NCAA Namibia PPL Theory flashcards

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

Namibia Civil Aviation Act

The Civil Aviation Act (Act 6 of 2016) establishes the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority and the legal framework for aviation regulation, safety oversight, and enforcement in Namibia.

NCAR Part 61

Namibian Civil Aviation Regulation Part 61 governs personnel licensing, including PPL requirements, privileges, ratings, and medical certificate validity for pilots.

PPL minimum flight hours

A Private Pilot Licence (Aeroplane) requires at least 45 hours total flight time, including 25 hours dual instruction and 10 hours solo flight under Part 61.

PPL privilege limits

A PPL holder may act as pilot-in-command of an aeroplane in non-commercial operations but may not carry passengers for remuneration or engage in commercial air transport.

Class 2 medical

A Class 2 medical certificate is the minimum required to exercise PPL privileges; it must be valid on the day of flight and is subject to periodic renewal.

Four-stroke engine cycle

The reciprocating engine operates on induction, compression, combustion, and exhaust strokes; the crankshaft converts reciprocating motion into rotation while the camshaft operates valves.

Carburettor icing conditions

Carburettor icing is most likely at ambient temperatures between about -10 °C and +20 °C with high humidity, and can occur in clear air with no visible moisture.

Static port blockage

A blocked static port causes the airspeed indicator to behave like an altimeter and the vertical speed indicator to freeze, while the altimeter reading becomes unreliable.

Magnetos and ignition

Magnetos are engine-driven, self-contained ignition sources; the engine runs on two independent magnetos, and the run-up magneto check verifies each circuit separately.

Flap effects

Flaps increase lift and drag and lower stall speed, permitting steeper approaches and shorter landing rolls, but extended flaps reduce climb performance after take-off.

Density altitude formula

Density altitude equals pressure altitude plus 120 times the difference between actual and ISA temperature; high density altitude reduces power, thrust, and lift.

Take-off distance required

Take-off distance required is the ground roll plus distance to 50 ft; it increases with mass, altitude, temperature, tailwind, and upslope and must not exceed the available distance.

Centre of gravity limits

The CG must remain within forward and aft limits; forward CG increases stability and pitch force, while aft CG reduces stability and may impair spin recovery.

Crosswind component

The crosswind component equals wind speed multiplied by the sine of the angle between wind and runway; it must not exceed the aircraft's demonstrated crosswind limit.

Weight and balance moment

Moment equals mass multiplied by arm; total moment divided by total mass gives the CG position, which must lie within the loading envelope.

Hypoxia symptoms

Hypoxia impairs judgement and may cause euphoria and cyanosis; time of useful consciousness decreases rapidly with altitude, so oxygen and descent are the correct responses.

Spatial disorientation

Spatial disorientation occurs when visual cues conflict with vestibular inputs, especially in IMC and at night; the remedy is to trust the flight instruments.

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Carbon monoxide from exhaust leaks is odourless and causes headache, drowsiness, and confusion; cabin heat sources are common origins and a detector is the reliable safeguard.

Yerkes-Dodson curve

The Yerkes-Dodson curve shows that performance improves with arousal up to an optimum point, after which excessive stress impairs judgement, reaction time, and motor control.

Standard atmosphere values

The ISA defines sea level pressure of 1013.25 hPa and temperature of 15 °C, with a tropospheric lapse rate of about 2 °C per 1 000 ft.

Cumulonimbus hazards

Cumulonimbus clouds contain severe turbulence, icing, hail, lightning, and microbursts; they require moisture, instability, and a lifting trigger and should be avoided widely.

QNH and QFE

QNH is the altimeter setting that indicates altitude above mean sea level, while QFE indicates height above the aerodrome reference datum.

CAVOK meaning

CAVOK indicates visibility of at least 10 km, no cloud below 5 000 ft or below the highest minimum sector altitude, and no significant weather phenomena.

Wind triangle

The wind triangle combines true heading and true airspeed with wind velocity to derive track and groundspeed; drift is the angle between heading and track.

One in sixty rule

The 1-in-60 rule states that a course error of one degree produces about one nautical mile of offset per 60 nautical miles flown, useful for estimating corrections.

Magnetic variation rule

Magnetic heading equals true course minus variation, using "east is least, west is best"; deviation from aircraft compass error is then applied separately.

VOR radial

A VOR radial indicates the magnetic bearing from the station to the aircraft; DME provides slant range, which exceeds ground distance at high altitude.

Engine failure after take-off

After engine failure, maintain control, pitch for best glide speed, select a landing area, attempt a restart per checklist, and brief passengers on the emergency.

Wake turbulence avoidance

Wake vortices are strongest from heavy, clean, slow aircraft; avoid them by spacing, flying above the preceding aircraft's path, and landing beyond its touchdown point.

Radio failure code

On radio failure, squawk 7600, follow the published lost-communication procedure, maintain VFR, and land at the nearest suitable aerodrome.

Load factor in turns

Load factor equals one divided by the cosine of the bank angle in a level turn; a 60-degree bank gives a load factor of two and increases stall speed by 41 percent.

Critical angle of attack

The critical angle of attack is the angle between the chord line and relative airflow at which the wing stalls; stall speed increases with mass and load factor.

Induced and parasite drag

Induced drag decreases with increasing speed while parasite drag increases with speed squared; total drag is minimum at the speed for best lift-to-drag ratio.

MAYDAY call

A MAYDAY call, repeated three times, signals distress and is followed by station, aircraft identification, nature of emergency, position, altitude, and intentions.

Read-back requirement

Pilots must read back clearances, runway and hold-short instructions, altimeter settings, and frequency changes, repeating them exactly and asking for clarification if unsure.

Squawk codes

Standard transponder codes are 7700 for emergency, 7600 for radio failure, and 7500 for unlawful interference, as defined by ICAO procedures.

Standard position report

A position report includes station called, aircraft identification, position, time, altitude, and next position with estimated time, spoken concisely in standard phraseology.