Mauritius DCA PPL Theory cheat sheet

Mauritius is an ICAO contracting state; its rules derive from the Chicago Convention Annexes as implemented by the Civil Aviation Act and DCA regulations.

VFR minima in controlled airspace at/above 3 050 m (10 000 ft) AMSL: 8 km flight visibility, 1 500 m horizontal and 300 m (1 000 ft) vertical distance from cloud.

Below 3 050 m AMSL in controlled airspace: 5 km flight visibility, 1 500 m horizontal and 300 m vertical cloud separation.

VFR flight is not permitted above FL 200 unless an ATC clearance is obtained; at and above FL 290 VFR is prohibited.

Semi-circular rule: magnetic track 000-179 use odd flight levels, 180-359 use even flight levels; VFR levels are 035, 055, 075 ... and 045, 065, 085 ...

Aircraft must carry documents: certificate of registration, certificate of airworthiness, crew licences, journey log, and radio licence where radio fitted.

Light signals: steady green = cleared to land/cleared to taxi; flashing green = cleared to return for landing; steady red = stop/give way; flashing red = aerodrome unsafe, do not land.

An ATC clearance is an authorisation only; the pilot remains responsible for terrain clearance and for avoiding other traffic in VMC.

Right-of-way: converging aircraft give way to the one on the right; a lower aircraft gives way to a higher one on final approach; landing aircraft give way to those in the pattern.

A 28 V DC system is standard on most light singles; the battery supplies starting and emergency power, the alternator carries the normal DC load.

Alternator failure is indicated by zero ammeter charge with a red warning light; load shedding and reduced electrical use extend battery life.

Magneto checks at run-up: maximum drop 150 RPM per magneto, maximum differential 50 RPM; excessive drop indicates fouled plugs or timing fault.

Carburettor icing is most likely at 0 to 15 degrees C with high relative humidity; apply carburettor heat and expect an initial RPM drop before recovery.

Static pressure blockage leaves the altimeter frozen, the VSI reading zero and the ASI behaving as an altimeter in climb or descent.

Pitot blockage with drain open gives zero ASI; pitot and drain blocked gives an ASI that climbs in the descent and falls in the climb.

Detonation is uncontrolled explosive combustion causing high cylinder pressure and temperature; pre-ignition is ignition before the spark, often from a hot spot.

Emergency equipment: fire extinguisher (dry powder or CO2), first-aid kit, ELT, life jackets where over water, and crash axe where required by the operating rules.

Fuel: check quantity, grade and contamination by sump drain before flight; Avgas 100LL is dyed blue, Jet A-1 is clear or straw coloured.

Density altitude = pressure altitude + 120 ft per degree C that the ISA temperature at that level is exceeded; high density altitude degrades all performance.

Take-off distance increases roughly 10 percent per 1 000 ft of density altitude and per 10 degrees C above ISA.

Crosswind component = wind speed x sine of the angle between wind and runway; headwind component = wind speed x cosine of the angle.

Rate of climb for a given power is maximum at VY; best angle of climb VX is lower and gives maximum height over a given ground distance.

Glide range is maximum at VMD (minimum sink rate is at a lower speed); headwind raises VMD, tailwind lowers it.

Weight and balance: moment = weight x arm; CG position = total moment divided by total weight; CG must lie within the forward and aft limits.

Fuel planning must include taxi, trip, contingency, alternate and final reserve; final reserve for VFR is 30 minutes at holding speed.

Landing distance increases with a tailwind, downslope and high density altitude; wet or contaminated runways add a further factor.

Pressure altitude = indicated altitude + 30 ft per hPa that QNH is below 1013.25 hPa (subtract if QNH is above).

Hypoxia symptoms: euphoria, impaired judgement, headache, tingling, cyanosis; time of useful consciousness at FL 250 is about 3 to 5 minutes.

Hyperventilation produces dizziness, tingling and cramps; it is treated by slowing the breathing rate, not by breathing faster.

Spatial disorientation: the somatogyral illusion follows sustained rotation, the somatogravic illusion follows linear acceleration, and leans follow a slow roll.

Night vision uses rods, is poorest in the fovea (central vision) and needs about 30 minutes of dark adaptation.

Carbon monoxide poisoning causes headache, drowsiness and cherry-red lips; it is treated with 100 percent oxygen and descent.

Decompression sickness (bends) is treated by descent, 100 percent oxygen and ground medical attention; avoid flying after diving.

Alcohol: no flying within 8 hours of consumption, and blood alcohol must be below the legal limit; fatigue and alcohol have additive effects.

Grey-out and black-out follow positive G; red-out follows negative G; tolerance is increased by the anti-G straining manoeuvre.

ISA: sea level temperature 15 degrees C, pressure 1013.25 hPa, lapse rate 2 degrees C per 1 000 ft up to 11 km.

QNH set on the subscale gives altitude above mean sea level; QFE gives height above the aerodrome; QNE (1013.25) gives flight level.

Cloud types: cumulonimbus for thunderstorms, stratus for low flat cloud, altostratus for middle layer, cirrus for high ice cloud.

A cold front brings rapid passage, squall lines, thunderstorms, a wind veer and a temperature drop; a warm front brings slow steady rain and low cloud.

Fog forms when the dewpoint spread is small; radiation fog needs clear skies, light wind and a long night, and burns off with insolation.

Wind veers clockwise with height in the northern hemisphere (Buys Ballot: with back to wind, low pressure is on the left).

Icing is most likely between 0 and -20 degrees C in visible moisture; clear ice forms in large drops, rime ice in small supercooled droplets.

A microburst causes a sudden headwind then downdraft then tailwind; the escape is maximum power, pitch for the go-around attitude, and do not chase the airspeed.

The ITCZ near the equator produces convective cloud, heavy showers and thunderstorms; tropical cyclones form over warm ocean water and recurve poleward.

Great circle is the shortest distance between two points; the rhumb line is a constant track and is longer except along the equator or a meridian.

Variation is the angle between true and magnetic north; deviation is the error caused by aircraft magnetic fields.

Conversion: true to magnetic add easterly variation, subtract westerly; compass to magnetic add easterly deviation, subtract westerly.

1 minute of latitude = 1 nautical mile; 1 minute of longitude = 1 NM x cosine of the latitude.

Heading = track + wind correction; the drift angle = (crosswind component / true airspeed) x 60 degrees.

The 1-in-60 rule: a 1 degree error over 60 NM gives 1 NM off track; a 10 degree error gives 10 NM in 60 NM.

VOR gives magnetic bearing from the station (radial); DME gives slant range in NM; NDB gives relative bearing, and ADF needle points to the station.

GPS RAIM must be available for navigation; a receiver autonomous integrity monitoring warning means the position is not to be trusted.

Dead reckoning: distance = groundspeed x time; fuel used = fuel flow x time; the wind triangle uses TAS, wind velocity and heading to give groundspeed and track.

Pre-flight: check documents, mass and balance, fuel, weather, NOTAMs, alternate and the take-off and landing performance.

Emergency: aviate, navigate, communicate; the distress call is MAYDAY on 121.5 MHz, urgency is PAN PAN.

Squawk 7700 for emergency, 7600 for radio failure, 7500 for unlawful interference; 7000 is the VFR conspicuity code in Europe.

Radio failure in VMC: continue VFR, land at the nearest suitable aerodrome and report arrival as soon as possible.

Stall recovery: reduce angle of attack, apply full power, keep wings level, and recover after the stall warning ceases.

Engine failure after take-off: pitch for the best glide speed, select a landing area ahead, do not turn back below a safe height.

Wake turbulence: fly above the flight path of a heavy aircraft and land after its touchdown point; take off before its rotation point.

Aerodrome circuit: standard is left-hand unless published otherwise; join downwind at circuit height, and report positions as required.

Runway incursion prevention: read back hold-short and take-off clearances in full and never cross a runway without a clearance.

Lift = 1/2 x density x velocity squared x wing area x lift coefficient; lift rises with the square of airspeed.

Induced drag falls with speed (proportional to 1/V squared); parasite drag rises with the square of speed; total drag is minimum at L/D max.

The critical angle of attack (about 15 degrees) is where the wing stalls; stall speed rises with weight, load factor and altitude, and with forward CG.

Load factor in a level turn = 1 / cosine of the bank angle; at 60 degrees it is 2 g, so the stall speed rises by the square root of 2.

The stall speed rises with the square root of the load factor: at 2 g the stall speed is 1.41 times the 1 g value.

Static stability: positive with CG forward of the neutral point; the CG must be forward of the manoeuvre point for stick-fixed stability.

Adverse yaw is the yaw away from the turn caused by aileron drag; it is countered by rudder into the turn.

Dutch roll is a coupled roll-yaw oscillation; sweepback and dihedral affect it, and yaw dampers suppress it.

Ground effect reduces induced drag within one wingspan of the ground, so the aircraft floats and the landing flare is longer.

Standard call: station called, aircraft call sign, position, altitude, and intentions; keep the readback of clearances complete.

Read back: clearances, runway in use, hold-short instructions, altimeter settings, SSR codes and frequency changes.

Distress: MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY, call sign, nature of distress, position, altitude, intentions; urgency: PAN PAN repeated three times.

Phonetic alphabet: Alfa, 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.

Numbers: 3 = tree, 5 = fife, 9 = niner; transmit digits separately for headings, altitudes and frequencies.

Frequency change is read back; the initial call to a new unit includes the previous unit's name when transferring.

Position report format: call sign, position and time, altitude or flight level, next position and ETA, next significant point.

Radio failure: transmit blind on the last assigned frequency and on 121.5, squawk 7600, and follow the published lost-communication procedure.

Phraseology: 'line up and wait', 'cleared for take-off', 'cleared to land', 'hold short of runway', 'standby', 'say again'.