Incredibly useful memory aids

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

Touchdown! Greaser!
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
Working toward the CFI ride (now rescheduled for Oct 10) I reflect on the massive quantity of aeronautical and aviation information I have accumulated into my long term memory and am amazed.

I remember looking at the list of of V's and thinking, "no way in hell am I going to remember which V stands for what airspeed." Now that's second nature.

Now is all the CFI knowledge items

FOI's including REEPIR, COCOFATS, and Doctor Doctor CPR!​

and recently how to remember the initial endorsements a student pilot must have before the different solo flight activities.

TIM loves Bacon on pizza
TSA, IACRA, get Medical, 61.87 (b), (c), (n), (o), and (p)​

And as I press forward, I'm trying to figure out other useful things to help packing the required things into long term memory. Including something to help with the other endorsements I would use for private pilot or others. Any ideas or submissions for this are welcome.


For any other aviation topics, what are your incredibly useful and clever memory aids (and not just acronyms) do you use?
 
I don't. I just drill it to memory through brute force repetition. Did it with subjects in school did it with the fretboard, did it with modes and scales, and did it with the CFI. No sense in creating something else to remember. If you're a decent instructor you dont have to remember the absolutely worthless **** in the FOI - which has been outdated since it was first concocted. Remember, the garbage was brought to you by the people that brought us the term learner instead of student.

Also your student solo "genius" acronym is already wrong.
 
My favorite CFI mnemonic is RUAC for the levels of learning:

Use acronyms to learn everything by Rote, so that you never have to actually Understand anything, let alone Apply it or Correlate it to any other experiences you ever had or will have.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Working toward the CFI ride (now rescheduled for Oct 10) I reflect on the massive quantity of aeronautical and aviation information I have accumulated into my long term memory and am amazed.

I remember looking at the list of of V's and thinking, "no way in hell am I going to remember which V stands for what airspeed." Now that's second nature.

Now is all the CFI knowledge items

FOI's including REEPIR, COCOFATS, and Doctor Doctor CPR!​

and recently how to remember the initial endorsements a student pilot must have before the different solo flight activities.

TIM loves Bacon on pizza
TSA, IACRA, get Medical, 61.87 (b), (c), (n), (o), and (p)​

And as I press forward, I'm trying to figure out other useful things to help packing the required things into long term memory. Including something to help with the other endorsements I would use for private pilot or others. Any ideas or submissions for this are welcome.


For any other aviation topics, what are your incredibly useful and clever memory aids (and not just acronyms) do you use?
Click to expand...
"Left my Red Port wine at home". Actually is more helpful to me on the ranch. When I have several hydraulic hoses to hook up on the back of tractors I always put a Red plastic quick tie on the left hose, Green on the right hose, Yellow in the middle. Top hoses get white or blue (for sky), bottom hoses get black or brown (for earth).
 
For retracts there is GUMPS....which I have changed to
Prop
Electric Boost Pump
Gear Down
Flaps
AutoPilot
Radio call
Mixture
Speed brakes
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
For retracts there is GUMPS....which I have changed to
Prop
Electric Boost Pump
Gear Down
Flaps
AutoPilot
Radio call
Mixture
Speed brakes
Click to expand...

I just make a J (or a reverse L). Swtiches and controls along the panel, and up to the trim handle. Nothing to memorize.

In my plane that ends up being
pump, gear, mixture, throttle. I don't touch the prop until go around, because I don't like to **** off airport neighbors.
 
EdFred said:
I just make a J (or a reverse L). Swtiches and controls along the panel, and up to the trim handle. Nothing to memorize.
Click to expand...

Problem with that is it doesn’t transfer well to another plane.

But I do use the “flow” method as well, I call it my sanity check.
 
MooneyDriver78 said:
Problem with that is it doesn’t transfer well to another plane.

But I do use the “flow” method as well, I call it my sanity check.
Click to expand...
Yeah its been 10 years since I have been sole manipulator in a retract besides the Comanche, and when I do, its a checklist vs memory.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Any ideas or submissions for this are welcome.
Click to expand...

A Ci Ci G U M P P S -Works for most Complex

A-ccessories

C-arb Heat

C-owl Flaps

G-as Throttle

U-ndercarriage

M-ixture

P-rop

P-ump

S-ecure belts, doors..





Time, Turn, Twist, Throttle, Track, Tank, Tires, Talk. -Holds, Entry, Apch.….
 
bluesideup said:
A Ci Ci G U M P P S -Works for most Complex

A-ccessories

C-arb Heat

C-owl Flaps

G-as Throttle

U-ndercarriage

M-ixture

P-rop

P-ump

S-ecure belts, doors..





Time, Turn, Twist, Throttle, Track, Tank, Tires, Talk. -Holds, Entry, Apch.….
Click to expand...
LOL! Absolutely perfect examples of taking two of the very few decent mnemonics and making them useless. I joke about screwing up the 5T next fix briefing to create 6 and 7 Ts and here we actually have 8! Thank you! :D

PS. No offense meant. I just have an irrational hatred of mnemonics and see most of them as the best way to avoid learning something.
 
Last edited:
midlifeflyer said:
here we actually have 8! Thank you!
Click to expand...

Hi.
Yes, there are actually 2 more but I did not want you guys to go loco. No offense taken.
If that is not enough, about 20 years ago, maybe a little longer?, loosing track of time, I wrote a mini guide for the pilots that I work with and I had a whole slew of them. I have not used any in many years everything now are these boring, what do they call them? Technically Advanced Aircraft, they beat it into you, just follow the yellow brick road like a monkey.
Here are some more, I have you know that I had to go at least 5 generations of back ups to get to them, but it's fun.
Do Not Use for Real Worlds Aviation.
Enjoy.


ARROWC-Airworthiness Certificate; Radio License; Registration Certificate; Owners, Operating Handbook; Weight and Balance; Compass Deviation Card.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION. Can Be Used before takeoff, Reaching Cruise altitude, Leaving cruise altitude, After landing.

CRAFT-Cleared to; Route; Altitude; Frequency; Transponder. This Should Be Used for Instrument Clearances as a guide.

Reporting Points:

Hold Miss True When Altitude Climbs. Equipment Arrival is Compulsory.

H-old entry/exit, M-issed approach, T-rue airspeed change 5% or 10 knots, W-eather variation from (When) received, A-ltitude leaving, C-limbs/descent rates if unable, E-quipment failure Comm. Nav., A-rrival ETA changes of more than 3 Min., C-ompulsory, mandatory reporting points

Day VFR GRAB CARD

G enerator, R adio, A ttitude indicator, B all- mag. Comps. C lock, A ltimeter with pressure window, R ate of turn, D irection indicator

Airworthiness items Needed for

Day VFR: A FAST MOOSE; MAT

A- airspeed indicator, F- fuel gauges, A- altimeter, S- seat belt/shoulder harness, T- tachometer. M- magnetic compass, O- oil pressure guage, O- oil temp. guage, S- safety gear flares, float device, E- ELT

MAT; M- manifold pressure, A- anti-collision lights, T- ransition (Position) light

NIGHT VFR: A SLAP

A- anti-collision lights, S- spares fuses (3), L- Landing light when for hire, A- adequate source of electrical power, P- position lighting.

IFR add: two-way radio communication, Navigation Equipment, Appropriate for the ground facility used, Rate of Turn Indicator, Slip Skid Indicator, Altimeter Adjustable, Clock, Generator, Bank and Pitch Indicator (Attitude Indicator), Directional Indicator.

In Flight above 12,500 Feet Add: Transponder with Altitude encode, Oxygen (if over 30 minutes at altitude) for pilot and crew: Above 14,000 feet oxygen for pilot and crew at all times.

Above 15,000 Oxygen for All Aboard. Above 24,000 DME.

Instrument Landing Check: CLIFF

C-ompass, L-ights, I-dentify, F-laps, F-uel

Reciprocal 180: +2, -2 or –2, +2 if over 360

Stone Ax Hold: At the fix Turn to the opposite of Inbound Heading, Fly out for 1 Min., Turn CDI to Inbound Heading and Turn toward the Needle

VOR only From, if same side not there yet

IFR Checklist.

1.Charts,Plates,Clip Board,Pencil

2. Radio Switch-On

3. Copy ATIS

4. Altimeter Set

5. DG.-Set

6. ATITUDE Indicator-Set

7. VSI-0 Set

8. Pitot Heat-Check

9. Marker Beacon-On and Test

10. VOR-Current Test Logged

11. ADF -Test

12. Alternate Static Air-Check

13. Clock-Check and Set (GND. CTRL., FSS.)

14. Call for Taxi and Clearance

15. Check Gyros During Taxi

16. Radio-Set As per Clearance

17. On The Runway: XPDR.-On, Copy Time, Check &Set DG, Lights- On

18. Departure Control-Contact

19. SoCal-Communicate

20. Arrival: ATIS, Tower, Ground
 
Cones or Rods at night?

“The rod comes out at night.”
 
I think there is a raunchier version of it? I hope I don’t get banned.

Boys use their Rods at night.

I always had trouble with the “Keep that yellow thing between your legs" with the ladies.
 
BillyMadison.mp4

Also, incorrect info.

Mike, change the operative suffix in the thread title.
 
White over white - you’re high as a kite
Red over white - you’re alright
Red over red - you’re dead. (Or alternatively, - you’ll conk your head.)
 
bluesideup said:
Day VFR GRAB CARD

G enerator, R adio, A ttitude indicator, B all- mag. Comps. C lock, A ltimeter with pressure window, R ate of turn, D irection indicator
Click to expand...

Huh? Over half of those things are not required for Day VFR.
 
kath said:
Huh? Over half of those things are not required for Day VFR.
Click to expand...
You've pointed out one of the major problems with mnemonics. Even the proponents of them can't keep them straight. GRAB CARD is the IFR equipment mnemonic which gets people to answer airworthiness questions incorrectly.
 
EdFred said:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
Click to expand...
That's actually true. I was pleasantly surprised to see a different result when I tried it recently, but for years I would ask a simple airworthiness question in online groups and during checkouts and flight reviews. It was always a piece of required equipment and a VFR flight. Completely unscientific sample, but the result was that folks who learned one of the 91.205 mnemonics were more likely to get the answer wrong than those who did not. My all-time favorite wrong answer is still, "It's not in TOMATO FLAMES so we're good to go!" From a CFI no less!
 
I don't worry about memorizing that crap. Just look it up in part 91. Only time it ever gets asked is on a check ride. Go to the right page, and before you can even read the first item the DPE says OK.
 
My CFI DPE ****loathes**** the mnemonics.

Can get him started on a big rant about how many candidates have them memorized and don’t understand what they mean, or partially memorized when they already know the correct answer and they’re stumbling over the stupid mnemonic.

Then he will get started on the ones that are flat wrong due to reg changes or other circumstantial possibilities.

He admonished to use them sparingly and focus on teaching students the actual knowledge and where and how to find the specific regulation instead. The reg is always accurate.

But do hope you don’t run into my guy if you’re heavy on the things. If you are, better know all the exceptions to all of them down cold and be ready to explain how you’d keep from confusing a student with those. A bad one is not a good tool.

As someone mentioned above, minimum equipment is a great one to see if someone only knows the mnemonic... which won’t cover it all.

“YMMV”. :)
 
denverpilot said:
My CFI DPE ****loathes**** the mnemonics.
Click to expand...

As do I! The DPE I've used was shocked but since I could explain what was needed where and why he was fine with it but I think a little mystified by my not knowing, or caring, about them.
 
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