Required equipment
Definition
Explanation
Most of the list is simple — every airplane always needs an airspeed indicator, an altimeter, and a magnetic compass. The rest are conditional, and this is where students get tripped up: the tachometer, oil-pressure, and temperature gauges are required per engine; the manifold-pressure gauge only on an airplane with a constant-speed propeller; the landing-gear position indicator only if the gear retracts; and the anticollision light system on aircraft certificated after August 11, 1971. The ELT is required on nearly every airplane — the exception a private pilot is most likely to meet is a single-seat airplane, which doesn't need one (a few others exist, such as certain turbojets and training flights within 50 NM of the airport). Safety belts are required for each occupant.
| Required by day — ATOMATOFLAMES | Required when |
|---|---|
| A — Airspeed indicator | Always |
| T — Tachometer | Each engine |
| O — Oil pressure gauge | Pressure system |
| M — Manifold pressure gauge | Constant-speed prop |
| A — Altimeter | Always |
| T — Temperature gauge | Liquid-cooled engine |
| O — Oil temperature gauge | Air-cooled engine |
| F — Fuel quantity gauge | Each tank |
| L — Landing gear position | If retractable |
| A — Anticollision lights | Certd. after 8/11/1971 |
| M — Magnetic compass | Always |
| E — ELT | Most aircraft |
| S — Safety belts | Each occupant |
Why it matters
I have students point to each ATOMATOFLAMES item in the actual cockpit and on the airplane on an early lesson — turning the word into thirteen real things they can find makes it stick far better than reciting letters.
A DPE might ask
- What equipment is required for day VFR flight?
- Which ATOMATOFLAMES items are only required in certain airplanes?
Definition
Explanation
Two of the FLAPS items have a catch worth knowing. The landing light is only required at night when the aircraft is operated for hire — so a rental flown for personal night currency doesn't legally need one, though flying at night without a landing light is a poor idea regardless. The 'source of electrical energy' means an adequate, working alternator or generator system to run the lights and equipment. Position lights — the red left, green right, and white tail navigation lights — plus a spare set of fuses (unless the airplane uses resettable circuit breakers) round out the list.
| Add for night — FLAPS | Required when |
|---|---|
| F — Fuses (one spare set) | Or circuit breakers |
| L — Landing light | If operated for hire |
| A — Anticollision lights | Already required by day |
| P — Position (nav) lights | Always at night |
| S — Source of electrical energy | Adequate (alt./generator) |
Why it matters
On a student's first night flight, walk the exterior lights with them — position, anticollision, landing — and connect each to its FLAPS letter; it makes the mnemonic concrete in the dark.
A DPE might ask
- What equipment is required for night VFR that isn't required by day?
- When is a landing light actually required?
Definition
Explanation
Think of it as layers: every flight needs the day list; add FLAPS after sunset. When something on those lists is inoperative, go back to 91.213 — is the item required (by 91.205, the MEL, the KOEL, the type certificate, or an AD)? A required item that's broken is a no-go until it's fixed; only a non-required, non-hazardous item can be deactivated, placarded 'INOPERATIVE,' and left for the flight. That's why a position light or an anticollision light out at night is a real go/no-go, not a maybe.
Day VFR — 91.205(b)
- ATOMATOFLAMES
- Airspeed, altimeter, magnetic compass
- Engine gauges (per engine)
- ELT & safety belts
- Anticollision lights (post-1971)
Night adds — 91.205(c)
- Everything by day, plus FLAPS
- Fuses / circuit breakers
- Landing light (if for hire)
- Position (nav) lights
- Adequate source of electrical energy
Why it matters
A common trap is assuming position (navigation) lights are always required. They're a night item — 91.205(c) — not on the day-VFR list. By day they're good practice but not legally required; at night they are. (The for-hire catch, by contrast, applies to the landing light.)
Are position (navigation) lights required for a day VFR flight?
When an item is inoperative on preflight, resist 'it's just a light.' Run the 91.213 check — is it required for THIS flight, day or night? — and if you're unsure, call your mechanic before you fly.
A DPE might ask
- How do the day and night equipment requirements relate?
- You find a required item inoperative on preflight — walk me through what you do.