FAA See FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRA- TION.

FAA INSPECTOR FAA personnel who can administer practical and proficiency tests and can issue pilot certificates.

FAA KNOWLEDGE EXAM Written exam administered by the FAA as a prerequisite for pilot certification. Passing the knowledge and practical exams are required for pilot applicants to be issued FAA certificates or ratings.

FAR See FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS.

FDC NOTICE TO AIRMAN (NOTAM) Notice to Airman that is regulatory in nature.

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) The federal agency responsible to promote aviation safety through regulation and education.

FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS (FARs) The division within the Department of Transportation of the United States government that has the responsibility of promoting safety in the air, by both regulation and education.

FIELD ELEVATION The highest point of an airport’s usable runways measured in feet from mean sea level.

FINAL Leg of the traffic pattern that is a descending flightpath starting from the completion of the base-to-final turn and extending to the point of touchdown.

FIXED-PITCH PROPELLERS Propellers with fixed blade angles. Fixed-pitch propellers are designed as climb propellers, cruise propellers, or standard propellers.

FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT An aircraft whose wing is rigidly attached to the structure. The term fixed-wing is used to distinguish these aircraft from rotary-wing aircraft, such as helicopters and autogiros.

FLARE The slow, smooth transition from a normal approach attitude to a landing attitude. This maneuver is accomplished in a PPC by pulling down on the steering lines to increase drag, reducing the forward speed and decreasing the rate of descent.

FLIGHT PLAN Specified information relating to the intended flight of an aircraft that is filed orally or in writing with an FSS or an ATC facility.

FOUR FORCES The four fundamental forces of flight: lift, weight, drag and thrust.

FOUR-STROKE ENGINE The principle of operation for some reciprocating engines involving the conversion of fuel energy into mechanical energy. The strokes are called intake, compression, power, and exhaust.

FSS FAA Flight Service Station.

GLIDEPATH The path of an aircraft relative to the ground while approaching a landing.

GLIDE RATIO The ratio of the forward distance traveled to the vertical distance an aircraft descends when it is operating without power. For example, an aircraft with a glide ratio of 10:1 will descend about 1,000 feet for every 2 miles (10,560 feet) it moves forward.