Flying Notes

Appearance

Private Pilot Study Guide ​

Regulations ​

What can you do as a private pilot that you are not able to do as a student pilot? ​

  • Carry passengers
  • Fly at night
  • Fly through B airspace

What can you NOT do as a private pilot? ​

  • Carry pax for compensation or hire
    • Pro rata share ONLY

What certificates and documents do you need on board to act as PIC? ​

  • Government ID
  • Medical
  • Private license
  • SFRA (need to be able to produce, does not have to be physically on board)

If you got your medical certificate today, when would it expire for 3rd class privileges? ​

  • 60 calendar months (under 40)/24 calendar months over 40

If you only fly by yourself after you get your license, what is the next thing you would need to do to be able to act as PIC? ​

  • Flight review within 24 months (minimum 1 hour of ground and 1 hour of flight)
  • or a phase of the wings program
  • or a successful checkride

To carry passengers ​

  • Within 90 days:
    • 3 take offs and landings
    • full stop if carrying pax at night
    • [night landings reset day currency, day landings do not reset night]

If you're day current but not night current, what's the latest you can legally carry passengers? ​

  • 59 minutes after sunset
  • [sunset: turn on position lights; 30 min after/civil twilight: log night time, 1 hour after sunset: log landings] Lights, Logging, Landings

What inspections need to be done for VFR flight? ​

  • Use AVIATE acronym
    • A - ADs- airworthiness directives- either one time or recurring, intervals are in the text of the AD (ADs are can be thought of like factory recalls on cars. Something broke enough times on similar models or parts that the manufacturer/FAA decided it needed to be looked at on other planes too)
    • V - VOR [IFR only]
    • I - Inspections- progressive [50 hour interval] OR 100 hour AND Annual [12 months]
    • A - Altimeter/Pitot Static [24 months, IFR]
    • T - Transponder [24 months, usually done at the same time as the p/s inspection]
    • E - ELT, inspection and battery- inspection [12 months or after 1 hour of use], battery [date is on a sticker on the unit]
  1. Does the plane have an MEL (minimum equipment list, approved by FAA)? None of our planes do
  2. Does the plane have a KOEL (kinds of equipment list)? g1000/nav com III POHs do, start there [section 2 POH, operating limitations]
  3. Does the plane have a CEL (comprehensive equipment list)? 172R/S/M/N/P [section 6 POH, weight and balance, R required for flight, S standard]
  4. If broken part is okay in KOEL/CEL, double check against 14 CFR §91.205, VFR day and night minimum equipment [A+TOMATOFLAMES, FLAPS]
  5. If legal to fly with broken part, it must be PLACARDED and either REMOVED or DEACTIVATED, if it is removed, a new weight and balance might need to be computed depending on the weight of the part

If something breaks and you're at a station without maintenance facilities, can you move the airplane? ​

  • Contact FSDO for a ferry permit/special flight permit before moving the airplane

Study TEB airport diagram ​

  • Define:
    • HS1
      • Hot spots - areas that have experienced a high number of incidents, put there to warn others to be cautious in these areas (generally runway or taxiway incursions)
    • LAHSO
      • Land and hold short - when land and hold short operations are in effect, it is your responsibility as pilot in command to accept or deny a lahso clearance. If you have to do a go around after accepting a LAHSO clearance, you need to think about what operations are happening on the intersecting runway (is another aircraft taking off? Will you be climbing into their path? Are they heavier than you? Do you need to try and avoid wake turbulence?)
    • EMAS
      • Engineered material arrestor system- designed to slow down airplanes in an emergency, stops them before they hit a building or road if they overrun
    • Where would you find the distance of runway available when LAHSO is in effect? Chart supplement for TEB
  • Taxi signs and markings quiz
  • Taxi way vs runway lights
  • Where would you see each of these signs on the airport?

Weather ​

Read a METAR and a TAF ​

  • METAR is current conditions (actually observed conditions at time of the METAR was published)
  • TAF is forecast conditions, good for within 5nm of the airport
  • AO1 vs AO2 - AO2 is capable of precipitation discrimination = can tell if it's rain, snow, etc
  • https://www.weather.gov/media/wrh/mesowest/metar_decode_key.pdf
  • If the ceilings are at 1600 feet, is the airport IFR or VFR?
    • Most likely IFR, but if the airport is in uncontrolled airspace, it could be VFR. Doesn't mean it's smart to fly, just potentially legal.
  • Decode a TAF and decide at what point you could potentially fly VFR

Read a Winds Aloft Chart ​

https://aviationweather.gov/windtemp/data?region=bos

  • 9900 = winds calm
  • Blank spaces = within 1500 AGL
  • The data block shows ddffttt where dd is the wind direction in 10s of degrees, ff is the wind speed in knots and ttt is the temperature in Celsius.
  • At higher levels, the sign for the temperature is not needed since it's assumed all values are negative.
  • If the first digit of the wind direction is greater than 4, then the wind speed is greater than 100.
    • For example, 810550 would be 310 degrees (80-50) at 105 knots and the temperature is -50C
  • How far do you want to stay away from thunderstorms?
    • At least 20 miles, stay on the upwind side of storms

Airmet, Sigmet, Convective Sigmets ​

  • https://www.aviationweather.gov/sigmet/help
  • Airmet
    • Moderate conditions
    • 6 hour forecasst
    • Sierra - IFR conditions, mountain obscuratios
    • Tango - moderate turbulence
    • Zulu - moderate icing
  • Sigmet
    • Severe conditions
    • 4 hour forecast
    • Severe conditions
  • Convective Sigmet
    • 2 hour forecast
    • Line of thunderstorms at least 60 miles long with thunderstorms affecting 40% of its length.
    • Area of thunderstorms covering at least 40% of the area concerned and exhibiting a very strong radar reflectivity or a significant satellite or lightning signature.
    • Embedded or severe thunderstorms expected to occur for more than 30 minutes.
  • Flight plan to CBE, Bob 220 lbs + 150 lb pax in back for weight and balance
  • Take off and landing distance requirements
  • Make sure your visual reference points can be inputted into the GPS (GPS waypoints can be determined in foreflight or skyvector.com)
  • Even though you aren't flying all the way to CBE, Bob wants to see you input the entire flight plan into the GPS. You will launch on your flight plan and need to compare your forecast times against actual checkpoint times in flight.
  • Expect a sectional quiz - what the symbols mean, how to identify airspace, what are the standard dimensions of the airspace, do you need atc clearance or contact to operate VFR, VFR vis and cloud requirements
  • https://aeronav.faa.gov/user_guide/20220324/cug-visual-edition.pdf

Airspace ​

  • A - 18000'-60,000', instrument rating required (pilot and plane), not charted
  • B - surface to 10k', upside down wedding cake, customized to the area. "You are cleared into the Bravo", mode C + adsb-out required, 3 sm clear of clouds (only clear of clouds because tower doesn't want you trying to deviate to be 152 away and hit another plane) Mode C veil w/in 30 nm of Bravo
  • C - 2 rings, 5 miles surface to 4k, 10 nm 1200-4k, 2 way radio communication, tail number must be acknowledged, ADSB required within and above to 10k, outer area of the C is 20nm ring, optional, 3-152
  • D - surface to 2500, usually 4nm wide (hef is 5 nm and a lower agl because of surrounding bravo) 2 way radio communication, 3-152
  • E - within circle 700'agl to, outside is 1200'agl to overlying airspace, no contact required as a vfr pilot, considered controlled for IFR
  • G - surface to overlying airspace

Special Use Airspace ​

  • Restricted Areas - information you need about them (valid times, altitudes, controlling frequency) is at the bottom of the sectional chart. Don't assume that a restricted is cold just because you're outside of the valid times, they can open by notam. Call the controlling frequency before entering any restricted area and verify its status. contain hazardous activity, such as testing of artillery, missiles, or aerial gunnery
  • Prohibited areas - can never enter, ex Camp David
  • Warning area - are located over domestic or international waters and generally 3 nautical miles surrounding the coasts. Hazardous activities can impact non-participating aircraft. However, no clearance is required to enter. For example, W497B protects airspace during spacecraft operations from Cape Canaveral.
  • MOA - involve military training activities. Therefore, authorities warn non-participating aircraft to use extreme caution while flying within these areas. Pilots do not need to request clearance, but it is advisable to contact the controlling agency for current hazardous activity.
  • Wildlife Refuge - specific to land management for wildlife, such as migratory birds. Authorities request that pilots remain 2000' above ground level (AGL)

Transponder codes ​

  • 1200 - VFR- never to be used inside the SFRA
  • 7500 - hijacking (hi five, you're being hijacked)
  • 7600 - lost communications (7-6-radio fix)
  • 7700 - emergency (7-7 going to heaven)
  • What affect does heat have on performance?
    • Decreases performance - slow climbs, longer take off distance (3 H's - hot, high, and humid decrease performance)

Aircraft Systems ​

  • How much fuel does your plane hold? Usable vs non usable? (does your plane have normal or extended range tanks?)
  • If you're a drop of fuel, follow the path to the engine -
  • https://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/systems/how-aircraft-fuel-systems-work-cessna-172/
  • Is your plane carburated (M/N) or fuel injected (R/S)?
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caPd96m8J7w
  • https://www.cfinotebook.net/notebook/operation-of-aircraft-systems/induction
  • Electrical system
    • 172M/N - 14 volt DC system powered by an engine driven 60-amp alternator
      • Battery: 12 volt, 25 amp hour, on the left side of the firewall
    • 172 R/S - 28-volt direct current (DC) electrical system consisting of a belt-driven 60-ampere alternator and a 24 - volt main storage battery
    • Alternator is a higher charge than the battery so that it's capable of keeping the battery charged. Battery is only used to start the airplane, then the alternator takes over. If the alternator fails, the battery is capable of keeping the electrical system charged for up to 30 minutes.
    • If you lose your electric system, you lose radios, transponder, lights, flaps, electric turn coordinator. G5s have a back up battery that should keep them operational
  • Individual system circuit breakers are found on the circuit breaker panel below the pilot's control wheel. All circuit breakers are "pullable" for electrical load management. Using a "pullable" circuit breaker as a switch is discouraged since the practice will decrease the life of the circuit breaker.
  • Flight controls - cables and pulleys move the aileron/elevator/rudder when you provide control input
  • Flaps - 4 types
    • Plain
    • Split
    • Slotted
    • Fowler
  • Anti-icing or de-icing equipment?
  • S model- pitot heat and windshield defroster
  • M model- pitot heat, windshield defroster, carb heat

Engine ​

  • L-HAND
    • Lycoming
    • Horizontally opposed
    • Air cooled
    • Normally aspirated
    • Direct Drive
  • Propeller - fixed pitch

Pitot Static System ​

  • Pitot tube receives ram air, static port receives slip stream air
  • Airspeed - only instrument that uses pitot information
  • Vertical Speed - anneroid wafers expand and contract as plane moves up and down and surrounding air density changes
  • Altimeter
    • In glass cockpits, instead of using anneroid wafers and mechanical linkages, the information is computed inside the ADC (air data computer)

Gyroscopic system ​

  • Attitude
  • Heading
  • Turn coordinator
  • Glass cockpit - computed via AHRS- attitude heading reference system, uses laser ring gyros
  • Steam - precession, rigidity in space
  • How do you know if the ADC fails? Red X's over the p/s instruments

Emergency Equipment ​

  • Fire extinguisher
  • ELT
  • First aid kit
  • If your oil pressure gauge shows zero in flight, what do you do?
  • Check oil temperate gauge first. If temp is in normal range, maybe it's a gauge issue
  • Plan on landing ASAP in case there's a real failure
  • If oil temp is high, expect an engine failure soon. Start running ABCDE checklist and find an airport immediately.

Aeromedical Factors ​

  • Hypoxia
    • Not enough oxygen - caused by high altitude, carbon monoxide, drugs, alcohol. Lower altitude [if caused by CO poisoning, turn off cabin heat, open windows and vents]
    • Sympyoms
      • Euphoria
      • Headache
      • Increased response time
      • Impaired judgment
      • Drowsiness
      • Dizziness
      • Tingling in fingers and toes
      • Numbness
      • Blue fingernails and lips (cyanosis)
      • Limp muscles
    • https://www.cfinotebook.net/notebook/aeromedical-and-human-factors/hypoxia
  • Hyperventiliation - not enough CO2 - breathe in a bag, sing
  • Vertigo, spatial disorientation
    • Spatial disorientation specifically refers to the lack of orientation with regard to the position, attitude, or movement of the airplane in space, Under normal flight conditions, when there is a visual reference to the horizon and ground, the sensory system in the inner ear helps to identify the pitch, roll, and yaw movements of the aircraft. When visual contact with the horizon is lost, the vestibular system becomes unreliable. Without visual references outside the aircraft, there are many situations in which combinations of normal motions and forces create convincing illusions that are difficult to overcome.
    • https://skybrary.aero/articles/spatial-disorientation
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning - can be caused by cracks in the exhaust system, if suspected, turn off the heat and open the windows. Hypemic hypoxia.
  • Alcohol regs
    • 8 hr bottle to throttle
    • Under 0.04 blood alcohol
    • Do not fly if "under the influence" - hangovers count