Pilots love their acronyms. Whether you’re a student pilot cramming for your checkride or a 10,000-hour ATP who still mutters “GUMPS” on final, aviation mnemonics are how we keep the important stuff from slipping through the cracks. And mixed in with all those checklists is a healthy dose of cockpit humor and hard-earned wisdom that gets passed down from instructor to student, generation after generation.
Here’s our collection of the most useful mnemonics, the funniest sayings, and the wisest words in aviation.
Pre-Flight & Risk Assessment
Before you even start the engine, these mnemonics help you decide if you should be flying today.
IMSAFE:Personal Fitness Check
Before every flight, ask yourself:
- Illness:Am I sick or feeling unwell?
- Medication:Am I taking anything that could impair my judgment or reactions?
- Stress:Am I under unusual psychological pressure?
- Alcohol:Have I been drinking within the last 8 hours? Is my BAC above 0.04%?
- Fatigue:Am I well-rested and alert?
- Emotion:Am I emotionally fit to fly?
If you fail any one of these, the flight doesn’t happen.
PAVE:Risk Assessment
A broader look at the risks for this specific flight:
- Pilot:Am I fit and current for this flight?
- Aircraft:Is the aircraft capable and equipped?
- enVironment:Weather, terrain, airspace, airports?
- External Pressures:Am I rushing? Is someone pressuring me to go?
NWKRAFT:Required Preflight Actions (FAR 91.103)
Before every flight, the FARs require you to become familiar with all available information. NWKRAFT helps you remember what that means:
- NOTAMs
- Weather
- Known ATC delays
- Runway lengths
- Alternates available
- Fuel requirements
- Takeoff and landing distances
Pre-Takeoff Mnemonics
CIGAR or CIGARS:Run-Up and Before Takeoff
- Controls:Free and correct
- Instruments:Set and checked
- Gas:Fuel selector on proper tank, fuel quantity sufficient
- Attitude:Flaps and trim set for takeoff
- Run-up:Magnetos checked, engine instruments in the green
- Seat belts:Secured, doors latched
LIGHTS:Cleared for Takeoff
A quick final check before rolling onto the runway:
- Lights:Landing, strobes, beacon on
- Instruments:Heading indicator and compass agree
- Gas:Fuel pump on (if applicable)
- Hatches:Doors and windows secure
- Trim:Set for takeoff
- Seat belts:One more check
In-Flight Mnemonics
GUMPS:Before Landing
Probably the most widely known aviation mnemonic. Run it on downwind:
- Gas:Fuel on the fullest tank, fuel pump on
- Undercarriage:Landing gear down (even in a fixed-gear, say it:it builds the habit)
- Mixture:Rich or as required for the field elevation
- Prop:Full forward (high RPM)
- Safety:Seat belts, switches, go-around plan
Some pilots add a C at the front for Carburetor heat or Cowl flaps, making it C-GUMPS.
The Five C’s:When You’re Lost or Confused
- Climb:Get altitude for better visibility and radio reception
- Confess:Tell ATC you need help
- Communicate:Provide your position and situation
- Comply:Follow ATC instructions
- Conserve:Manage your fuel
The Four C’s:Go-Around
When a landing isn’t working out:
- Cram:Full power
- Climb:Pitch for climb attitude
- Clean:Retract flaps incrementally, gear up
- Call:Announce your go-around
You might also hear this as: Power up, Pitch up, Clean up, Call.
Required Documents & Equipment
ARROW:Required Aircraft Documents
Your aircraft must have these documents on board:
- Airworthiness Certificate
- Registration
- Radio Station License (for international flights)
- Operating Limitations (POH)
- Weight and Balance data
A TOMATO FLAMES:Required Day VFR Instruments & Equipment
- Airspeed indicator
- Tachometer
- Oil pressure gauge
- Manifold pressure gauge (if applicable)
- Altimeter
- Temperature gauge (for liquid-cooled engines)
- Oil temperature gauge
- Fuel gauge
- Landing gear position indicator (if retractable)
- Anti-collision lights
- Magnetic compass
- ELT
- Seat belts
FLAPS:Additional for Night VFR
- Fuses (spare set)
- Landing light (if operated for hire)
- Anti-collision lights
- Position lights (nav lights)
- Source of power (adequate electrical source)
Emergency Transponder Codes
75, 76, 77
These three squawk codes are life-savers, literally. Memorize them:
| Code | Meaning | Mnemonic |
|---|---|---|
| 7500 | Hijack | ”75, taken alive” or “can’t drive” |
| 7600 | Radio failure | ”76, technical glitch” or “need a radio fix” |
| 7700 | General emergency | ”77, going to heaven” |
The most common version: 75 taken alive, 76 technical glitch, 77 going to heaven.
Approach & Landing
VASI / PAPI Light Mnemonics
Visual Approach Slope Indicators use red and white lights to tell you if you’re on the correct glidepath:
- Red over white, you’re alright (on glidepath)
- White over white, you’re high as a kite (too high)
- Red over red, you’re dead (too low)
For PAPI lights (the row of four lights beside the runway): two red and two white means you’re on the glidepath. More white means you’re high, more red means you’re low.
Black Square, You’re There
When the numbers on the runway fill up your windscreen and become a solid black square, you’re at the right altitude to begin your flare. It’s a simple visual cue that helps student pilots learn the sight picture for landing.
Shutdown Procedures
SLIM
A clean way to remember the shutdown sequence for many piston singles:
- Switches:Off (avionics, electrical)
- Lean:Mixture to cutoff (this is what actually stops the engine)
- Ignition:Off
- Master:Off
Music, Mixture, Mags, Master
Same idea, catchier rhythm. “Music” refers to the avionics master, turn off the radio before you kill the power, or you’ll get that lovely speaker pop.
Fuel Management
Lefty Leany, Righty Richy
A quick memory aid for mixture control on some aircraft: left is lean, right is rich. Helpful when your hand is reaching for the red knob without looking.
Control Checks
Up Mine, Up Yours
During a pre-flight aileron check with a buddy: when you deflect the yoke and the aileron on your side goes up, “up mine,” then the opposite aileron goes up, “up yours.” It’s a quick confirmation that the controls are rigged correctly and moving freely. It’s juvenile, which is exactly why nobody ever forgets it.
Scanning & Awareness
Inside, Outside, USA
A scan pattern for ground reference maneuvers:
- Inside:Check your instruments (altitude, airspeed)
- Outside:Scan for traffic and maintain your ground reference
- USA:Undercarriage (gear), Speed (airspeed), Altitude
It keeps student pilots from fixating on one thing while everything else drifts.
Pilot Wisdom & Humor
These aren’t mnemonics, they’re the collected wisdom (and gallows humor) of generations of pilots. You’ll hear them in hangars, FBOs, and flight schools everywhere.
On Experience
“You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.”
“Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.”
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You won’t live long enough to make all of them yourself.”
On Risk
“There are old pilots and there are bold pilots. But there are no old, bold pilots.”
“Better to be on the ground wishing you were in the sky than in the sky wishing you were on the ground.”
“The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.”
On Flying
“Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.”
“If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.” - Chuck Yeager
“The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.”
On Precision
“It’s just as easy to maintain 5,000 feet as it is to maintain 4,950 feet.”
The point isn’t that 50 feet matters in cruise flight, it’s about discipline. If you’re going to do something, do it right. Sloppy altitude leads to sloppy approaches, which leads to sloppy landings.
On Priorities
“Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.”
The golden rule of aviation, in order of priority. Fly the airplane first. Figure out where you are second. Talk on the radio third. No radio call is worth losing control of the aircraft.
“Airspeed is life. Altitude is life insurance.”
The Bottle Rule
“Eight hours bottle to throttle, eight minutes throttle to bottle.”
The FAA requires at least 8 hours between your last drink and flying. The second half? That’s just what happens after a long day of flying.
Got a Favorite We Missed?
Shoot us an email! Aviation is full of these gems, and every flight school, every region, and every aircraft type has its own favorites. Whether it’s a mnemonic that saved you on your checkride or a saying your first CFI drilled into your head, these little phrases carry a lot of weight. They’re how pilots pass down the most important lessons wrapped in humor so you’ll never forget them.