January 29, 2004

Interactive Quiz #77:
We Want Information

What do you know and when should you know it? Information changes on any flight. Ceilings drop, winds shift, and -- sadly -- special use airspace (SUA) pops up on short notice. Let's take off and see what information is available.

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.

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1. Imagine that you've just landed at Faraway Muni in southern North Dakota. As you shut down the engine, the airport manager approaches and shouts, "You just landed on a closed runway! Didn't you read the NOTAM?" Before answering, you should know that NOTAM stands for ...
a. Notice To Aircraft.
b. Notice To Airmen.
c. Notice To Airpersons.
d. Notice To Airway Maintenance.
e. Notice To Amway.

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2. The airport manager in the previous question calms somewhat and explains that the runway closure was published as a NOTAM (D). Before letting you use the restroom, the manager demands that you define the three types of NOTAMs (in the U.S.). They are:
a. NOTAMs D, L, and FDIC.
b. NOTAMs D, L, and FTA.
c. NOTAMs D, L, and FDC.
d. NOTAMs D, L, and FTC.

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3. While planning a departure from North Dakota, your planned route takes you south of Omaha, Neb., along V159 en route to St. Joseph, Mo. You notice that about 40 miles southeast of the Omaha VORTAC VR-541 crosses the airway. It appears on both the low-altitude IFR en route chart and VFR sectional chart. This is a VFR Military Training Route (MTR) that includes one or more segments above ____ feet AGL.
a. 500 feet
b. 541 feet
c. 1000 feet
d. 1500 feet

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4. Military operations along a VR (VFR Military Training Route) are conducted under Visual Flight Rules, meaning flight visibility shall be 3 miles or more, and flights shall not be conducted below a ceiling of less than 1000 feet AGL.
a. True.
b. False.

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5. While on an IFR clearance on Omaha Approach Control's frequency en route to St. Joseph, Mo., the controller suddenly announces the following: "Attention all aircraft, hazardous weather information Convective SIGMET 14 Central, for thunderstorms and hail as big as VW hubcaps in an area southeast of Omaha, stretching to St. Joe, Mo., available on HIWAS, Flight Watch, or Flight Service frequencies." That sounds ugly, so you want more information. To begin with, what does HIWAS stands for?
a. Hazardous Inflight Weather Advisory Service.
b. Hazardous Inroute Weather Advisory Service.
c. Hazardous Inclement Weather Advisory Service.
d. Hazardous Instrument Weather Advisory Service.

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6. Those thunderstorms near the St. Joseph VORTAC cause you to beat a retreat to Minnesota. Looking at the sectional chart (see graphic below), you see two Minnesota airports located about 15 miles apart -- about half a day by dogsled. Waseca (ACQ) and Owatonna (OWA) both have AWOS-3 weather reporting. What avionics receiver is required to receive the Waseca AWOS-3?
a. VOR.
b. TACAN.
c. ADF.
d. DF.
e. RNAV with RNP 0.3.

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7. After an hour on the ground at Waseca (see previous question), you decide that Minnesota is not the winter paradise you'd anticipated, and using your laptop you connect to DUATS for Iowa weather and NOTAMs. Snow showers have passed through Iowa leaving this NOTAM for Des Moines: "Des Moines IA [DSM]: January NOTAM #19 Runway 23 TAP MU 35/30/40 will be effective January 07th, 2004 at 05:00 AM CST (0401071100)" What in heck is a "TAP MU"?
a. Terminal Forecast Measured ceiling Unavailable.
b. Tapley meter braking action values.
c. Terminal Arrival Procedure Military Unavailable.
d. It's an Iowa Mad Cow thing.

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8. Another NOTAM catches your attention: "Minneapolis Center (Farmington MN) [ZMP]: January NOTAM #4 issued by Central Alt Res Fac CA [CARF] Central Altitude Reservation Facility notice number 8 on TWA lakes stationary reservation within an area bounded by 104 nautical miles on the 051° radial of Duluth [DLH VOR] 91 nautical miles on the 068° radial of Duluth [DLH VOR] 17 nautical miles on the 034° radial of Sawyer [SAW VOR] 46 nautical miles on the 016° radial of Sawyer [SAW VOR] FL200 - FL250 will be effective January 06th, 2004 at 12:15 PM CST (0401061815) - January 06th, 2004 at 05:00 PM CST."

What does "TWA" mean in this NOTAM?

a. Trans World Airlines, a defunct airline still operating in Minnesota.
b. Trailing Wire Antenna.
c. Terminal Weather Area.
d. Transport Warning Area.

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9. Ceiling and visibility can be omitted from an ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) when the ceiling is above ____ feet and the visibility is greater than ____ miles.
a. 5000 and 5.
b. 1000 and 3.
c. 10,000 and 6.
d. At the tower controller's discretion.

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10. Getting the current ATIS information and its associated letter (ATIS Bravo, Charlie, Delta, etc.) is solely the pilot's responsibility. ATC is not required to verify that the pilot has the current information.
a. True.
b. False.

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