HOME
REGISTER/LOGIN
FREE NEWSLETTER
XML|RSS
Advanced Search
PODCAST
VIDEO

Saturday 25th May 2013
Brainteasers
Brainteasers Home »

Jan. 21, 2010

Brainteasers
Interactive Quiz #147:
From Briefing to Touchdown

From preflight briefing to IFR cancellation, the PIC faces a boatload of Aeronautical Decision Making (ADM). Helping, or hindering, are countless FARs and AIM suggestions. Count how many you can handle with this quiz.

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. Every flight, VFR or IFR, should begin with a pilot briefing. When you call Flight Service (AFSS), the briefer translates and interprets weather reports and forecasts and may tell a pilot, "VFR not recommended." This dreaded VFRNR statement means:
a. All student pilots must cancel solo flight.
b. All non-instrument-rated pilots must cancel VFR flight.
c. All non-instrument-rated private pilots must cancel VFR flight.
d. None of the above
2. When phoning AFSS, you'll have a choice of three types of pilot briefings. Name those three briefing types:
a. Standard, abbreviated, forecast
b. Standard, abbreviated, outlook
c. Special, abbreviated, forecast
d. Surface, prognostic, outlook
3. Forecasts are nice, but it's good to hear what other pilots have encountered in flight. Pilot reports are called "PIREPs." You may encounter the NWS (National Weather Service) contraction RAREP. What is a RAREP?
a. Rain Report
b. Radar Representation
c. Radar Weather Report
d. Urgent PIREP
4. All flight threats are not weather related. TFRs (Temporary Flight Restrictions) can ruin your day, and a good briefer will inform you about any affecting your flight. Likewise, an AFSS briefer is required to inform a pilot of the status of charted Special Use Airspace (SUA), such as Restricted Areas and Military Operations Areas (MOAs), along the route.
a. True
b. False
5. When planning a trip, it's nice to know about runway conditions. If snow or ice contaminates a runway, then braking action suffers. Pilots or airport personnel can report braking action using four rating terms, which are:
a. Good, fair, poor, nil
b. Excellent, good, poor, nil
c. Dry, clear, poor, nil
d. Wow, sheesh, OMG, nada
6. The previous question makes it clear that "poor" and "nil" are the less-desirable end of the braking-action scale. The control tower must include the phrase "Braking action advisories are in effect" on the ATIS when braking action reports include the word(s):
a. Poor or nil
b. Nil only
c. Nil, but only if given by an airport vehicle operator using a Tapley (friction) meter
d. Poor or nil, if the report is verified by a Tapley (friction) meter
7. You've filed IFR from a non-towered airport inside Class G airspace. You can reach the controlling ATC facility via radio on the ground. The controller issues this clearance: "Cherokee 52N, hold for release. Cleared to the Corn Palace airport, as filed. Maintain 4000, expect 8000 10 minutes after departure. Departure frequency will be 123.7. Squawk 2467. Expect 15-minute delay, traffic on the RNAV approach, hold for release." This controller really, really wants you to sit on the ground until that IFR inbound cancels. You read it back and sit for five boring minutes. The weather is clear with unlimited visibility. Can you depart VFR without first telling ATC?
a. Yes, if you squawk 1200 and remain VFR.
b. No
c. Yes, if you squawk your assigned IFR code.
d. Yes, but only after the inbound IFR flight lands.
8. Similar situation as the previous question: You're on the ground at a non-towered airport and ATC issues you an IFR departure clearance with a void time, "... Clearance void if not off by (time)…" If you do not depart by the void time, how long does ATC "protect" the airspace from other IFR traffic?
a. 15 minutes
b. 30 minutes
d. Until the departure pilot contacts ATC
e. Until the void time
9. Here's the setup: You're IFR and cleared for an instrument approach into an airport located inside Class E airspace that goes to the surface. (On a sectional chart, it's an airport surrounded by dashed magenta lines.) The ASOS-reported weather is ceiling 700-foot overcast, visibility six miles. One mile from the airport you break out of the clouds and see the runway. In this situation how should you cancel IFR? (Pick the best choice.)
a. Land and call ATC to cancel.
b. Land and call AFSS to cancel.
c. Cancel in the air with ATC.
d. Either a or b above.
10. God forbid this should happen to you: You're en route IFR in radar contact, when, suddenly, you look up from your laptop and notice that all the communication radios are dead. Not wishing to wake your co-pilot, you look outside but don't recognize a thing due to a solid cloud-deck below (so much for FAR 91.185 (b), "... continue the flight under VFR and land as soon as practicable.") As a last resort, you look at the instrument panel and realize that you're on course and have not passed your clearance limit (phew!). You have no two-way radios, no cell phone, no e-mail, no Twitter or Facebook and no ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System). Plus, it's too windy for semaphore. Miles back, ATC assigned this: "... fly heading 090, vector ILS Runway 12 final approach course." ATC sees you squawk 7600, although they long ago figured out that you're NORDO. The approach controller expects you to (pick the best answer):
a. Proceed to the IAF and hold until your ETA.
b. Proceed to the IAF and shoot the entire published approach.
c. Join the final approach course and shoot the approach.
d. Watch for a flashing green light from Center.

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.

Return to the AVweb Brainteasers page.

JavaScript Menus and DHTML Menus Powered by Milonic

Copyright Aviation Publishing Group. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | Advertise | Contact Us | XMLRSS | Site Map | Top