Quiz #94 -- Call Me A Taxi

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May 19, 2005

Interactive Quiz #94:
Call Me A Taxi

You may think you understood ATC's instructions, but what you thought you heard might not be what the air traffic controller meant to say. Confused? Then verify your clearance in this quiz before you taxi.

INSTRUCTIONS: Answer the questions as best you can, then click on the "Score my quiz answers" button to see your score and read the explanations. If you don't like your score the first time around, you can change some of your answers and resubmit. To get the most out of this quiz, we suggest you keep trying until you get a perfect score.

NOTE: When more than one answer is true, only the most complete, correct answer will be scored as correct. The answers are assumed to apply within the United States unless otherwise noted.

1. After 32 years on the hangar waiting list you finally snag a T-hangar on the North Forty Ramp as shown in the fictitious airport illustrated below. Fictitious Municipal Airport (named for Col. Roger P. Fictitious, from whom we get the phrase, "Roger") is inside Class D airspace with the control tower in operation. The ATIS information Bravo weather is VFR with northerly winds at 15 knots. You want to depart VFR, so you call Ground Control: "Fictitious Ground, Lancair Six Four Five, North Forty, taxi, Bravo." The ground controller replies: "Lancair Six Four Five, Fictitious Ground, taxi to Runway 36." You don't see any traffic in the pattern. Where must you hold short of a runway or taxiway given that simple clearance? The only taxiway route is west on F and south on G. There are no ILS critical areas or other hidden traps. All runways are open.

a. Point a
b. Point b
c. Point c
d. Point d
e. Point e

2. Same airport as in the above question, different airplane, new weather. A front has passed through and the wind is now 180 degrees at 17 knots. You're parked at BillionAire Aero, and you call Ground Control for taxi with an IFR departure. You already have your IFR clearance. Ground says, "Stinson Seven Four Niner, Fictitious Ground, Runway 18, taxi via Golf, hold short of Runway 27." You read back the clearance and the hold short instructions. Approaching Runway 27 northbound on Taxiway G, you see a Spartan Executive land and roll through the intersection of your taxiway. Ground Control says: "Stinson Seven Four Niner, taxi to Runway 18." How far can you go?
a. Cross Runway 27 and stop on the other side (at point c) to await further clearance.
b. Cross Runway 27 and taxi to Runway 18 (point b).
c. Cross Runway 27 and taxi to Runway 18 (point a).
d. Cross Runway 27 and hold short of Runway 9 (point b).
e. Not past Runway 27 (point d), because the controller didn't say, "Cross Runway 27."

3. Same scenario as Question #2, only as you approach Runway 27, northbound on taxiway with your restriction to "Hold short of Runway 27," Ground says, "Stinson Seven Four Niner, do you see the Spartan Executive on final?" You reply, "Affirmative, sweet-looking airplane." Ground says, "Pass behind the landing Spartan, and continue taxi to Runway 18." Is that clearance legit, legal, kosher, by-the-book, and career-safe?
a. Yes
b. No. In fact, Heck No!
c. Yes, but only if the holding pilot sees and agrees to pass behind the landing traffic.
d. No, unless the Spartan pilot (landing aircraft) also agrees to the conditional clearance issued to the crossing traffic and both pilots see and avoid.

4. You escape the previous airport without a reportable incident. Refer to the GPS Runway 2 Approach chart (below) to Caledonia County Airport, "Gateway to Vermont's Northeast Maple Syrup Kingdom." Since the entire state is only slightly larger than Disney World®, much of Vermont® is arranged vertically to accommodate all the condos. Avoiding obstacles while flying any instrument approach demands an understanding of MSA as depicted by the circle in the upper left corner of the planview. What does MSA mean on this approach plate?

a. Minimum Service Altitude
b. Minimum Section/Safe Altitude
c. Minimum Safe/Sector Altitude
d. Minimum Snow Altitude

5. You're over the Montpelier VOR (MPV), in the clag, and setting up for the GPS approach in the previous question, when you get a RAIM alert telling you to insert your Lockheed Martin AFSS credit card for more RAIM. (We know, it's not really that bad -- yet). RAIM means Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring, and you shouldn't use GPS for that IFR approach with a RAIM alert, because the GPS's integrity is somehow compromised. Then, you notice an ADF at the far end of the panel. After wiping the dust off the strange dials and knobs you tune in the Lyndonville NDB and request the "NDB Runway 2 Approach." (See illustration below). Since both Lyndonville approaches -- GPS and NDB -- lead to the same runway, both MSA circles should be identical, so you can choose MSA minima from either approach plate (GPS or NDB).

a. True
b. False

6. When an air traffic controller says, "Radar contact," certain benefits and responsibilities apply to both parties. Enveloped in radar's warm embrace you know that ATC will love, honor, and always warn you if you get too close to terrain or obstacles until the phrase, "Radar service terminated," doth you part.
a. True
b. False

7. The acronym "CTAF" appears on many instrument approach plates, such as the ones for Caledonia County (above), and on VFR sectional charts. CTAF means Common Traffic Advisor Frequency and includes (but is not limited to) what frequency or frequencies? (Choose the best answer.)
a. 122.8
b. 122.9
c. 123.0
d. Control tower frequency after hours
e. All of the above
f. a., c., and d. only

8. What is the proper ATC phraseology to switch an IFR arrival from ATC's frequency to CTAF at an airport without an operating control tower or a FSS on the field?
a. "Contact UNICOM/MULTICOM [frequency]."
b. "Contact Advisory [frequency]."
c. "Change to UNICOM/MULTICOM on [frequency] approved."
d. "Change to advisory frequency approved."
e. "Frequently change your shoes."

9. Before we leave Vermont, notice that in the Caledonia County approach plate communication boxes you'll find AWOS, Center, and UNICOM/CTAF frequencies. There's also a GCO frequency. This isn't just for IFR practitioners -- any pilot can use this frequency. Cool, but what does GCO mean?
a. Ground Communications Outlet
b. Ground Control Outlet
c. Ground Controller's Outfit
d. Graphic Communications Outlet
e. Government Communications Obfuscations

10. Bid "Aloha" to Vermont as you load extra fuel, a clean pair of sandals, and set a course for Maui, which resembles Vermont in that it has mountains, tourists, and some neat airports, and that's about where the comparison ends. Checking your METAR weather reports along the route you know that all station identifiers within the contiguous 48 states have ICAO identifiers that begin with the letter K, as in KSFO for San Francisco. Maui, however, is in the state of Hawaii where station identifiers begin with the letters:
a. PH
b. PA
c. HI
d. MU

If you enjoyed taking this interactive quiz and would like to see more like it, go to the AVweb Brainteaser page. And if you thought it was unfair, confusing, or a waste of time, we'd like you to tell us that, too. And if you have an idea for a subject that you think would make a good future Brainteaser quiz, be sure to let us know.

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Interactive Quiz #94: Call Me A Taxi

Interactive Quiz #94:
Call Me A Taxi