AVweb Quiz #172: Go/No-Go

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June 4, 2012

Interactive Quiz #172:
Go/No-Go

Weather, Class D, Class E ... sheesh, someone's trying to take the fun out of summertime flight. Knowing the airspace and weather-minimum rules might not make flight fun, but it will help you ace 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. What could be more frustrating than planning a daytime, VFR, summer flight only to arrive at the airport and see the aerodrome beacon flashing green and white beneath a low ceiling? That's not the quiz question, because the answer is simple: Nothing is more frustrating to the VFR pilot itching to get airborne. While that urge to depart can lead to unfortunate consequences, when the aerodrome beacon is operating in the daytime inside Class B, C, D or E surface airspace, it often -- but not always -- indicates that the ground visibility is less than (_____) miles, or the ceiling is less than (_____) feet, or both.
a. 1, 500
b. 1, 1,000
c. 3, 500
d. 3, 1,000

2. The frustration encountered in the previous question can be mitigated by getting (class?) an instrument rating. Now, imagine you're on the ground at an airport inside Class E surface airspace. The kids are loaded in the back, husband's asleep in the right seat, and you call ATC through a remote frequency requesting your IFR clearance. According to the ATC manual (7110.65), if a VFR pilot requests a Special VFR (SVFR) clearance to use that airspace, who should have priority?
a. The SVFR request
b. The IFR request
c. The pilot who calls first
d. The pilot who knows the words to "Louie, Louie"

3. Lots of talk about Class E surface airspace, you'd think it was important. It is, and airports inside Class E surface airspace are identifiable on sectional charts by:
a. A dashed, magenta line encircling the airport symbol
b. A dashed, blue line encircling the airport symbol
c. Solid, magenta lines encircling the airport symbol
d. Solid, magenta lines encircling the airport symbol

4. Fixed-wing SVFR is often not permitted inside Class B airspace. Rather than embarrass yourself by asking ATC for a SVFR clearance at an airport inside Class B airspace -- say, at Chicago's O'Hare -- you'll know it's not available when you see what on the sectional chart or in the Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD)?
a. NO SVFR
b. Tiny, inverted Ts surrounding the core airport
c. Tiny, skull-and-crossbones surrounding the core airport
d. A solid, blue line

5. What daytime, in-flight visibility is required when operating a fixed-wing aircraft on an SVFR clearance?
a. 0.5 miles
b. 1 mile
c. 3 miles
d. Clear of clouds

6. When inbound to an airport served by a control tower (Class D in this case), FAR 91.129 says, in part, that you "must establish two-way radio communications with the ATC facility ... prior to entering that airspace and thereafter maintain those communications while within that airspace." But stuff happens, and radios fail. In the event of a transmitter and receiver radio failure prior to entering Class D airspace, the PIC should (pick the best scenario):
a. Depart the area.
b. Remain outside or above the Class D surface area until the wind direction has been determined; then, fly by the Tower to receive light signals.
c. Remain outside or above the Class D surface area until the direction and flow of traffic has been determined; then, join the airport traffic pattern and maintain visual contact with the Tower to receive light signals.
d. Remain above the Class D surface area until the Tower issues light signals.

7. Most airports do not have control towers. That's the good news. But as Spiderman warned us, "With good news comes great responsibility." (That's Betty Spiderman, a CFI at Ailerona Muni, not to be confused with any other non-aviation, fictional philosophers.) VFR and IFR arrivals to airports not served by an operating control tower should follow FAA-recommended traffic pattern procedures as outlined in AIM. If no pattern altitude is published or otherwise indicated for an airport, what pattern altitude does the FAA recommend for civil, fixed-wing, piston aircraft?
a. 600 feet AGL
b. 800 feet AGL
c. 1000 feet AGL
d. 1000 feet MSL

8. According to the AIM, when departing VFR from an airport not served by a control tower (no parallel runways here), a fixed-wing aircraft should:
a. Continue straight out, or exit with a 90-degree turn ... beyond the departure end of the runway, after reaching pattern altitude.
b. Continue straight out, or exit with a downwind departure, after leaving pattern altitude.
c. Exit as soon as practicable with a 45-degree turn.
d. Continue straight out, or exit with a 45-degree turn ... beyond the departure end of the runway, after reaching pattern altitude.

9. Knowing what runway is in use is kind-of important. Where possible, land and depart into the wind. When the tower controller says, "Cirrus 51G, wind 300 at 15; runway 32, cleared for takeoff," the pilot knows without consulting anything on the glass panel that the runway is aligned relative to (_____) north and the winds are issued relative to (_____) north.
a. Magnetic, magnetic
b. Magnetic, true
c. True, magnetic
d. True, true

10. Destination Alaska: "Where the summer days are longer and the beer is stronger." (ibid, Betty Spiderman, CFI) While on your first vacation flight across the great north, you encounter an unfamiliar term, TWEB, which is:
a. What Alaskan pilots call pilots from the lower 48
b. A Transmounted Wounded Elk Buck (think runway incursion)
c. Terminal Weather Enroute Broadcast
d. Transcribed Weather Broadcast

11. Survey results: In Brainteaser 171, we asked you to tell us where you'd like to fly on vacation and what you'd fly to get there. The results are in, and you people are spending way too much time dreaming when the boss thinks you're working ... that's good! See the results by clicking on answer a.
a. Choose this answer and then on the results page you can click to see our readers dream flying vacations.
b. Don't select this answer, even if you don't intend to read about dream flying vacations. It is here for technical reasons, so that your final quiz score will be accurate.

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 #172:Go/No-Go

Interactive Quiz #172:
Go/No-Go