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Wednesday 20th August 2008
Brainteasers
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Brainteasers Interactive Quiz #76:
The Weather Outside Is Frightful

In the age of Stormscopes, Doppler radar, and data uplink you'd think the weather would get the message and behave. But no, pilots still need to analyze the skies for themselves, with a little free help from flight service. See how you weather these questions.

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.

1. You're on the ramp at Gobigred, Neb., Muni. You've loaded the passengers and handed out the Dramamine. You are about to climb into your airplane when you see the sky to the west (where you're headed) turn a boiling, dark-gray mass like angry oatmeal. The time is 1701Z and you last spoke to flight service at 1650Z. "Don't move," you say, and run inside the FBO to call flight service for a weather update. The briefer says, "According to the new TAF, issued at 1700Z, all stations on your route are currently reporting VFR, no rain, and light winds. Your destination TAF currently reports wind calm, visibility greater than six, sky clear." You scoff, "Hah!" and say that you think the reports are bogus. Why?
a. A TAF never has winds.
b. TAF reports only are issued at 15 and 45 minutes after the hour.
c. A TAF does not report current conditions.
d. You accidentally ingested Dramamine, which has affected your judgment.
2. The briefer in the previous question was relieved and a new briefer tells you that Convective SIGMET 7 Central has just been issued. A Convective SIGMET (WST) means that weather conditions could include one of the following: A line of thunderstorms, tornadoes, embedded thunderstorms, thunderstorms producing precipitation greater than or equal to heavy precipitation affecting 40 percent or more of an area at least 3000 square miles, severe thunderstorms due to surface winds greater than or equal to_______, or hail at the surface greater than or equal to________ in diameter. What are the wind and hail parameters for the WST?
a. Surface winds greater than or equal to 50 miles per hour, or hail at the surface greater than or equal to 3/4 inches in diameter.
b. Surface winds greater than or equal to 50 knots, or hail at the surface greater than or equal to 3/4 inches in diameter.
c. Surface winds greater than or equal to 50 knots, or hail at the surface or aloft greater than or equal to 3/4 inches in diameter.
d. Surface winds greater than 50 knots, or hail at the surface greater than 3/4 inches in diameter.
3. SIGMET and AIRMET are abbreviations for:
a. Significant Meteorological Information and Airmen's Meteorological Information
b. Significant Meteorological Information and Airport Meteorological Information
c. Single-Engine Meteorological Information and Airborne Meteorological Information
d. Significant Meteorological Report and Airborne Meteorological Report
4. Bored en route? If you're lucky, you still have an ADF (Automatic Direction Finder), which receives baseball games and Rejection Slip Theater reruns from commercial radio stations. Lacking an ADF, you can monitor (and call) Flight Watch for PIREPS and other en route flight advisory services (EFAS). Flight Watch uses what frequency below flight level 180 (FL180)?
a. 122.2
b. 123.0
c. 122.95
d. 122.0
e. Any VOR frequency to listen if you transmit on 122.65
5. Flight Watch should be used for giving PIREPS and for filing or amending both VFR and IFR flight plans.
a. True
b. False
6. While en route, Flight Watch issues you a PIREP in which a Bonanza pilot reported "Moderate rime" at 6000 feet. The term "Moderate" has a specific meaning. It tells you that the Bonanza had what?
a. Ice between 1/2-inch and 3/4-inch thick.
b. Ice coating more than half of the airframe.
c. The depth of the accumulation is such that even short encounters become potentially hazardous and use of deicing/anti-icing equipment or flight diversion is necessary.
d. The rate of accumulation is such that even short encounters become potentially hazardous and use of deicing/anti-icing equipment or flight diversion is necessary.
7. Rime ice has a distinct look to it. Which answer best describes rime ice? (Hint: We used the AIM for our answer.)
a. Rough, milky, opaque ice formed by the instantaneous freezing of small, supercooled water droplets.
b. Rough, milky, opaque ice formed by the gradual freezing of small, supercooled water droplets.
c. Glossy, clear, or translucent ice formed by the relatively slow freezing of large, supercooled water droplets.
d. Glossy, clear, or translucent ice formed by the instantaneous freezing of large, supercooled water droplets.
e. Nasty, miserable, rotten, no-good, make-you-cancel-every-flight-and-move-to-Florida ice.
8. Once in the clag (drippy clouds), you see ice building, first on the OAT probe and then, as you shine your flashlight beam along the wing (you always carry a flashlight), you see what you consider light, mixed ice. (If you aced questions 6 and 7 you'll have no problem determining light mixed.) How should you report the ice to Flight Watch? Choose the best phraseology.
a. "Cessna Three Four Five Two Sierra, en route from Peoria to Lincoln, light mixed, 5000, Cessna 182, 120 knots (IAS), and outside air temperature minus 1 Celsius."
b. "Cessna Three Four Five Two Sierra, Des Moines, 1650 (UTC), light mixed, 5000, Cessna 182, 120 knots (IAS), and outside air temperature minus 1 Celsius."
c. "Cessna Three Four Five Two Sierra, Des Moines, 1650 (UTC), getting lots of ice, at 5000 feet, on my brand new Cessna 182, speed dropping to 120 knots (IAS), and outside air temperature 31 Fahrenheit."


d. Never report ice unless your aircraft is certified for IFR flight into "Known Icing" conditions. Flight Watch reports all icing reports to Flight Standards.
9. You escape the ice, and later on a night flight you see lightning on the horizon along your route. Doesn't look good. You call Flight Watch and you learn that a severe thunderstorm is in progress at your destination. The METAR abbreviation for Severe Thunderstorm is TSRW++.
a. True
b. False
10. The thunderstorm is merely one of the items plaguing your destination today. An amended TAF says to expect the following precipitation: DZ, RA, SN, SG, IC, PL, GR, GS, and UP. Decode them:
a. DZ -- Drizzle, RA -- Rath (of ancient Egyptian rain deity), SN -- Snow, SG -- Snow grains, IC -- Ice crystals, PL -- Plain ice, GR -- Hail, GS -- Small hail/snow pellets, and UP -- Upper Peninsula snow.
b. DZ -- Drizzle, RA -- Rain, SN -- Snow, SG -- Snow grains, IC -- Ice crystals, PL -- Ice pellets, GR -- Hail, GS -- Small hail/snow pellets, and UP -- Unknown precipitation (in automated observations).
c. DZ -- Freezing drizzle, RA -- Rain showers, SN -- Snow, SG -- Snow showers, IC -- Ice, PL -- Freezing pellets, GR -- Snow grains, GS -- Small hail/snow pellets, and UP -- Unknown precipitation (in automated observations).
d. DZ -- Drizzle, RA -- Rain, SN -- Snow, SG -- Snow showers, IC -- Ice crystals, PL -- Ice pellets, GR -- Snow grains, GS -- Small hail/snow pellets, and UP -- Upper Level Precipitation (Virga).