FAA Airline Transport Pilot (ATM) flashcards

Applicants for an ATP certificate with airplane multiengine class rating must complete an approved Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program before taking the knowledge test.

• Includes academic and simulator training
• Required before the ATP knowledge test, not just the checkride
• Does not apply to single-engine ATP applicants

Memory trick: No CTP, no ATP test ticket.

A required periodic accuracy check of VOR equipment before flight under IFR, with different tolerances depending on the check method used.

• VOT check tolerance: ±4 degrees
• Ground checkpoint tolerance: ±4 degrees
• Airborne checkpoint tolerance: ±6 degrees
• Dual VOR receiver cross-check: maximum 4-degree difference between receivers

Memory trick: 'VOT and Ground = 4, Air = 6, Dual = 4' — remember 4-6-4

For forecast levels at or above 24,000 feet, when coded wind speed would be 100-199 knots, 50 is added to the direction code (in tens of degrees) and 100 is subtracted from the speed to keep the six-digit group format.

• Direction is given in tens of degrees, speed in knots, temperature in °C
• At/above 24,000 ft, temperatures are always negative and the sign is omitted
• Decode by reversing the adjustment: subtract 50 from direction code, add 100 to speed code

Memory trick: Above FL240: subtract 50 from direction, add 100 to speed, and temps are always negative

A 4-level scale (Trace, Light, Moderate, Severe) used in PIREPs to describe the rate and hazard of airframe ice accumulation.

• Light: problem if extended beyond 1 hour, occasional deice use
• Moderate: even short encounters hazardous, equipment or diversion needed
• Severe: deicing equipment fails to control hazard, immediate diversion required

Memory trick: Trace tickles, Light lingers an hour, Moderate matters immediately, Severe demands escape

A scheduled break of at least 3 consecutive hours in a suitable accommodation during an FDP that allows an extension of the maximum flight duty period under Table B.

• Minimum 3 consecutive hours required
• Must be scheduled in advance
• Extension length depends on rest period duration, up to specified limits

Memory trick: 'Three hours to snooze, extend the cruise' — 3-hr minimum break stretches your FDP.

Minimum fuel reserve required for Part 121 domestic operations beyond destination and alternate fuel.

• Fuel to destination, then to alternate, then 45 min at normal cruise
• Applies to domestic (not flag/international) operations
• Flag operations under 121.645 instead require a 30-minute reserve

Memory trick: "Domestic = 45, Flag = 30."

Chordwise plates on a swept wing's upper surface that block spanwise boundary-layer flow to delay wingtip stall.

• Combat spanwise flow caused by wing sweep
• Promote root-first stall progression
• Common on older swept-wing designs (e.g., MiG-15, early jets)

Memory trick: Fences build a fence to stop the boundary layer from running to the tip.

A reduction in induced drag and downwash experienced when an aircraft flies within approximately one wingspan of the surface, effectively increasing wing efficiency.

• Reduces induced drag and required AOA for a given lift.
• Can cause premature liftoff at lower-than-normal speed.
• Can cause 'floating' during landing flare.
• Effect diminishes rapidly as altitude exceeds one wingspan.

Memory trick: Close to the ground, the wing 'cheats' — less drag, easier lift.

Freezing rain forms when snow falls into a warm layer aloft, melts into rain, then falls through a shallow subfreezing layer near the surface without refreezing, striking surfaces as supercooled liquid that freezes on contact.

• Requires warm layer aloft above a subfreezing surface layer
• Differs from ice pellets, which fully refreeze before reaching the surface
• Associated with supercooled large droplets (SLD), a severe icing hazard

Memory trick: Snow melts in a warm blanket aloft, then freezes the instant it hits the cold ground — freezing rain.

The period of the circadian cycle, roughly 0200-0600 body clock time, when alertness and performance are naturally at their lowest.

• Occurs regardless of prior sleep amount
• Body clock time may differ from local time on long-haul flights
• Increases risk of fatigue-related errors during this window

Memory trick: Your body's clock hits rock bottom around 2-6 AM, no matter what the cabin clock says.

A satisfactory 61.58 PIC proficiency check, or equivalent 121/125/135 check, within the preceding 24 months satisfies the 61.56 flight review requirement.

• 61.56 flight review is normally due every 24 calendar months
• 61.58 or air carrier PIC checks can substitute
• Substitution effect also lasts 24 calendar months from completion month

Memory trick: 'Pass the pro check, skip the review' — both run on the same 24-month clock.

A stationary front occurs when the boundary between two air masses stops advancing, often producing extended periods of unsettled weather.

• Neither air mass is displacing the other
• Weather resembles a warm front but persists longer
• Can eventually become a warm or cold front again once movement resumes

Memory trick: Stationary = stalled car — traffic (weather) backs up and doesn't move

A process in which supercooled water droplets are carried repeatedly through updrafts and downdrafts in a thunderstorm, building up layers of ice.

• Requires strong, sustained updrafts found in cumulonimbus clouds
• Layers of ice build with each pass through supercooled water regions
• Hail falls when it becomes too heavy for the updraft to support

Memory trick: Hail is a snowball rolled up and down inside a storm's elevator until it's too heavy to hold

A clearance void time requires the aircraft to be airborne by that time; if unable, the pilot must notify ATC within 30 minutes after the void time.

• Void time = deadline to be airborne
• Failure to depart voids the clearance
• Pilot must contact ATC within 30 minutes if not airborne

Memory trick: Void time plus 30 = the deadline to call

Turbojet/turbofan thrust available decreases with altitude primarily because mass airflow through the engine decreases as air density decreases.

• Thrust ∝ mass airflow × velocity change
• Air density decreases roughly exponentially with altitude
• Higher N1 is required at altitude to produce a given thrust value

Memory trick: Thin air, thin thrust

RAIM is a GPS receiver function that cross-checks satellite signals to detect navigation errors, required for non-WAAS GPS approaches; if predicted unavailable, the approach must not be flown using GPS.

• RAIM prediction should be checked during preflight planning for GPS approaches
• WAAS-equipped receivers generally do not require a RAIM check since WAAS provides integrity
• If RAIM is lost in flight, the pilot must revert to another approved means of navigation

Memory trick: No RAIM, no claim to fly the approach.

Actual maximum allowable takeoff weight equals the lowest of the structural, field-length, climb, and obstacle-limited weights.

• Always take the minimum of all limits
• Structural MTOW is a ceiling, not the automatic answer
• Climb and obstacle limits often govern at high density altitude

Memory trick: When in doubt, take the LOWEST number — the weakest link sets the limit.

Sudden loss of cabin pressurization causes cabin altitude to rise almost instantly to aircraft altitude, drastically reducing time of useful consciousness.

• Time of useful consciousness is seconds at high cabin altitudes above FL350
• Immediate oxygen mask use is required
• Cabin temperature typically drops sharply due to adiabatic cooling and fogging may occur

Memory trick: Boom goes the cabin — seconds of consciousness, mask on now!

The altitude at which the outside air temperature reaches 0°C, often estimated using PIREPs and the standard lapse rate.

• Standard lapse rate: 2°C per 1,000 ft
• PIREPs provide actual observed temperatures aloft
• Freezing level is critical for icing risk assessment

Memory trick: 2 degrees per thousand feet — count down to zero

CG shift (inches) = (weight moved × distance moved) / total aircraft weight, added to or subtracted from the original CG based on direction of movement.

• Moving weight aft shifts CG aft
• Moving weight forward shifts CG forward
• Formula is fundamental to weight-shift and loading problems

Memory trick: 'Move the load, shift the road (CG moves toward the shift)'

Federal regulation prohibiting crewmembers from acting in that capacity within 8 hours of alcohol consumption, while under the influence, or with a BAC of 0.04 or greater.

• 8-hour minimum bottle-to-throttle interval
• BAC limit of 0.04
• Applies even if the pilot feels unimpaired
• Company policies may impose longer intervals than the FAA minimum

Memory trick: '8 hours, .04, no impairment' — the three-part alcohol rule

The CRM skill of clearly stating concerns and recommended actions in a respectful, direct manner and following through until addressed.

• Balances between passivity and aggression
• Includes stating the concern, offering a solution, and checking for understanding
• Essential for overcoming steep authority gradients

Memory trick: State it, propose a fix, and stick with it — that's assertive, not aggressive.

14 CFR 91.3 establishes the PIC as directly responsible for and having final authority over the aircraft's operation, including the authority to deviate from any rule to the extent required by an in-flight emergency.

• 91.3(a): PIC has final authority for operation
• 91.3(b): may deviate from any rule to meet an emergency
• 91.3(c): may be required to submit a written report to the Administrator

Memory trick: When the sky falls apart, the captain writes the new rules — and later writes the report.

A rough, milky-white, opaque form of structural icing that forms when small supercooled water droplets freeze instantly on contact with an aircraft surface.

• Common in stratiform clouds with low liquid water content
• Freezes quickly, trapping air bubbles giving milky appearance
• Less aerodynamically disruptive than clear ice but still hazardous

Memory trick: Rime = 'rough & rime-y', freezes fast like flash-frozen ice

Stall speed increases with the square root of the load factor experienced in a maneuver, such as a banked turn: Vs(new) = Vs(1G) × √n.

• Load factor n = 1/cos(bank angle) in a level turn
• 60-degree bank produces a load factor of 2
• Stall speed increases by √n, not by n directly
• At 60° bank, stall speed increases by about 41%

Memory trick: Steep bank, steep rise: 60 degrees doubles your G's and grows stall speed by 41%

For turbojets under Part 121, dispatch landing distance at the destination must not exceed 60% of the effective (usable) runway length.

• Applies at destination for turbojets
• 60% factor built in for safety margin
• Alternate airport typically requires a different (less restrictive) margin

Memory trick: Six-Zero for the destination — leave 40% runway in reserve.

14 CFR 61.16 requires air carriers to request and review a pilot applicant's records from the FAA's Pilot Records Database before permitting the pilot to begin service.

• Replaces the old PRIA paper-based system
• Requires pilot's electronic consent
• Includes training, qualification, and disciplinary records

Memory trick: Check the file before you hand over the flight deck key.

14 CFR 61.159 sets the aeronautical experience needed for an unrestricted Airplane ATP certificate.

• 1,500 total flight hours minimum
• Includes 500 hrs cross-country, 100 hrs night, 250 hrs PIC, 75 hrs instrument
• Restricted-privileges ATP pathways (military, degree, other) allow as low as 750-1,000 hours

Memory trick: "1500 to fly the line"

A weather advisory issued for significant convective activity such as severe thunderstorms, embedded thunderstorms, lines of thunderstorms, or widespread thunderstorm coverage.

• Issued for severe thunderstorms with tornado, hail ≥3/4 in, or wind gusts ≥50 kt
• Issued for a line of storms ≥60 NM long affecting ≥40% of its length
• Issued for thunderstorms affecting ≥40% of a 3,000 sq mi area

Memory trick: 60 miles long, 40 percent strong — that's when Convective SIGMETs get sung

A weight limit imposed when ground speed at rotation/rejected takeoff would exceed certified tire speed or brake kinetic energy limits, common at high elevation/high temperature airports.

• High density altitude raises TAS for a given IAS
• VMBE = maximum brake energy speed
• Can limit takeoff weight even with long, obstacle-free runways

Memory trick: High and hot means fast feet on the ground — tires and brakes can only take so much.

ATC applies increased radar separation minimums between aircraft of different wake turbulence categories, with the largest spacing required behind super category aircraft like the A380.

• Super leading, Heavy following: 6 NM
• Super leading, Large/Small following: 7 NM
• Heavy leading, Heavy following: 4 NM
• Heavy leading, Large following: 5 NM

Memory trick: Super wakes need Super space — 7 miles for large followers

Part 121 flight data recorders must retain at least the last 25 hours of recorded flight parameters for accident/incident investigation purposes.

• Minimum retention: 25 hours
• Records parameters like altitude, airspeed, heading, attitude
• Distinct from CVR's 2-hour audio retention requirement

Memory trick: 'FDR remembers a full day, CVR only the last chat.'

14 CFR 91.17 prohibits crewmembers from acting as such within 8 hours of consuming alcohol, while under its influence, or with a BAC of 0.04 or greater.

• 8-hour bottle-to-throttle minimum
• 0.04 BAC or greater is disqualifying
• Applies to any drug affecting faculties contrary to safety

Memory trick: Eight hours after the last pour, don't walk through the cockpit door.

Vmo/Mmo are certified speed limits providing margin below the design dive speed (Vd/Md) to prevent flutter, control reversal, and structural divergence.

• Vd/Md is the design dive speed used in flutter/structural certification
• Vmo/Mmo include margin below Vd/Md for safety
• Exceeding Vmo/Mmo risks aeroelastic instability, not stall

Memory trick: Clacker warns of the cliff edge before flutter takes the wing.

The net flight path (gross path reduced by required gradient decrements) must clear obstacles by at least 35 feet vertically, or 90 feet horizontally while within airport boundaries.

• Net flight path = gross flight path minus gradient decrement (0.8% for 2-engine).
• Vertical clearance minimum: 35 feet.
• Horizontal clearance within airport boundary: 90 feet.
• Beyond the airport boundary, horizontal clearance increases with distance traveled, up to 300 feet.

Memory trick: Thirty-five feet up, or ninety feet over — clear the obstacle, stay clever.

The perceived power distance between crewmembers of different rank or experience that can affect communication and assertiveness in the cockpit.

• A steep gradient can silence junior crew from raising safety concerns
• A too-flat gradient can undermine command authority and discipline
• CRM training promotes assertive communication regardless of rank
• Techniques like the 'two-challenge rule' help flatten dangerous gradients

Memory trick: Steep gradient = silent first officer; CRM flattens the slope for open communication

The final stage of a thunderstorm's life cycle, dominated by weakening downdrafts as the storm's updraft is cut off, leading to decreasing precipitation and turbulence.

• Downdrafts spread out and cut off the warm moist inflow
• Precipitation and lightning gradually decrease
• Anvil cloud top remains and spreads downwind

Memory trick: Dissipating = the storm runs out of gas as downdrafts choke the updraft

A lateral-directional stability characteristic where strong directional (weathercock) stability relative to dihedral effect causes a bank to slowly and continuously steepen without pilot input, unlike the oscillatory nature of Dutch roll.

• Caused by directional stability exceeding dihedral effect
• Produces a slow, non-oscillatory divergence in bank angle
• Opposite imbalance (too much dihedral, too little directional stability) causes Dutch roll tendency

Memory trick: Weathercock wins, wings slowly spiral down

Extended wakefulness produces cognitive and motor impairment comparable to alcohol intoxication, a key concept in fatigue risk management for flight crews.

• 17 hours awake ≈ 0.05% BAC impairment
• 24 hours awake ≈ 0.10% BAC impairment
• Circadian low points (0200-0600) worsen fatigue effects
• Fatigue impairs judgment, reaction time, and situational awareness similarly to alcohol

Memory trick: 17 hours awake = one beer buzz (0.05%); 24 hours = legally drunk (0.10%)

Stall speed increases with the square root of load factor (n), and load factor increases as 1/cos(bank angle) in a level turn.

• 45° bank: n=1.41, Vs increases ~19%
• 60° bank: n=2, Vs increases ~41%
• Steep turns significantly raise stall speed margin needs

Memory trick: Steeper bank, heavier feel, higher stall speed

Aircraft CG is found by summing all component moments (weight × arm) and dividing by total weight.

• Moment = weight × arm (station)
• CG = total moment / total weight
• Must include all loaded items: empty weight, fuel, payload, cargo

Memory trick: 'Sum the moments, divide by the mass, find where the balance point lasts'

A flight review under 14 CFR 61.56 must include at least 1 hour of flight training and 1 hour of ground training covering Part 91 rules and maneuvers as determined necessary by the instructor.

• Minimum 1 hour ground + 1 hour flight training
• Conducted by an authorized instructor
• Certain checks/practical tests can substitute for the review

Memory trick: 'One and one for the flight review sun' — 1 hour ground, 1 hour flight.

A vestibular illusion caused by moving the head out of the plane of a sustained turn, stimulating multiple semicircular canals and producing a false sensation of rotation on a different axis.

• Triggered specifically by head movement during a prolonged turn
• Considered one of the most severe and disorienting illusions
• Avoided by minimizing head movements during turns in IMC

Memory trick: Tilt your head mid-turn and your inner ear spins a whole new story — that's Coriolis.

The altitude at which a constant Vmo (in KIAS) and the aircraft's Mmo (Mach limit) produce the same speed; above it Mmo limits, below it Vmo limits.

• Below crossover altitude, Vmo (KIAS) is the limiting speed
• Above crossover altitude, Mmo (Mach) is the limiting speed
• Crossover altitude depends on the specific Vmo and Mmo values for the aircraft

Memory trick: Low and IAS rules, high and Mach rules — they swap at crossover.

Factors such as non-standard phraseology, jargon, noise, or language differences that impede accurate transmission and understanding of information.

• Standard phraseology reduces ambiguity
• Barriers include noise, accents, jargon, and workload
• Closed-loop communication helps catch resulting errors

Memory trick: Non-standard words are static on the radio — they garble the real message.

High density altitude (from heat, humidity, or elevation) reduces air density, decreasing engine thrust and aerodynamic lift, thereby increasing takeoff distance.

• Hot, humid, high-elevation airports have higher density altitude
• Reduced thrust and lift both increase required runway length
• Affects both piston and turbine aircraft

Memory trick: 'Hot and high, thrust says goodbye'

The tendency of a wing with positive dihedral to generate a restoring rolling moment toward wings-level flight when the aircraft sideslips.

• Windward wing gets higher effective AoA in a sideslip, producing more lift.
• Positive dihedral is a primary contributor to lateral (roll) stability.
• Excessive dihedral effect can contribute to unwanted dutch roll tendencies.

Memory trick: Dihedral wings tip the scale back to level, like a seesaw righting itself

During IFR two-way radio failure, a pilot must fly the highest of the minimum en route altitude (MEA), an expected altitude given by ATC, or the last assigned altitude for each route segment.

• Route: as assigned, vectored, expected, or filed (AVEF)
• Altitude: highest of MEA, expected, or assigned (MEA)
• Rule applies specifically under 14 CFR 91.185

Memory trick: Remember MEA: MEA, Expected, Assigned — fly the highest

FAA-approved Level C/D full flight simulators may be used to complete an entire type rating practical test, including takeoffs and landings, without flying the actual aircraft, under approved Part 121/142 training programs.

• Requires Level C or D FFS qualification
• Zero-flight-time (ZFT) training programs permitted
• Applies within FAA-approved training curricula, not casual training

Memory trick: Level D can do it all — no runway needed, just the simulator hall.

The portion of the one-engine-inoperative takeoff flight path from clean configuration acceleration to 1,500 feet AGL, flown at maximum continuous thrust.

• Two-engine minimum gradient: 1.2%.
• Occurs after flap retraction (third/acceleration segment).
• Uses maximum continuous thrust rather than takeoff thrust.
• Ends at 1,500 feet AGL, completing the net takeoff flight path.

Memory trick: First lifts, Second climbs steep, Third accelerates flat, Fourth finishes clean to 1,500 ft.

An indicator in a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast marking a rapid, significant change in conditions beginning at a specific time, replacing prior forecast conditions.

• FM is followed by day/hour/minute (DDHHMM) in UTC
• Change occurs in about an hour or less
• Represents a full replacement, not a temporary or probable condition

Memory trick: FM = 'From now on, things change fast.'

A period of impaired alertness, cognitive performance, and grogginess immediately following awakening, especially after being roused abruptly from deep sleep.

• Lasts typically 15-30 minutes but can extend longer
• Worse when awakened from deep sleep stages
• Common risk for relief/augmented crew after in-flight rest
• Mitigated by allowing adequate wake-up buffer time before duties

Memory trick: Groggy on waking? That's sleep inertia, not circadian low

Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) airspace, from FL290 to FL410, allows 1,000 feet vertical separation between approved aircraft, doubling available flight levels and improving traffic flow.

• Applies between FL290 and FL410
• Requires special aircraft and crew authorization
• Vertical separation reduced from 2,000 ft to 1,000 ft

Memory trick: RVSM cuts the gap in half: 2,000 becomes 1,000

The outflow valve controls the rate of pressurized air leaving the cabin, thereby regulating cabin altitude and rate of change, under command of the pressurization controller.

• Modulated automatically by the pressurization system
• Closes to increase cabin pressure, opens to decrease it
• Distinct from the safety/positive & negative pressure relief valves

Memory trick: Outflow valve is the cabin's exhaust pipe

Atmospheric stability is determined by comparing the actual (existing) lapse rate to the dry adiabatic lapse rate (3°C/1,000 ft); a steeper actual rate indicates instability.

• Dry adiabatic lapse rate = 3°C per 1,000 feet
• Actual lapse rate steeper than DALR = unstable
• Actual lapse rate less steep than DALR = stable

Memory trick: Steeper drop than 3°C/1,000ft = air keeps climbing like a rocket (unstable).

Minimum control speed in the air with the critical engine inoperative is affected by CG location, gear, and flap position.

• Aft CG increases VMCA
• Forward CG decreases VMCA
• Gear down and takeoff flaps decrease VMCA

Memory trick: Aft CG = short arm = need more speed to swing the rudder.

A nose-down pitching tendency caused by aft movement of the center of pressure as shock waves form on the wing at high subsonic speeds.

• Occurs as aircraft approaches Mmo
• Center of pressure shifts aft due to shock wave location
• Mach trim systems automatically compensate for the tendency

Memory trick: Tuck under: nose dives as the shock slides aft

V1 is the maximum speed at which a rejected takeoff can be initiated and stopped within the accelerate-stop distance; above V1, the takeoff must continue to a safe climb speed even with an engine failure.

• Below V1: reject the takeoff on engine failure or major malfunction
• At or above V1: continue the takeoff to V2 (takeoff safety speed)
• Balanced field length equates accelerate-go and accelerate-stop distances
• V1 is calculated based on weight, runway length, wind, and density altitude

Memory trick: 'Before V1, Bail; After V1, Fly'

TCAS II issues Traffic Advisories (TA) to alert crews of nearby traffic and Resolution Advisories (RA) that command specific vertical maneuvers to avoid collision.

• TA: alerts crew, prompts visual scanning, no maneuver required
• RA: commands a specific climb/descend/maintain vertical rate maneuver
• RA maneuvers take priority over ATC instructions
• Crew must promptly and smoothly comply with an RA

Memory trick: 'TA = Talk and watch, RA = React'

Requires PICs of turbojet or certain large aircraft outside 121/125/135 programs to pass a proficiency check every 12 calendar months.

• Applies to turbojet-powered airplanes and large aircraft (>12,500 lbs) generally
• 12-calendar-month recurrence
• Satisfied automatically by completing an equivalent 121/125/135 check

Memory trick: 'Fifty-eight, every year straight' — 61.58 is a strict annual check.