AVweb Quiz #181: Above The Ordinary

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Mar. 4, 2013

Interactive Quiz #181:
Above The Ordinary

Think about the last time you made a truly beautiful landing. Remember how the passengers cheered and the local FSDO inspector paused, in the middle of a ramp-check, to shake your hand? You'll feel even prouder when 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. A typical arrival for a Brainteaser quiz taker includes a landing as smooth as a politician's promise followed by the tower controller saying, "Nice landing ... turn left, taxi via Alpha to (the FBO), monitor ground point niner." The tower expects you to:
a. Turn left, clear the runway, and call Ground control on 122.90.
b. Turn left, clear the runway, and call Ground control on 121.90.
c. Turn left, clear the runway, and taxi to the FBO ramp (apron) via taxiway Alpha while listening only on 122.90.
d. Turn left, clear the runway, and taxi to the FBO ramp (apron) via taxiway Alpha while listening only on 121.90.

2. Another pilot/ATC scenario: You are cruising sedately IFR in your Bonanza at 9000 feet MSL (or VFR at 9500 feet, your choice) when suddenly the air traffic controller says, "Bonanza 61L, change to my frequency 123.45." You're expected to change to 123.45 and ...
a. Speak to a different controller.
b. Speak to the same controller.
c. Not speak but, instead, listen only on 123.45.
d. Request a radio check.

3. When ATC authorizes a pilot to "Maintain VFR-on-top" (OTP), that phrase indicates:
a. A VFR clearance
b. An IFR clearance
c. A Special VFR (SVFR) clearance
d. The dumbest thing ever

4. Let's turbo-charge things and cruise at altitudes where the OAT (outside air temperature) might be low, but the engine's temperatures run far from cool. At any given cruise power, what is the most influential control over the exhaust gas tempearture (EGT) or turbine inlet temperature (TIT)?
a. Carb heat
b. Cowl flaps
c. Mixture
d. Waste-gate bypass

5. Because we're turbo-charging the airplane, let's suck the wheels up to gain more speed and to -- admit it -- look way cooler than you ever did stiff-legging it around in your Beech Musketeer. Before you reach for the gear lever, though, you need to know that V_LO is the maximum speed at which the airplane can be flown with the landing gear extended.
a. True
b. False

6. Picture a beautiful, spring afternoon. The wind is light; the air warm and humid; while the sun pokes brilliant orange fingers through towering cumulus clouds growing on the western horizon. Perfect time to gather the balloon crew and launch for a sunset cruise. Or not. Towering CUs (TCU) indicate possible thunderstorm development. Name the three stages of thunderstorm development:
a. Cumulus, mature, dissipating (or anvil)
b. Lifting, mature, dissipating (or anvil)
c. Heat, moisture, lifting
d. Cumulus, mature, dissipating (or hammer)

7. Three ingredients must be present for thunderstorms to form. What are those three ingredients?
a. Sufficient water vapor, an unstable lapse rate, and a heating lifting action
b. Sufficient water vapor, a stable lapse rate, and an initial lifting action
c. Visible water vapor, an unstable lapse rate, and an initial lifting action
d. Sufficient water vapor, an unstable lapse rate, and an initial lifting action

8. Here's a NOTAM easily overlooked in the glass-panel world, but not in the Brainteaser briefing shack: "Ailerona [AIL VOR]: March NOTAM #129 issued by Fort Dodge IA [FOD] Navigation TACAN azimuth out of service." Whoa, cancel the flight and sell the Cirrus! Flight isn't possible without one of those TACAN things and its az ... ath ... isthmus ... OK, you don't need to pronounce "azimuth," but please answer this two-part question: What does TACAN mean, and what information does the azimuth provide?
a. Technical Air Navigation, magnetic bearing from the navaid
b. Tactical Air Navigation, magnetic bearing to the navaid
c. Tactical Air Navigation, true bearing from the navaid
d. Tactical Air Navigation, magnetic bearing from the navaid

9. Your favorite VOR might be decommissioned before you get to the end of this question, so quickly identify what VOR means.
a. VHF Omnirange Station
b. VHF Operational Range
c. VHF Omni-directional Radio
d. VHF Omni-directional Range
e. Either a or d

10. Think "multi" as in "multi-engine airplane" and fill in the blank from this statement: "(_____) a propeller only alters blade angle and stops engine rotation."
a. Securing
b. Fathering
c. Feathering
d. Cycling

11. Bonus Survey: With Michael P. Huerte beginning his sentence ... er, term ... as the FAA Administrator, and Ray LaHood leaving his post as Transportation Secretary, it's time to meet the new bosses. (Same as the old bosses? Apologies to Peter Townshend. Who? Ask your grandmother.) Let's present them with a torrent of suggestions, because we know that DOT and FAA officials never miss shaking their fists at a Brainteaser episode. With that awesome access to power, give Washington, D.C.'s, aviation lawgivers a piece of your pilot mind: If you were the Secretary of Transportation or FAA Administrator -- and not worried about opinion polls, lobbyists, ethics or keeping your parking space -- what would be your top priority? How would you protect and promote aviation? What would you change, implement, eliminate or improve? Additionally, after revamping the entire aviation culture to your liking, who would you nominate as your successor? Please limit your fantasies to 100 words and no personal attacks or you may find a TSA drone on your tail. Just sayin' ...
a. Choose this answer, and then on the answer page you'll have the opportunity to tell us about what you'd do if you were in charge of the FAA.
b. Please don't select this answer, even if you don't intend to write to us. 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 #181:Above The Ordinary

Interactive Quiz #181:
Above The Ordinary