Private Pilot

119 flashcards by MentisLibrary

Exam-shaped study for the FAA private pilot knowledge test: Part 61 and 91 regulations, aerodynamics, aircraft systems, weather products, VFR navigation, performance and weight and balance, airport operations, human factors, and radio work.

What is the minimum age to be issued a private pilot certificate for airplanes?
17 years old. A student pilot certificate for airplanes may be issued at 16.
What flight time does 14 CFR 61.109(a) require for a private pilot airplane single-engine land rating?
40 hours total, including at least 20 hours of flight training with an authorized instructor and 10 hours of solo flight time.
What solo cross-country flight does a private pilot applicant have to fly?
One solo cross-country of at least 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at three points, and one leg of at least 50 nautical miles straight-line distance between takeoff and landing.
What night training does the private pilot airplane certificate require?
3 hours of night flight training with an instructor, including one cross-country of more than 100 nautical miles total distance, and 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop at an airport.
May a private pilot be paid to fly?
No. A private pilot may not act as pilot in command of an aircraft for compensation or hire, with only narrow exceptions listed in the regulation.
Which flight expenses may a private pilot share with passengers?
Fuel, oil, airport expenditures, and rental fees, divided pro rata so the pilot pays no less than an equal share.
When may a private pilot fly in connection with a business?
When the flight is only incidental to that business or employment and the pilot carries no passengers or property for compensation or hire.
How often must a pilot complete a flight review?
Every 24 calendar months, consisting of at least 1 hour of ground training and 1 hour of flight training with an authorized instructor.
What recent experience is required to carry passengers by day?
Three takeoffs and three landings within the preceding 90 days, in the same category, class, and type if a type rating is required.
What extra recent experience is required to carry passengers at night?
Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop, flown between 1 hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise, within the preceding 90 days.
Give the three different definitions of night and where each applies.
Position lights are required from sunset to sunrise. Night flight time is logged between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight. Night passenger currency counts from 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise.
How long is a third class medical certificate valid?
60 calendar months if the holder was under 40 on the date of the examination, and 24 calendar months if 40 or older.
What documents must be aboard the aircraft?
Airworthiness certificate, registration certificate, operating limitations including the approved flight manual and placards, and current weight and balance data. A radio station license is required only for international flight.
Which inspections keep a normally operated private airplane airworthy?
An annual inspection every 12 calendar months, an emergency locator transmitter inspection every 12 calendar months, and a transponder test every 24 calendar months.
When is a 100-hour inspection required?
When the airplane carries any person other than a crewmember for hire, or gives flight instruction for hire and the operator provides the airplane.
What VFR fuel reserves does the regulation require?
Enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing plus 30 minutes at normal cruise power by day, or plus 45 minutes at night.
When must supplemental oxygen be used?
The required flight crew must use it after 30 minutes above 12,500 feet MSL cabin pressure altitude, and at all times above 14,000 feet MSL. Passengers must be provided oxygen above 15,000 feet MSL.
What alcohol rules apply to acting as a crewmember?
No flying within 8 hours of consuming any alcohol, while under the influence, or with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 percent or more.
What minimum altitude applies over a congested area?
1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
What minimum altitude applies away from congested areas?
500 feet above the surface. Over open water or sparsely populated areas the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
What speed limits apply in the low altitude structure?
250 knots indicated below 10,000 feet MSL, and 200 knots indicated at or below 2,500 feet AGL within 4 nautical miles of the primary airport of Class C or D airspace, or when beneath the lateral limits of Class B airspace or in a VFR corridor through it.
Who has the right of way when two aircraft of the same category are converging?
The aircraft to the other's right has the right of way. An aircraft in distress has the right of way over all other air traffic.
What is the right of way order among aircraft categories?
Balloon, then glider, then airship, then airplane or rotorcraft: the least maneuverable yields last. An aircraft towing or refueling another has the right of way over other engine-driven aircraft.
What must each pilot do in a head-on and in an overtaking situation?
Head-on or nearly so, both pilots alter course to the right. An overtaking aircraft passes well clear to the right of the aircraft being overtaken, which has the right of way.
What preflight action does the regulation require before a cross-country flight?
Review weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives if the flight cannot be completed as planned, known traffic delays, runway lengths at airports of intended use, and takeoff and landing distance data.
What must be reported immediately to the NTSB?
An aircraft accident, and listed serious incidents such as flight control system malfunction, in-flight fire, or the inability of a required crewmember to perform duties because of injury or illness. A written report on an accident follows within 10 days.
What four forces act on an airplane in flight?
Lift, weight, thrust, and drag. In unaccelerated level flight lift equals weight and thrust equals drag.
What is angle of attack?
The angle between the wing chord line and the relative wind.
When does a wing stall?
Whenever it exceeds its critical angle of attack, regardless of airspeed, attitude, weight, or bank.
How does bank angle change stall speed?
Stall speed rises with the square root of load factor: $V_{S} = V_{S1}\sqrt{n}$. At 60 degrees of bank the load factor is 2 and stall speed is about 41 percent higher.