FAR 91.205 and the Required Equipment Lists: What Has to Work Before You Leave the Ramp

FAR 91.205 establishes the minimum required instruments and equipment for general aviation aircraft based on the type of flight being conducted. The regulation is structured progressively: the night VFR list builds on the day VFR list, and the IFR list builds on the night VFR list. Knowing these lists - and knowing how to apply them to real scenarios - is essential for both checkride preparation and sound preflight decision-making.

What instruments are required for day VFR flight?

Many pilots learn the day VFR list with a mnemonic such as ATOMATOFLAMES, but understanding each item and why it’s there matters more than reciting an acronym. The examiner will hand you a scenario, not ask you to recite a memory aid.

The day VFR required equipment list:

• Airspeed indicator - Monitors rotation speeds, stall speeds, and maneuvering speed.
• Tachometer for each engine - Sets power and monitors engine health on fixed-pitch prop aircraft.
• Oil pressure gauge for each engine using a pressure system - Applies to virtually all reciprocating engines.
• Magnetic direction indicator - The wet compass. Not the heading indicator, not the directional gyro. The regulation specifically requires a magnetic direction indicator. The heading indicator and attitude indicator are not on the day VFR list, and neither is the vacuum system.
• Altimeter - Indicates vertical position; set to the current altimeter setting.
• Temperature gauge for each liquid-cooled engine - Most training aircraft are air-cooled, so this often doesn’t apply.
• Oil temperature gauge for each air-cooled engine - This is the applicable item for the Cessna 172, Piper Cherokee, and most common trainers.
• Fuel gauge indicating quantity in each tank - A functioning gauge is required for each tank.
• Landing gear position indicator - Required only on aircraft with retractable landing gear. Fixed-gear aircraft are exempt.
• Anti-collision lights - Required for small civil airplanes certificated after March 11, 1996, even for day VFR. Aircraft manufactured before that date are not required to have anti-collision lights for daytime operations, though it remains good practice.
• Safety belts with a metal-to-metal latching device for each occupant two years of age and older.
• Shoulder harnesses - Required in each front seat of small civil aircraft manufactured after July 18, 1978. Aircraft certificated before that date may not have them on every seat.
• Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) - Required if mandated by FAR 91.207. For most general aviation aircraft flying cross-country, the requirement applies.

One item worth noting: a manifold pressure gauge is only required for altitude engines - turbocharged or supercharged. Naturally aspirated trainers don’t require one.

What additional equipment is required for night VFR?

Night VFR requires everything on the day VFR list, plus:

• Position lights - Red on the left wingtip, green on the right, white on the tail. Required from sunset to sunrise.
• Anti-collision lights - If not already required under the day VFR rule based on manufacture date, night VFR adds the requirement.
• Landing light - Required only when operating for hire. A private pilot on a personal night cross-country is not required by 91.205 to have a functioning landing light. The safety case for having one is obvious, but the regulatory requirement is specifically tied to for-hire operations.
• Adequate electrical power source for all installed electrical and radio equipment - At night you depend on your electrical system in ways you simply don’t during the day.
• Spare fuses - One spare set of each type required, or three spare fuses of each kind required, accessible to the pilot in flight.

The spare fuses requirement surprises many students. Verify what fuses your aircraft uses and confirm spares are on board before a night departure.

What equipment is required for IFR flight?

The IFR required equipment, found in FAR 91.205(d), is commonly remembered with the mnemonic GRABCARD:

• G - Generator or alternator of adequate capacity. Reliable electrical power is non-negotiable when flying in clouds.
• R - Radio communication equipment appropriate for the facilities being used.
• A - Adjustable altimeter - A sensitive altimeter with a Kollsman window, adjustable for barometric pressure.
• B - Ball - The slip/skid indicator. The ball in the curved tube at the bottom of the turn coordinator. Notably, the turn coordinator itself is not specifically named in the regulation - the ball is.
• C - Clock displaying hours, minutes, and seconds with a sweep second hand or digital equivalent. Timing approaches, holds, and procedure segments all depend on it.
• A - Attitude indicator - The artificial horizon. This is where a reliable vacuum system or electric backup becomes critical.
• R - Rate of turn indicator - Typically the turn coordinator.
• D - Directional gyro - The heading indicator.

Beyond GRABCARD: Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) is required above Flight Level 240 when using VOR navigation. Pilots must also carry charts and publications appropriate for the planned route and approaches.

How do you legally handle an inoperative item before flight?

FAR 91.213 governs this decision and works directly alongside 91.205. The process depends on whether your aircraft has an approved Minimum Equipment List.

Step 1: Does the aircraft have an MEL? An MEL is an FAA-approved document, specific to the aircraft type, that specifies which items may be inoperative and under what conditions. MELs are common in airline and charter operations. Most small GA aircraft do not have one. If an MEL exists, check it - it will tell you whether the inoperative item is permissible and what procedures apply.

Step 2: If no MEL, apply FAR 91.213(d). Determine whether the inoperative item is required by the 91.205 list for your planned flight conditions, the aircraft’s type certificate, an Airworthiness Directive, or any other applicable regulation. If the answer is yes and the item is inoperative, the flight cannot legally depart.

Step 3: If the item is not on the required list, placard it “Inoperative,” deactivate it if possible, and confirm that its inoperative status does not compromise airworthiness or flight safety.

How do these rules apply to real preflight scenarios?

Working through concrete examples is the best way to internalize the regulation.

Transponder fails. For day VFR in Class G or Class E airspace below 10,000 feet, a transponder is not on the required list. Placard it inoperative and the flight is legal. To enter Class B airspace, a Mode C transponder is required - you would need to contact the controlling facility and request an authorization to operate without one. That authorization can be granted, but it is not automatic.

Clock fails. Day VFR: a clock is not on the required list. Legal to fly. IFR: the clock is in GRABCARD. No-go.

Landing light fails. Day VFR: not required. Night VFR, private pilot, not for hire: not required by 91.205, though the safety implications of night flying without one are significant. Night VFR, for hire: no-go.

Attitude indicator tumbling. Day VFR in visual conditions: the attitude indicator is not on the day VFR required list. With a proper placard and legal VMC along the entire route, the flight is permissible from a regulatory standpoint. IFR: it’s in GRABCARD. No-go.

What do pilots need to know about ELT maintenance requirements?

FAR 91.207 governs ELT requirements specifically. For most general aviation pilots flying cross-country, an ELT is required. The ELT also carries its own maintenance obligations: batteries must be replaced or recharged after one cumulative hour of use in an emergency, or after 50 percent of their useful life is expended. The replacement date must be marked on the outside of the ELT and recorded in the maintenance log.

A dead ELT battery is a grounding item for most cross-country operations. It’s the kind of discrepancy that can go unnoticed without a careful preflight review.

How should pilots prepare for checkride oral questions on this topic?

The Airman Certification Standards for the private pilot checkride require demonstrated knowledge of required instruments and equipment. In a well-run oral, examiners present scenarios - they hand you a squawk sheet with a deferred item and ask whether you can legally depart.

The most effective preparation is reading the actual text of FAR 91.205, not just a mnemonic from a test prep app. Then take a squawk sheet from a training aircraft and walk through the decision: Is this item required for the type of flight I’m planning? What airspace? Day or night? That mental framework is what the examiner is testing.

When an item is found inoperative, it must be documented in the aircraft maintenance logbook and either repaired before the next flight or properly deferred under the MEL or FAR 91.213(d) process. If you rent aircraft, read the squawk sheet before every flight - not a glance, a full read.

The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the FAR/AIM are the authoritative sources for all of this.

Key Takeaways

• The day VFR, night VFR, and IFR equipment lists are progressive - each level adds to the requirements of the one before it.
• Day VFR requires a magnetic direction indicator (wet compass), not a heading indicator or attitude indicator. Those are not on the day VFR list.
• Anti-collision lights are required for day VFR only on aircraft certificated after March 11, 1996; shoulder harnesses are required in front seats of aircraft manufactured after July 18, 1978.
• When equipment is inoperative, FAR 91.213 governs the decision. The first question is always whether the item is required for the specific type of flight being planned.
• An expired ELT battery is a grounding item for most cross-country operations - verify the replacement date on every preflight.