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Sunday 8th November 2009
Brainteasers
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June 8, 2009

Brainteasers
Interactive Quiz #144:
Cross-Country Planning

Dig through the closet and dust off Mom's old E6B flight computer, because it's time to go old school with a cross-country planning quiz. (You'll get your GPS back later.)

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. You memorized the formula in ground school, regurgitated it on the FAA written exam and then, possibly, relegated this arcane bit of aeronautical alchemy to the far reaches of your memory in lieu of satnav. Well, it's back. Which formula below is a way (not the only way) to estimate your magnetic heading?

TC = True course

TH = True heading

MH = Magnetic heading

WPA = Wind prediction angle

WCA = Wind correction angle

Var = Magnetic variation

Dev = Magnetic deviation


a. TC +/- WPA = TH --> TH +/- Var = MH
b. TC +/- WCA = MH
c. TC +/- WCA = TH --> TH +/- Dev = MH
d. TC +/- WCA = TH --> TH +/- Var = MH
2. Wind direction in Winds and Temperatures Aloft Forecasts (FD) are referenced to (_____) (_____). Fill in the blanks.
a. Magnetic north
b. True north
c. Absolute north
d. Actual north
3. Set your weather decoder ring to "Huh?" and decode this Winds and Temperatures Aloft Forecast (FD) item: 7701.
a. 270° at 101 knots
b. 770° at 1 knot
c. 077° at 101 knots
d. 277° at 101 knots
4. What does 9900 in a Winds and Temperature Aloft Forecast (FD) means?
a. Wind calm
b. Wind light and variable
c. Wind in excess of 199 knots (hurricane)
d. Wind missing
5. Magnetic deviation is the angular difference between true north and magnetic north.
a. True
b. False
6. What is the only type of cloud forecast in a TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast)?
a. Cumulonimbus (CB)
b. Towering cumulonimbus (TCU)
c. Tornado (TOR)
d. Standing lenticular (SL)
7. Air that moves is called wind, and it tends to flow from areas of high pressure to low. Coriolis force, a byproduct of the Earth's rotation, shifts wind (in the northern hemisphere) to the (_____).
a. East
b. West
c. Right
d. Left
8. FAR 91.159 regulates VFR cruising altitudes. Eastbound VFR flights (0° through 179°) cruise at odd altitudes plus 500 feet, while westbound flights (180° through 359°) cruise at even altitudes plus 500 feet. Direction of flight is based on the aircraft's (_____) (_____).
a. True course
b. True heading
c. Magnetic course
d. Magnetic heading
9. The VFR cruising altitude rule (91.159) from the previous question begins at what altitude?
a. Less than 3000 feet above the surface
b. The surface, except inside Class G airspace
c. More than 1500 feet above the surface
d. More than 3000 feet above the surface
10. Whether you use an online briefing service, such as DUATS, or talk to a human briefer on the phone, it's a good idea to file a VFR flight plan, particularly when venturing over remote territory. If you file to a destination airport served by an operating control tower, the tower personnel will automatically close your VFR flight plan when you land.
a. True
b. False