Definition
A section heading in the Instrument Flying Handbook that revisits the fundamental aerodynamic principles — lift, weight, thrust, drag, stability, and control — as they apply specifically to instrument flight. The purpose is to refresh the pilot's understanding of how an aircraft behaves in flight before applying that knowledge to operating solely by reference to instruments.
Plain English
A refresher on how airplanes fly — the basic forces and behavior of an aircraft — set up so the pilot can apply that knowledge when flying without outside visual references.
Context Anchor
Seen as the Chapter 4 title in the FAA Instrument Flying Handbook, before detailed instrument flight concepts are discussed.
Derivation
"Aerodynamics" comes from the Greek aer (air) and dynamis (power or force). It is literally the study of how air forces act on a moving object. "Review" simply means to look over again — the chapter assumes the pilot already learned these concepts during private pilot training.
Why Pilots Care
Confirms that pilots understand how the airplane actually responds to control inputs and atmospheric changes before relying on instruments alone.
Intuition Check
Do not read “review” as meaning “optional.” Here it means a needed refresher on the flight principles that instrument flying builds on.
Example Sentence 1
Before starting instrument training, the student worked through the Review of Basic Aerodynamics to refresh how the four forces interact in level flight.
Example Sentence 2
Chapter 4 opens with a review of basic aerodynamics to prepare the reader for attitude instrument flying.