September 9, 2004

Interactive Quiz #85:
Got Speed? Got 'Chute?

Airspeed control is essential to safe flight. Without it, a good parachute might be advisable. Let's see what you know about good airspeed and good parachute management. Cirrus pilots may wonder what the difference is.

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.

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1. You've been having this recurring nightmare involving flight. No, it's not insurance sticker shock -- that's not a nightmare, it's real. Instead you've bumbled into a Level Six thunderstorm -- hey, it's your nightmare, we avoid that stuff -- and the airplane is being shaken like a tax return at an IRS audit. But that's not the scary part. What really curls your toes is the memory of the examiner on your private pilot checkride who asked, "What does the V-speed V_A mean?" Then, just before the wings rip from their roots, you wake up screaming,
a. "V_A means designated maneuvering speed!"
b. "V_A means maximum altitude speed!"
c. "V_A means stall speed in cross-controlled configuration!"
d. "V_A means design maneuvering speed!"

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2. Despite years of therapy, you can't forget the anticipation that preceded your first checkride when you sat waiting for the examiner to return from a last-minute charter flight. To calm yourself that morning, you quietly reviewed V-speeds, but when you came to V_X and V_Y you had a brief moment of panic as you momentarily confused the two. What do V_X and V_Y mean?
a. V_X means speed for best rate of climb and V_Y means speed for best angle of climb.
b. V_X means speed for best angle of climb and V_Y means speed for best rate of climb.
c. V_X means speed for best vertical speed of climb and V_Y means speed for best vertical component of climb.
d. V_X means speed for best angle of attack and V_Y means speed for best rate of incidence.

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3. Months later on your commercial checkride as sweat beads on your temples, you rub your clammy hands back and forth across your gabardine pant legs, and still the examiner stares like a cobra, awaiting the answer to her question, "What does V_LE mean?"
a. V_LE means maximum leading edge slots extended speed.
b. V_LE means maximum landing gear emergency speed.
c. V_LE means maximum landing gear extended speed.
d. V_LE means minimum landing gear extended speed.

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4. What in heck was all the anxiety about? You aced your private and commercial checkrides, and did OK on the instrument ride even though you stumbled slightly explaining what an LDA was. On the multi-engine checkride you scored gold, and now as a DC-3 co-pilot flying overnight freight (mostly chickens) you recall with particular self-satisfaction how easily you answered the examiner's question, "What does V_MC mean?"
a. V_MC means minimum control speed with the critical engine inoperative.
b. V_MC means multi-engine critical speed with the critical engine inoperative.
c. V_MC means maximum controllable speed with the critical engine inoperative.
d. V_MC means minimum control speed with the critical engine operative.
e. V_MC only applies to center-line-thrust multis and was a trick question.

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5. Every student pilot's dream is to one day become a certificated flight instructor (CFI), if only to get back at the universe for all the turns-around-a-point performed getting the private ticket. Before being eligible for the CFI checkride (not a retest), the CFI candidate must demonstrate instructional proficiency in stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery procedures as per FAR 61.183 (i) (1) (2) and 61.187 (b). This means that a CFI should know how to get into and out of spins and explain the process. (Why other pilots shouldn't learn this life-saving skill is anyone's guess.) Of course, as per FAR 91.307, both the CFI candidate and his/her instructor must wear an approved parachute that's been packed and certified within how many days while satisfying this practical training requirement for the CFI ticket? (Choose best answer.)
a. 60 days
b. 90 days
c. 120 days
d. No parachutes required

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6. For those who may have stumbled explaining what LDA meant in question #4, now is your chance to recover with grace. What does LDA mean? Hint: It's an instrument term. (Oh, like that helps ...)
a. Localizer Type Directional Aid
b. Localizer Directional Aid
c. Localizer Deviation Allowance
d. Localizer Deflection Allowance
e. Love Dem Arrivals

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7. Oh yeah, about those turns-around-a-point mentioned in question #5: They weren't just learned to impress examiners but, instead, have practical applications in everyday flight, particularly in the traffic pattern or maneuvering from an instrument approach with a circle-to-land maneuver. (See the graphic below.) Assuming a clockwise turn around the point, where should the airplane's steepest bank be?
a. Position A
b. Position B
c. Position C
d. Position D

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8. Perhaps you never wanted to become a flight instructor, preferring instead to make real money as, say, a flying taxidermist. Still, you should be aware of stalls, spins, and stall/spin recovery techniques. An airplane's POH (Pilot's Operating Handbook) or Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) may have a specific stall/spin recovery technique that should be followed. Cirrus airplanes, for instance, have ballistic parachutes that must be considered. In the absence of specific manufacturer's instructions, the FAA's H-8083-3 lists recommended steps for spin recovery. We're assuming you've already stalled, with power on, and have entered a spin that you don't particularly want to ride to the ground. Using FAA recommendations, what is the first step to spin recovery in a single-engine, piston airplane?
a. Reduce power
b. Roll ailerons opposite to spin rotation
c. Add full rudder opposite to spin rotation.
d. Add full and brisk elevator up to climb.
e. Add full and brisk elevator down to break the stall

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9. You want to avoid stalls because, well, because they tend to upset passengers when they spill their lattes. So, you memorized all the V-speeds in your POH and know that if you fly at or above the published V_SO stall speed in the "landing configuration" or above this airplane's V_S1 stall speed in the so-called "clean configuration" -- gear and flaps up -- you'll avoid all stalls.
a. True
b. False

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10. Air traffic controllers don't know your aircraft's stalling speeds, but they are limited on how slow they can make you go. When vectoring arrival aircraft that are below 10,000 feet MSL, what is the lowest speed restriction that ATC can issue to a piston-engine airplane that's within 20 flying miles of the runway threshold? (Choose the best answer.)
a. A speed not less than 120 knots.
b. A speed not less than 150 knots.
c. A speed not less than 170 knots.
d. A speed not less than 210 knots.

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