Aviation memory aids are acronyms that help you recall a regulation or a decision checklist: ATOMATOFLAMES for required equipment, NWKRAFT for preflight action, ARROW for required documents, AV1ATES for required inspections, IMSAFE for your own fitness to fly and PAVE for risk. A few come straight from FAA publications and many are instructor conventions. Either way, the examiner tests the rule or concept behind the letters, not the acronym.
Part of our Learn to Fly guides. Each memory aid in the table below links to its full guide.
The six memory aids at a glance
Here is what each aid covers and where the requirement actually lives.
| Memory aid | What it covers | Rule or FAA source |
|---|---|---|
| ATOMATOFLAMES, FLAPS, GRABCARD | Instruments and equipment required for day VFR, night VFR and IFR flight | 14 CFR 91.205(b), (c) and (d) |
| NWKRAFT | Preflight action: weather, fuel, alternatives and known traffic delays for IFR flights and flights not in the vicinity of an airport; runway lengths and takeoff and landing distances for every flight | 14 CFR 91.103 |
| ARROW | Documents aboard: airworthiness certificate, registration, radio station license for international flights, operating limitations, weight and balance data | 14 CFR 91.203 and 91.9; FCC rule 47 CFR 87.18 for the radio license |
| AV1ATES | Inspections and checks: airworthiness directives, VOR check (IFR), 100-hour inspection (certain for-hire and instruction flights), annual, transponder, ELT, altimeter and static system (IFR in controlled airspace) | 14 CFR 91.403 and Part 39, 91.171, 91.409, 91.413, 91.207, 91.411 |
| IMSAFE | Your fitness to fly: illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue, emotion | AIM 8-1-1 personal checklist; PHAK Chapter 2; rules such as 14 CFR 61.53 and 91.17 (see 8 hours bottle to throttle) |
| PAVE | Risk categories to check before a flight: pilot in command, aircraft, environment, external pressures | PHAK Chapter 2; Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A) |
FAA term or instructor convention?
Some of these acronyms are FAA language. The AIM’s personal checklist in paragraph 8-1-1 spells out I’M SAFE, and Chapter 2 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) teaches IMSAFE, PAVE, CARE, TEAM, the 3P model, the 5 Ps and the DECIDE model. Others are not. ATOMATOFLAMES, FLAPS, GRABCARD, NWKRAFT, ARROW and AV1ATES do not appear in the PHAK, the Airplane Flying Handbook or the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards (ACS). They are conventions instructors use to compress a regulation into something you can recite.
That difference matters in three ways:
- The regulation wins. Informal acronyms are not standardized, so versions differ. When a letter and the rule disagree, the rule is what counts. NWKRAFT’s N, for NOTAMs, is a good example: the word does not appear in 91.103.
- Examiners test knowledge, not spelling. The ACS lists knowledge such as “equipment requirements for day and night VFR flight” (PA.I.B.K3), not ATOMATOFLAMES. Reciting letters without the conditions behind them will not carry you through the oral exam.
- Acronyms are not checklists. They help you remember categories. Your airplane’s checklist and POH govern what you actually do in the cockpit.
Other memory aids worth knowing
These do not have their own pages here, but each one comes from an FAA publication.
The DECIDE model
PHAK Chapter 2 describes DECIDE as a six-step, continuous-loop process for making decisions: Detect, Estimate, Choose a course of action, Identify solutions, Do the necessary actions, and Evaluate the effects of the actions. The point is a logical, repeatable way to work a problem instead of reacting to it.
The 3P model, with CARE and TEAM
The PHAK’s 3P model is Perceive, Process, Perform. You perceive hazards with PAVE, process them with CARE (Consequences, Alternatives, Reality, External factors), and perform risk management with TEAM (Transfer, Eliminate, Accept, Mitigate).
The 5 Ps
The Plan, the Plane, the Pilot, the Passengers and the Programming. The PHAK suggests reviewing them at key decision points: preflight, before takeoff, hourly or at the midpoint of the flight, before descent and, for VFR flights, just before entering the traffic pattern.
GUMP before landing
The FAA safety pamphlet On Landings Part III (FAA-P-8740-50) advises pilots to use the before-landing checklist and a gas, undercarriage, mixture, prop (GUMP) check. Many pilots add an S and call it GUMPS. Either way, it backs up the printed checklist rather than replacing it.
How to make memory aids stick
- Learn the rule first. Read the regulation behind each acronym before you memorize the letters, so every letter has a meaning attached.
- Say the condition with the letter. “L, landing gear position indicator, if the gear retracts” is a better answer than “L, landing gear.”
- Keep a card on your kneeboard. A card on your kneeboard keeps the letters and their conditions in front of you during lessons, so you can quiz yourself between tasks.
- Practice out loud. Explain each aid to your instructor in a mock oral well before the checkride.
If a letter escapes you during the oral, reason from the rule instead: what does this kind of flight require, and which regulation says so? The ACS is built from knowledge, risk management and skill elements, so a reasoned answer from the regulation is the stronger one.
What you'll need
The current regulations, the test standard and an oral exam guide to study these rules, plus a kneeboard for your memory aid cards.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common memory aids for student pilots?
Widely taught memory aids include ATOMATOFLAMES, FLAPS and GRABCARD for required equipment (14 CFR 91.205), NWKRAFT for preflight action (91.103), ARROW for required documents, AV1ATES for required inspections, IMSAFE for personal fitness to fly and PAVE for preflight risk assessment.
Are aviation acronyms like ATOMATOFLAMES official FAA terms?
Some are and some are not. IMSAFE, PAVE, DECIDE, CARE, TEAM and the 5 Ps appear in FAA handbooks, and the AIM includes the I’M SAFE personal checklist. ATOMATOFLAMES, NWKRAFT, ARROW and AV1ATES do not appear in the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge or the Private Pilot ACS; they are instructor conventions for remembering regulations.
Do I need to memorize these acronyms for the checkride?
No acronym is required. The examiner evaluates the knowledge in the Airman Certification Standards, such as the equipment required for day and night VFR flight, so you need to know the regulations and conditions behind each letter. Acronyms are simply a convenient way to recall them under pressure.
What is the difference between IMSAFE and PAVE?
IMSAFE checks you, the pilot: illness, medication, stress, alcohol, fatigue and emotion. PAVE checks the whole flight for hazards: the pilot in command, the aircraft, the environment and external pressures. In the PHAK, IMSAFE is how you assess the P in PAVE.
What does GUMPS stand for?
The FAA’s On Landings Part III pamphlet describes a GUMP check before landing: gas, undercarriage, mixture and prop. Many pilots add an S and call it GUMPS. It supplements your airplane’s before-landing checklist rather than replacing it.
What is the DECIDE model in aviation?
DECIDE is a six-step decision-making model from the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge: Detect, Estimate, Choose a course of action, Identify solutions, Do the necessary actions, and Evaluate the effects of the actions. The PHAK describes it as a continuous loop.