Technical figures — spec §10.2

Visual library

Hand-authored, deterministic SVG diagrams that illustrate the ground-school curriculum. These are the factual reference for each concept — not AI-generated images — so they can be reviewed, corrected, and version-controlled like any other content.

DRAFT — pending CFI review. Every diagram below is a schematic authored for study. It is draft and has not been reviewed or approved by a certificated flight instructor, and no diagram here is an FAA-approved figure. Diagrams are not to scale; always confirm exact values against the current FAA source. See safety & accuracy.

All figures (11)

One component per concept, each with an accessible title and description.

four-forces

The Four Forces of Flight

The four forces of flightA side view of an airplane. Lift acts upward and weight acts downward through the center of gravity; thrust acts forward and drag acts rearward. In steady, unaccelerated flight the opposing forces are in balance.CGLIFTWEIGHTTHRUSTDRAG
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Not to scale; not an FAA-approved figure.

airspace-profile

Airspace Classes Cross-Section

Cross-section of US airspace classesA vertical cross-section showing Class A above 18,000 feet MSL for IFR only, Class B as a stepped upside-down wedding cake up to 10,000 feet MSL, Class C up to about 4,000 feet above ground, Class D up to about 2,500 feet above ground, Class E controlled airspace overlying with 700 or 1,200 foot floors, and Class G uncontrolled airspace at the surface.18,000 MSL10,000 MSL4,000 AGL2,500 AGL1,200 AGLSurfaceCLASS Econtrolled, 700/1,200 AGL floorCLASS A — 18,000 MSL to FL600 — IFR onlyCLASS BCLASS CCLASS DCLASS G (uncontrolled)
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Not to scale; floors and ceilings vary by location. Not an FAA-approved figure.

traffic-pattern

Standard Traffic Pattern

Standard left-hand traffic patternA rectangular traffic pattern around a runway with left turns. The legs, in sequence, are departure and upwind, crosswind, downwind flown opposite the landing direction, base, and final approach aligned with the runway.RWY 36UpwindCrosswindDownwindBaseFinalWind
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Standard left traffic; some runways use right traffic. Not to scale; not an FAA-approved figure.

pitot-static

Pitot-Static Instrument Sources

Pitot-static system instrument sourcesThe pitot tube supplies ram-air (pitot) pressure and the static port supplies static pressure. The airspeed indicator uses both pitot and static pressure. The altimeter and vertical speed indicator use static pressure only.AIRSPEEDALTIMETERVSIPITOT (ram air)STATIC PORTPitot (ram) pressureStatic pressure
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Not to scale; not an FAA-approved figure.

vor-diagram

VOR Radials, OBS and CDI

VOR radials with OBS and CDI conceptA VOR ground station transmits 360 radials referenced to magnetic north. The omni-bearing selector chooses a course; the course deviation indicator needle shows left or right deviation from that course, and a TO or FROM flag indicates direction to the station.360030060090120150180210240270300330090 radialVOROBSCDI needleTO
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Not to scale; not an FAA-approved figure.

runway-markings

Runway Markings

Standard runway markingsA paved runway viewed from above showing the runway designation number, the piano-key threshold bars marking the usable landing surface, the dashed centerline, touchdown-zone stripes, and the solid aiming-point markings.27ThresholdAiming pointCenterlineTouchdown zoneDesignation
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Not to scale; not an FAA-approved figure.

angle-of-attack

Angle of Attack and the Stall

Angle of attack: chord line versus relative windAn airfoil cross-section. The chord line runs from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The relative wind is the airflow opposing the flight path. The angle of attack is the angle between the chord line and the relative wind; exceeding the critical angle of attack causes a stall.Chord lineRelative windαangle of attackExceed the CRITICAL angle of attack→ the wing STALLS (any airspeed).
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. A wing stalls at the critical angle of attack regardless of airspeed or attitude. Not to scale; not an FAA-approved figure.

cloud-types

Cloud Types by Altitude

Cloud layers by altitudeA vertical view of the three cloud height families. High clouds such as cirrus form above roughly 20,000 feet. Middle clouds such as altostratus and altocumulus (prefix alto) form between about 6,500 and 20,000 feet. Low clouds such as stratus and cumulus form below about 6,500 feet. Cumulonimbus builds vertically through all layers.~20,000 ft~6,500 ftHIGH — Cirrus, CirrostratusMIDDLE — Alto­stratus, Alto­cumulusLOW — Stratus, CumulusCumulonimbus
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Typical mid-latitude heights; bands vary. Not to scale; not an FAA-approved figure.

cg-envelope

The Center-of-Gravity Envelope

The center-of-gravity envelopeA graph with center of gravity (arm) on the horizontal axis and total weight on the vertical axis. A shaded four-sided envelope marks the approved combinations. A point that falls inside the envelope is within limits; a point outside — too far forward, too far aft, or over maximum gross weight — is unsafe and not authorized.WeightCG (arm) →Max gross weightWITHIN LIMITSFwd limitAft limitLoaded ✓Out of limits ✗
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Illustrative envelope only; always use YOUR aircraft POH/AFM. A loaded weight-and-CG point must fall inside the envelope. Not to scale; not an FAA-approved figure.

airport-signs

Airport Signs by Color

Airport signs by colorSix taxiway and runway signs. Red signs with white text are mandatory instructions such as runway holding position and ILS critical-area holds. Yellow signs with black text give direction or destination information. A black sign with yellow text shows your current taxiway location.28Runway hold — mandatory (red)ATaxiway location (black)B →Taxiway direction (yellow)22 ↑Runway direction (yellow)← APCHDestination / info (yellow)ILSILS critical area hold (red)
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Airport sign colors and their meaning (per AIM). Illustrative; not to scale and not an FAA-approved figure.

compass-errors

Magnetic Compass Errors (ANDS / UNOS)

Magnetic compass errors: ANDS and UNOSA compass rose. Acceleration error: on an east or west heading, accelerating shows a turn toward north and decelerating toward south — remembered as ANDS. Turning error: rolling out of a turn near north, the compass lags so you undershoot; near south it leads so you overshoot — remembered as UNOS. These are Northern-Hemisphere behaviors.NSEWANDS — accelerationAccelerate → shows turn to NorthDecelerate → shows turn to South(on E/W headings)UNOS — turningUndershoot rollout near NorthOvershoot rollout near South(N. Hemisphere)
DRAFT schematic — pending CFI review. Northern-Hemisphere magnetic compass errors. Mnemonics ANDS (acceleration) and UNOS (turning). Not to scale; not an FAA-approved figure.
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