FAA Aircraft Dispatcher (ADX) flashcards

Requires an oral briefing to all passengers before each takeoff covering safety items such as seatbelts, exits, smoking, and emergency equipment.

• Must occur before each takeoff
• Covers exits, seatbelts, smoking, oxygen use
• Applies regardless of flight duration

Memory trick: "Every takeoff gets the talk — no exceptions."

Stability is determined by comparing the environmental lapse rate (ELR) to the dry adiabatic lapse rate (DALR, ~3°C/1,000ft) and moist adiabatic lapse rate (MALR, ~1.5-2°C/1,000ft).

• ELR < MALR: absolutely stable
• ELR > DALR: absolutely unstable
• MALR < ELR < DALR: conditionally unstable

Memory trick: Between moist and dry, conditional lies

A step climb is a planned climb to a higher cruise altitude during flight, performed as aircraft weight decreases, to maintain proximity to the optimum altitude for fuel efficiency.

• Optimum altitude rises as weight decreases
• Requires ATC coordination/clearance
• Improves specific range over long flights

Memory trick: 'Lighter plane, higher lane' — climb steps track decreasing weight.

For non-WAAS GPS equipment used as the sole means of navigation, RAIM availability must be predicted before flight to ensure GPS integrity monitoring capability at the ETA.

• RAIM = Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring
• Required when GPS is sole means of navigation with non-WAAS equipment
• WAAS-equipped aircraft use a different integrity monitoring method, not classic RAIM prediction
• Prediction performed via avionics, FAA tools, or approved software before departure

Memory trick: RAIM checks the sky before you fly

A navigation rule of thumb stating that 1° of angular displacement equals approximately 1 NM of lateral offset per 60 NM of distance flown, used to compute course corrections.

• 1° ≈ 1 NM per 60 NM traveled
• Parallel correction re-establishes track direction
• Convergence correction closes lateral displacement over a chosen distance

Memory trick: Sixty to one: one degree, one mile, every sixty miles you fly.

Fuel reserve rule for Part 121 flag operations requiring destination fuel, 10% contingency, alternate fuel, and 30-minute holding reserve.

• Fuel to destination first
• Plus 10% contingency of trip time
• Then fuel to alternate, plus 30 min holding at 1,500 ft

Memory trick: Flag flights: ten percent extra, then thirty more circling above the alternate.

Standardized PIREP categories (light, moderate, severe, extreme) describe turbulence based on effects on occupants and aircraft control.

• Light: slight, erratic changes in altitude/attitude, slight strain felt
• Moderate: definite strains, dislodged objects, aircraft remains in control
• Severe: large abrupt changes, possible momentary loss of control
• Extreme: violent tossing, aircraft may be impossible to control, structural damage possible

Memory trick: Light shakes, Moderate strains, Severe throws, Extreme breaks.

An occluded front forms when a fast-moving cold front overtakes a slower warm front. It is classified as cold-type if the overtaking air is colder than the air ahead, or warm-type if the overtaking air is warmer than the air ahead.

• Cold-type occlusion: overtaking cold air is colder than the air it displaces, common in central/eastern regions
• Warm-type occlusion: overtaking air is milder than the air ahead, common along the Pacific Coast
• Occluded fronts often bring extended periods of precipitation and cloudiness

Memory trick: 'Warm-type occlusion: the sneaky new air is Warmer, so it rides up and over — like on the West coast.'

Precipitation that falls from a cloud but evaporates in dry air before reaching the ground, sometimes associated with dry microbursts.

• Occurs when air below cloud base is very dry
• Evaporative cooling can accelerate a downdraft
• Associated hazard: dry microbursts, especially in arid regions

Memory trick: Virga vanishes before it lands — but the cold air it drops can slam you

The highest crosswind velocity component demonstrated during aircraft certification testing; it is not an official operating limitation.

• Found in the AFM, but not a certified limitation
• PIC retains authority to accept or decline higher crosswinds
• Dispatchers should advise crews but cannot forbid dispatch solely on this value

Memory trick: 'Demonstrated' means tested, not a wall — PIC makes the final call.

Requires PICs and SICs carrying passengers to have made 3 takeoffs and landings in the same type within the preceding 90 days, or in an approved simulator.

• Applies to both PIC and SIC
• 90-day rolling window
• Simulator credit is acceptable if approved

Memory trick: Ninety days, three landings—or the pilot sits this one out.

Baggage carried in the passenger cabin must be stowed at an approved location that does not block aisles or emergency exits and must be secured for takeoff and landing.

• Applies to all cabin baggage, not just carry-ons in overhead bins
• Must not obstruct aisle or exit access
• Must be restrained so it cannot shift during flight

Memory trick: 'Bags block nothing — exits stay open.'

Default IFR alternate weather minimums when none are published: 600-2 for precision approaches, 800-2 for nonprecision-only airports.

• 600-2 = ceiling 600 ft, visibility 2 SM (precision)
• 800-2 = ceiling 800 ft, visibility 2 SM (nonprecision)
• Used only when airport has no published alternate minimums

Memory trick: 'Six hundred, precise; eight hundred, less nice.'

When departure weather is below landing minimums, a takeoff alternate must be within 1 hour (two-engine airplanes) or 2 hours (more than two engines) at one-engine-inoperative cruising speed in still air.

• Applies when departure weather is below landing minimums
• 2-engine airplanes: 1 hour OEI cruise time limit
• 3+ engine airplanes: 2 hour OEI cruise time limit

Memory trick: 'Two engines, one hour; more engines, double the power.'

A rule of thumb used to estimate top-of-descent distance: approximately 3 NM of ground distance for each 1,000 feet of altitude to be lost.

• Distance (NM) = Altitude to lose (in thousands) x 3
• Add extra distance for deceleration/level-off segments
• Used for quick in-flight or planning estimates, not precise FMS calculations
• Wind and speed changes affect actual required distance

Memory trick: 3 miles down for every thousand feet — then add a cushion

Minimum requirements a person must meet under 14 CFR Part 65 to be issued an FAA Aircraft Dispatcher Certificate.

• Minimum age is 23 years
• Must read, write, speak, and understand English
• Must complete an approved training course or have qualifying experience, and pass required tests

Memory trick: '23 and free' — dispatcher age minimum

A published procedure providing obstacle clearance for IFR departures when the standard climb gradient is insufficient.

• Standard climb gradient assumption is 200 ft/NM
• ODPs may be textual or graphic
• Not required if ATC provides radar vectors or a diverse vector area (DVA) exists

Memory trick: 200 feet per mile is the floor — below that, follow the ODP or ATC's vector.

MEA guarantees both obstacle clearance and navigation signal reception along the entire route; MOCA guarantees obstacle clearance for the full segment but navigation signal only within 22 NM of the VOR.

• MEA: obstacle clearance + full-route signal reception
• MOCA: obstacle clearance for full segment, signal reception limited to 22 NM of VOR
• MOCA is charted with an asterisk on IFR enroute charts

Memory trick: MOCA = Only 22 miles of Clear Airwaves

For domestic Part 121 IFR flights, fuel must cover flight to destination, to the alternate, plus 45 minutes at normal cruise fuel consumption.

• Applies to domestic operations under 121.639
• 45-minute reserve at normal cruising consumption
• Flag operations (121.645) use a 30-minute reserve instead

Memory trick: Domestic = 45, Flag = 30 — 'Home needs more gas.'

The maximum permissible weight of the aircraft and its payload without usable fuel, a structural limit protecting the wing/fuselage from excessive bending loads.

• Weight beyond MZFW must be usable fuel
• Fuel in wings provides bending relief, reducing wing root stress
• Exceeding MZFW even briefly can cause structural damage
• Distinct from MTOW (takeoff) and MLW (landing) limits

Memory trick: Zero Fuel = Zero relief for the wings, so payload alone can't exceed it

A clearance to descend via a Standard Terminal Arrival requires compliance with all published altitude and speed restrictions unless ATC amends them.

• 'Descend via' incorporates all charted restrictions
• Restrictions are mandatory unless amended by ATC
• Absent a 'descend via' clearance, altitudes shown may only be for planning ('expect')

Memory trick: 'Descend Via' means 'Do exactly what the chart says' unless told otherwise.

Hail forms when strong updrafts repeatedly carry ice particles through supercooled water regions of a cumulonimbus cloud, adding layers of ice until the stone is too heavy to remain aloft.

• Requires strong, sustained updrafts
• Grows via repeated cycling through supercooled water
• Falls when weight exceeds updraft's lifting capability

Memory trick: Bigger elevator (updraft) rides longer, bigger hailstone builds.

A graphical forecast product depicting AIRMET-level hazards (IFR, mountain obscuration, turbulence, icing, and strong surface winds) issued four times daily with forecast panels out to 12 hours.

• Issued at 0000, 0600, 1200, 1800Z with forecast hours at 3,6,9,12
• Depicts sky/visibility (IFR), mountain obscuration, turbulence, icing, and freezing levels, and surface winds ≥30 kt
• Graphical successor supplementing text AIRMETs for more precise hazard areas

Memory trick: G-AIRMET = Graphic Guide to moderate hazards, four times a day

Reduced runway friction from snow, ice, or slush increases landing distance required and must be factored into dispatch calculations.

• Braking action reports: Good, Good-to-Medium, Medium, Medium-to-Poor, Poor, Nil
• Poor braking significantly increases stopping distance
• Manufacturer-supplied correction factors must be applied

Memory trick: Poor braking = poor stopping — always add distance, never assume dry.

When a TCAS Resolution Advisory conflicts with an ATC instruction, the flight crew must follow the RA and notify ATC of the deviation as soon as practical.

• TCAS RA takes priority over conflicting ATC instructions
• Crew must respond promptly and notify ATC after complying
• Traffic Advisories (TA) do not require evasive action, only increased vigilance
• TCAS uses transponder replies from nearby aircraft to compute closure rate

Memory trick: 'RA rules' — Resolution Advisory beats ATC every time

A controlled descent following an engine failure at cruise altitude, flown at the optimum single-engine speed to reach the highest sustainable altitude while maintaining obstacle clearance.

• Uses best single-engine climb/descent speed
• Target altitude is single-engine service ceiling or higher of MEA
• Critical for route planning over mountainous or oceanic terrain

Memory trick: Drift down like a feather, not a rock — controlled, not panicked.

The controlled release of fuel in flight to reduce aircraft weight to at or below maximum landing weight before an immediate landing.

• Required time = excess weight ÷ jettison rate
• Used when landing weight would otherwise exceed structural limits
• Not all aircraft are equipped with jettison systems

Memory trick: Dump the difference, not the whole tank.

A TAF element expressing the probability (30% or 40%) that a specified set of conditions will occur during a given time period.

• PROB30 or PROB40 followed by a 4-digit time period (start-end in Zulu)
• Used typically for thunderstorms or other conditions with lower confidence
• Not used to describe certain or 'temporary' conditions—that role belongs to TEMPO/BECMG

Memory trick: PROB = Probability, always a percentage of a possible storm

A takeoff alternate is required when departure weather is below landing minimums, and must be within a specified diversion time based on engine number.

• 2-engine airplanes: 1 hour OEI cruise speed
• 3/4-engine airplanes: 2 hours OEI cruise speed
• Alternate must meet forecast landing weather minimums

Memory trick: 'One for two, two for more' — one hour for two engines, two hours for three or more.

14 CFR 121.687 specifies the minimum information that must appear on a Part 121 dispatch release, including route, fuel, weather, and alternates.

• Must include minimum fuel supply
• Must include destination and alternate airports
• Must include type of operation (IFR/VFR) and route

Memory trick: The release is a fuel-and-route contract, not a crew roster.

14 CFR 121.354 mandates that all turbine-powered airplanes configured with 10 or more passenger seats must be equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS).

• Applies to turbine-powered airplanes.
• Triggered by 10 or more passenger seats.
• Enhances flight safety by alerting pilots to terrain hazards.

Memory trick: Ten seats or more, turbine power, TAWS must soar.

14 CFR 121.318(b) mandates that each passenger emergency exit on a Part 121 aircraft must have an operating public address system loudspeaker to ensure announcements are clearly audible at the exit.

• Applies to all Part 121 aircraft.
• Loudspeaker required at EVERY passenger emergency exit.
• Ensures clear audibility of announcements for safety.

Memory trick: Every exit needs a voice, for safety, make that choice.

14 CFR 121.383(c) mandates that any person serving as a Pilot in Command (PIC) in Part 121 passenger-carrying operations must hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate.

• Applies to PIC in Part 121 passenger-carrying operations.
• Requires an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate.
• Ensures the highest level of pilot certification for passenger safety.

Memory trick: For Part 121 PIC, passengers aboard, ATP is the card.

14 CFR 121.417 specifies the curriculum for initial flight attendant training, covering various aspects crucial for safety and passenger service, including emergency procedures and crew coordination.

• Mandates specific subject areas for initial training.
• Focuses on safety, emergency procedures, and passenger handling.
• Includes crew resource management (CRM).
• Ensures flight attendants are prepared for their duties.

Memory trick: For flight attendant training, CRM is key; teamwork makes the cabin safe and free.

Pressure altitude is the altitude in the International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) corresponding to a given static pressure. It is used in aircraft performance calculations.

• It is expressed in feet above the standard datum plane.
• Used for aircraft performance calculations, especially takeoff and landing.
• Calculated by adjusting field elevation for non-standard altimeter settings.

Memory trick: PA: Picture Altitude, Adjust!

The 'P' group in a METAR remarks section (RMK) reports the amount of liquid precipitation in the past hour, measured in hundredths of an inch.

• Format is 'P' followed by four digits.
• Digits represent hundredths of an inch (e.g., P0003 = 0.03 inches).
• Reports precipitation accumulated during the preceding hour.

Memory trick: METAR Remarks: Read the P for Past Precipitation.