FAA Recreational Pilot - Airplane (RPA) cheat sheet

A recreational pilot certificate requires a minimum of 30 hours of flight time, including at least 15 hours of dual instruction and 3 hours of solo flight in the category and class sought.

Recreational pilots may not carry more than one passenger, may not fly for compensation or hire, and may not act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers or property for compensation.

Flights must remain within 50 nautical miles of the departure airport and may not include a landing at another airport unless the pilot has logged at least 3 hours of dual cross-country instruction and an endorsement from an authorized instructor.

Class B, C, D airspace and Class E surface areas require an endorsement from an authorized instructor; recreational pilots cannot operate in Class A airspace.

A recreational pilot may not act as pilot in command of an aircraft that requires more than one pilot, of a tailwheel airplane (unless endorsed), or of a high-performance or complex aircraft without the appropriate training and endorsement.

Flight review under 14 CFR 61.56 is required every 24 calendar months; a recreational pilot may not act as pilot in command unless that review is current.

The pilot in command is directly responsible for and is the final authority as to the operation of the aircraft (14 CFR 91.3), and may deviate from any rule in an in-flight emergency to the extent necessary.

Medical eligibility requires a current and valid U.S. driver's license as the medical qualification for recreational pilot operations, plus self-certification of fitness to fly before each flight.

Aircraft must be registered, have a current airworthiness certificate, and carry the pilot certificate and photo identification; the pilot must present these documents on request of the FAA or law enforcement.

The aircraft must be maintained in an airworthy condition; the owner or operator is responsible for ensuring that maintenance, preventive maintenance, and alterations are performed and recorded in accordance with 14 CFR Part 43.

Required inspections: annual inspection every 12 calendar months, 100-hour inspection if the aircraft is operated for hire or carrying persons for compensation, and an ELT inspection every 12 calendar months.

Airworthiness directives (ADs) are mandatory; the aircraft is not airworthy if an applicable AD has not been complied with and documented.

Density altitude increases with high altitude, high temperature, and high humidity; high density altitude reduces engine power, propeller thrust, and wing lift, increasing takeoff and landing distances.

The weight and balance computation must confirm that the loaded center of gravity falls within the forward and aft limits; an aft CG reduces longitudinal stability and can make stall recovery difficult.

Takeoff distance increases approximately with the square of the increase in gross weight; a 10 percent increase in weight raises the stall speed about 5 percent.

Best angle of climb (Vx) yields the greatest altitude gain per unit of horizontal distance; best rate of climb (Vy) yields the greatest altitude gain per unit of time.

The airspeed indicator, altimeter, and vertical speed indicator are connected to the static system; a blocked static port causes the airspeed indicator to read like an altimeter.

True course is measured from true north; magnetic course equals true course plus or minus magnetic variation (east is least, west is best).

Magnetic heading equals magnetic course plus or minus wind correction angle; compass heading differs from magnetic heading by deviation, which is read from the compass correction card.

Time en route equals distance divided by groundspeed; fuel required equals fuel burn rate multiplied by time en route, plus a reserve of at least 30 minutes for day VFR.

A sectional aeronautical chart uses a scale of 1:500,000 (about 8 statute miles per inch); latitude and longitude lines allow plotting of waypoints and checkpoints.

Pilotage is navigation by reference to landmarks; dead reckoning is navigation by calculation of time, distance, and heading from known wind and true airspeed.

VOR radials are magnetic bearings from the station; to fly inbound on a radial, set the OBS to that radial and track with a centered CDI and a TO indication.

GPS waypoints and flight plan filing require awareness of airspace along the route; recreational pilots must remain clear of Class B, C, D airspace unless endorsed.

Fuel planning must account for taxi, climb, cruise, descent, and reserve; a fuel stop should be planned before the reserve is reached, and the pilot should verify fuel quantity visually before flight.

Standard lapse rate is about 2 degrees Celsius per 1,000 feet; the standard atmosphere at sea level is 15 degrees Celsius and 29.92 inches of mercury.

The dew point spread indicates the likelihood of fog or clouds; when temperature and dew point converge within a few degrees, fog or low clouds are likely.

A stable air mass produces smooth air, poor visibility, and stratus clouds; an unstable air mass produces turbulence, good visibility, and cumuliform clouds.

A cold front typically brings rapid weather changes, thunderstorms, and gusty winds; a warm front typically brings gradual cloud buildup and steady precipitation.

Thunderstorms require three ingredients: sufficient moisture, an unstable lapse rate, and a lifting action; avoid thunderstorms by at least 20 miles and never fly beneath a thunderstorm.

Icing occurs when visible moisture exists and the temperature is at or below freezing; structural icing increases weight and drag and reduces lift, and should be avoided by changing altitude or route.

Wind shear and microbursts near airports can cause sudden airspeed loss and altitude loss on approach; go-around is the correct response to an unstabilized approach.

METAR reports current surface weather; TAF forecasts terminal weather; both should be checked before flight, along with winds aloft and AIRMETs/SIGMETs for the route.

Hypoxia symptoms include euphoria, impaired judgment, headache, and cyanosis; supplemental oxygen is recommended above 10,000 feet and required for the pilot above 12,500 feet for more than 30 minutes.

Carbon monoxide poisoning causes headache, dizziness, and confusion; the treatment is to shut off the heater, open vents, and descend to a lower altitude.

Hyperventilation causes dizziness and tingling; treatment is to slow the breathing rate and, if symptoms persist, to use supplemental oxygen.

Spatial disorientation occurs when visual cues conflict with vestibular sensations; the remedy is to rely on instruments and to maintain a scan rather than to trust body sensations.

The IMSAFE checklist (Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, Emotion) is used before flight to self-assess fitness; alcohol requires at least 8 hours between consumption and flight, and a blood alcohol level below 0.04 percent.

The DECIDE model (Detect, Estimate, Choose, Identify, Do, Evaluate) is a structured decision-making process for in-flight problems.

Scuba diving followed by flight requires a waiting period: at least 12 hours after a dive without decompression stops and at least 24 hours after a dive requiring decompression stops.

Vision in flight: the eye's fovea provides sharp central vision but poor night vision; off-center viewing improves detection of objects at night, and dark adaptation takes about 30 minutes.

Wind direction indicators: a tetrahedron points into the wind, a wind sock points downwind, and the segmented circle provides traffic pattern information.

Traffic pattern legs are upwind, crosswind, downwind, base, and final; the standard pattern is left-hand unless the chart or airport indicates otherwise.

Airport runway numbers indicate the magnetic heading rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, divided by 10; runway 27 has a magnetic heading of about 270 degrees.

Radio calls should include the airport name, aircraft identification, position, and intentions; at non-towered airports, announce on the CTAF before entering the pattern and on each leg.

A displaced threshold means the landing portion begins beyond the physical runway end; the area before it may be used for taxi, takeoff, and rollout but not for touchdown.

Runway edge lights are white; taxiway edge lights are blue; runway end lights are red; a pilot should verify the lighting system before a night arrival.

The phonetic alphabet is used to spell out identifiers and to avoid confusion: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

Right-of-way rules: an aircraft on final approach or landing has the right of way over other aircraft in flight; a converging aircraft at the same altitude yields to the aircraft on the right.

The four forces of flight are lift, weight, thrust, and drag; in steady, unaccelerated flight, lift equals weight and thrust equals drag.

Angle of attack is the angle between the chord line and the relative wind; a stall occurs when the critical angle of attack is exceeded, regardless of airspeed or attitude.

Induced drag increases as airspeed decreases and is greatest at high angles of attack; parasite drag increases with the square of airspeed.

Load factor increases in turns; a level 60-degree bank turn produces a load factor of 2 Gs, and the stall speed increases by the square root of the load factor.

The four-stroke cycle is intake, compression, power, and exhaust; the carburetor mixes fuel and air, and carburetor ice can form at temperatures between about -7 and 21 degrees Celsius with high humidity.

Carburetor heat is applied when ice is suspected; it enriches the mixture and may cause a temporary roughness as ice melts, so it should be applied before ice becomes severe.

The magneto provides ignition independent of the aircraft electrical system; a magneto check during run-up verifies both magnetos and should show a small RPM drop on each.

The elevator controls pitch, the ailerons control roll, and the rudder controls yaw; adverse yaw is countered with coordinated rudder input during turns.

Trim relieves control pressure but does not change the airplane's attitude by itself; the pilot should trim after establishing the desired attitude and airspeed.