✈ Aviation Resource Hub

Use: Chapter 1 (Turbine Engines) — engine sections, compressor/turbine stages, combustion, FADEC, fuel control, fire detection, thrust reversal. This is maintenance-level depth — exactly what you need to understand the system, not just describe it. Download the PDF from the FAA page.

Use: For the operational picture — ratings (takeoff/max continuous/cruise), EGT limits, N1 as thrust reference, APU role, ETOPS logic. Simpler than the AMT handbook; read this first to orient, then the AMT chapter for depth.

Use: Chapter 3 (Flight Instruments) — pitot-static instruments, gyroscopic instruments, AHRS, EFIS layout (PFD, MFD, EICAS/ECAM), standby instruments, blockage effects. This single chapter covers the entire A-03 module. This handbook also covers A-04, A-05 (partial), and A-06 — download it once.

Use: Chapter 9 — VOR, DME, NDB/ADF, ILS (localizer + glideslope + markers), GPS/GNSS, WAAS/SBAS, RNAV, RNP, IRS/INS. Covers both ground-based and satellite navaids in sequence. Same PDF as A-03.

Use: Chapters 2–4 (GPS, WAAS, RNAV in the glass cockpit context). More modern than the IFH; explains GPS integrity monitoring, LPV approaches, and how navigation feeds into the EFIS/FMS. Also the primary source for A-05. Download separately.

Use: For ILS categories (CAT I/II/III), RNP AR approaches, approach procedure design logic. Read selectively — this handbook is large; target the ILS and RNAV/RNP approach chapters only.

Use: Chapters 5–7 — FMS architecture, CDU operation, LNAV/VNAV modes (PATH vs SPD vs ALT), route programming, performance database, Cost Index, Top of Descent calculation, speed/altitude constraints. Best free FMS explanation written for pilots. Same file as A-04.

Use: After the handbook chapters. Covers FMS failure modes, automation surprises, mode confusion accidents, and links to Cali (AA965) and AF447. This closes the gap between technical understanding and safety implications — important for Track B crossover.

Use: Chapter 5 — flight director vs autopilot, pitch/roll modes (VS, ALT CAP, LNAV, LOC, G/S), MCP/FCU operation, FMA annunciations, autothrottle modes, autoland requirements, mode transitions. Same PDF as A-03.

Use: For automation philosophy, de-skilling debate, and mode confusion incidents. Bridges the gap between how autopilot works technically and the safety implications — relevant to AF447 analysis in Track B.

Use: Sections 1–3 — all 7 GPWS modes with alert envelopes and activation conditions, EGPWS database description, FLTA (Forward Looking Terrain Avoidance), terrain display coloring, windshear alerting, operational procedures. This is the actual manufacturer pilot guide — more concrete than any textbook version. Also accessible on the SKYbrary bookshelf page.

Use: For CFIT statistics, why CFIT still happens despite EGPWS, crew response patterns, and linked accident reports. Provides the safety context that the Honeywell guide doesn't cover.

Use: The complete document (~50 pages). Surveillance logic, TA vs RA generation, aircraft-to-aircraft coordination via Mode S datalink, RA types (corrective vs preventive), pilot response requirements, v7.0 vs v7.1 changes (why in-crossing RAs were improved after Überlingen), training requirements. This is the definitive reference — written for flight crews.

Use: For TCAS limitations, the Überlingen accident summary, ATC/TCAS conflict procedures, and ICAO standards. Read after the FAA booklet for the safety and regulatory framing.

Use: Airborne weather radar chapter — reflectivity, tilt management, gain settings, attenuation shadows, turbulence mode. Also covers wind shear products and PIREP interpretation. Navigate directly to the airborne radar section.

Use: Ch.12 for the meteorology behind thunderstorms, microbursts, and wind shear — the "why" behind what radar shows. Ch.13 for weather services overview. Same PHAK PDF as A-01.

Use: Quick operational summary — misuse patterns, tilt errors, attenuation misconceptions. Good cross-check after reading the AC.

Use: ADS-B Out/In architecture, transponder modes (A/C/S), 1090ES, GPS position source requirements, CDTI, global equipage mandates. Relatively short and direct.

Use: ACARS architecture, OOOI reporting, weather uplinks, clearance delivery via datalink, engine trend monitoring. 15-minute read.

Use: Text-based ATC clearances, oceanic CPDLC ops, how it reduces R/T congestion, known CPDLC confusion incidents.

Use: What FDR and CVR record, mandatory parameters, who has read-out authority, why they're protected under ICAO — relevant context for accident investigation in Track B.

Use: Navigate by chapter — Hydraulic Systems (architecture, pump types, actuators, RAT), Electrical Systems (AC/DC bus architecture, generators, load shedding, essential bus), Fuel Systems (tank layout, transfer sequencing, fuel quantity vs mass). This is the maintenance-level reference for all three systems. Same PDF also covers A-12.

Use: Pressurization chapter — bleed air source, cabin pressure schedule, outflow valve control, differential pressure limits, safety valve, crew and passenger oxygen systems. Same PDF as A-11.

Use: Time of useful consciousness at altitude, hypoxia symptoms and stages, why cabin altitude is kept at 6,000–8,000ft, the physiology behind rapid decompression events (Helios 522). Read this after the AMT chapter — it explains why the technical system matters.