FAA MEI flashcards

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

Levels of learning

Rote, understanding, application, and correlation, in ascending order. Instruction should move the learner beyond rote recall toward application and correlation, where knowledge transfers to new situations.

Laws of learning

Readiness, exercise, effect, primacy, recency, intensity, and disuse. Primacy and recency explain why the first and last parts of a lesson are remembered best.

Maslow's hierarchy

A hierarchy of needs with physiological needs at the base and self-actualization at the top. Unmet lower needs, such as fatigue or anxiety, interfere with learning at higher levels.

Criterion-referenced test

A test graded against a fixed standard of performance rather than against other students. It measures whether the learner meets a defined objective, such as the practical test standards.

Static versus dynamic stability

Static stability is the initial tendency to return to equilibrium after a disturbance. Dynamic stability is the behavior over time, including oscillation that may damp out or diverge.

Load factor in level turn

Load factor equals one divided by the cosine of the bank angle. At 60 degrees bank the load factor is 2.0, and stall speed increases by about 41 percent.

Induced versus parasite drag

Induced drag decreases as airspeed increases and dominates at low speed and high angle of attack. Parasite drag increases with the square of airspeed and dominates at high speed.

Vg diagram

A plot of load factor against airspeed showing the flight envelope. The corner speed is the lowest speed at which limit load factor can be reached.

Adverse yaw

Yaw opposite the direction of roll, caused by aileron drag. Coordinated rudder counters it. Near the stall, the descending aileron can increase angle of attack and cause a wingtip stall.

Blocked pitot with open static

The airspeed indicator behaves like an altimeter: it indicates a climb as altitude increases and a descent as altitude decreases, because only static pressure changes.

Class B VFR minimums

Three statute miles visibility and clear of clouds. A private pilot must also have the required endorsement or training to operate in Class B airspace.

Class G VFR minimums below 1,200 feet

During the day, one statute mile visibility and clear of clouds. At night below 10,000 feet MSL, three statute miles and 1,000 feet above, 500 feet below, and 2,000 feet horizontal.

Supplemental oxygen rules

No oxygen required below 12,500 feet MSL. From 12,500 to 14,000 feet, crew oxygen is required after 30 minutes. Above 14,000 feet MSL, crew oxygen is required at all times.

Density altitude

Pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature. It increases with high elevation, high temperature, high humidity, and low pressure, reducing takeoff and climb performance.

Flight review interval

A flight review is required every 24 calendar months. To carry passengers, a pilot also needs three takeoffs and landings within the preceding 90 days.

Lesson plan format

Objective, content, and completion standards. The objective states what the learner will do; completion standards state the measurable performance that ends the lesson.

Measurable completion standard

A standard stated in observable terms, such as maintaining altitude within 100 feet and heading within 10 degrees. It lets the instructor and learner judge success objectively.

Maneuver entry configuration

The power setting, airspeed, flap setting, and gear position used to begin a maneuver, taken from the approved flight manual. Wrong entry configuration is a common cause of failure.

Traffic pattern legs

Upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, and final. Entry at pattern altitude is normally at 45 degrees to the downwind midpoint, with left turns unless right traffic is published.

Wake turbulence avoidance

Fly at or above the preceding aircraft's flight path and land beyond its touchdown point. Stay upwind on departure. Heavy aircraft generate the strongest wake.

Right-of-way converging aircraft

Aircraft converging at the same altitude: the one on the right has the right of way. An aircraft on final approach or landing has the right of way over other aircraft.

Slow flight standard

Fly just above the stall in the appropriate configuration while maintaining altitude within 100 feet and heading within 10 degrees, with coordinated control and no stall warning.

Steep turn standard

A turn at 45 to 50 degrees bank with altitude within 100 feet and bank within 5 degrees. Add power and back pressure at entry to hold altitude.

Chandelle

A maximum-performance climbing turn through 180 degrees, entered at maneuvering speed. Bank reaches about 30 degrees at the 90-degree point, and pitch decreases near completion.

Eights on pylons

A ground-reference maneuver flown at pivotal altitude, where the line of sight to the pylon stays constant. Pivotal altitude depends on groundspeed.

Go-around procedure

Apply full power, reduce angle of attack, establish a climb, and retract flaps in increments. It is the correct response to an unstable approach or a blocked runway.

Hazardous attitudes

Anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation. Each has an antidote, such as "follow the rules" or "it could happen to me."

IMSAFE checklist

Illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, and emotion. It is a preflight self-assessment of fitness to fly, not a one-time check.

DECIDE model

Detect, estimate, choose, identify, do, and evaluate. It is a decision-making loop that continues through evaluation rather than ending with the action.

Vmc definition

The minimum control speed with the critical engine inoperative, determined at maximum weight, aft center of gravity, and takeoff power. Below it, directional control cannot be maintained.

Critical engine

The engine whose failure most adversely affects performance. In a conventional twin with both propellers turning clockwise, the left engine is critical.

Vyse

Single-engine best rate of climb speed, marked with a blue line. It is the speed to hold after an engine failure to maximize climb performance.