40 and 24 calendar months for pilots age 40 or older, counted from the month of the examination.

Magneto check limits

During runup the RPM drop must remain within the POH limit, commonly 125-175 RPM, and the difference between the two magnetos must not exceed 50 RPM.

Fuel sump sampling

Draining each sump before flight reveals water or sediment as a separate layer or cloudy appearance; 100LL avgas is light blue.

Carburetor heat runup check

Applying carburetor heat during the runup should cause an RPM drop, typically 50-150 RPM; absence of a drop indicates the system is not functioning.

Steady green light signal

From the tower to an aircraft in flight it means cleared to land; directed at an aircraft on the ground it means cleared for takeoff.

Runway holding position marking

Two solid and two dashed yellow lines across a taxiway mark a runway holding position; the aircraft stops on the solid-line side.

PAPI glidepath indication

Two white and two red lights mean the aircraft is on the correct glidepath; additional white lights indicate high and additional red lights indicate low.

Vx and Vy versus altitude

Best angle of climb Vx increases with altitude while best rate of climb Vy decreases, and the two speeds meet at the airplane's absolute ceiling.

Dynamic hydroplaning speed

Hydroplaning can begin at a groundspeed of approximately 8.6 times the square root of the tire inflation pressure expressed in psi.

Go-around initial actions

Apply full power, place carburetor heat to cold, pitch to arrest the descent, and retract flaps in increments to avoid a sudden sink.

Load factor at 60 degrees

A level turn at 60 degrees bank produces 2 Gs, and stall speed rises by the square root of the load factor, about 41 percent.

Pivotal altitude formula

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

Pressure altitude computation

Pressure altitude equals indicated altitude plus 1,000 feet for each 1.00 inHg the current altimeter setting is below 29.92 inHg.

Variation conversion rule

When converting true heading to magnetic heading, subtract easterly variation and add westerly variation: east is least, west is best.

VOR TO FROM indication

The course deviation indicator centers when the aircraft is on the selected course; TO means flying toward the station and FROM means flying away.

High to low correction

Flying from higher pressure toward lower pressure without resetting the altimeter puts the aircraft lower than the altimeter reads: high to low, look out below.

Slow flight configuration

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

Cause of a stall

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

Spin recovery PARE

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

Supplemental oxygen rules

Crew must use oxygen above 12,500 feet MSL for more than 30 minutes and continuously above 14,000 feet MSL; passengers must be provided oxygen above 15,000 feet MSL.

Class A airspace

Class A airspace extends from 18,000 feet MSL up to and including FL600, is IFR only, and requires all aircraft to use 29.92 inHg.

Cabin decompression response

Don oxygen masks first, establish communication, and begin an emergency descent to 10,000 feet MSL or the lowest safe altitude.

Engine failure glide action

Pitch immediately to best glide speed, trim the aircraft, select a landing area, then run the restart checklist while maintaining glide control.

Emergency squawk codes

Transponder code 7700 indicates a general emergency, 7600 indicates radio failure, and 7500 indicates unlawful interference with the flight.

ELT testing rules

Emergency locator transmitters broadcast on 121.5 and 406 MHz and may be tested only during the first five minutes after the hour, with no more than three sweeps.

Vmc determination conditions

Vmc is established at maximum weight, aft center of gravity, gear up, flaps up, takeoff power, and no more than 5 degrees bank toward the operating engine.

Critical engine definition

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

Single-engine drag reduction

Feathering the failed engine's propeller, raising the landing gear, and retracting flaps reduce drag; identify and verify the failed engine before feathering.

Aircraft shutdown sequence

Allow a cool-down period, move the mixture to idle cutoff, turn the magnetos off, and then turn the master switch off.

Discrepancy write-up

Airworthiness discrepancies discovered after flight are recorded in the maintenance log or squawk sheet and reported to maintenance before further flight.