June 16, 2005

Interactive Quiz #95:
A New Sport Pilot

Welcome, Sport Pilots, to aviation -- an exclusive club open to anyone who dreams far above the madding crowd's ignoble ground life.* Before you touch the heavens, however, review some old- and new-school terms.

*Thomas Hardy -- "Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife ..." That's the guy you were supposed to read in high school.

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. Chances are, whatever you fly as a Sport Pilot won't be terribly fast. But, understanding how aeronautical speeds are expressed is essential to safety. When you see a V, think Velocity or Speed; as in Vx, which means "best angle of climb speed," Vy for "best rate of climb speed," or Vex for "very expensive speed." (OK, we made that last one up, but check out Brainteaser Quiz #85 for more real V-Speeds.) VH pops up in most Sport Pilot conversations. It means:
a. Minimum speed in level flight with maximum continuous power.
b. Maximum speed in level flight with maximum continuous power.
c. Maintainable speed in level flight with minimum continuous power (power-off stall).
d. Maintainable speed in level flight with maximum continuous power (power-on stall).

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2. There's another aviation sport out there called skydiving in which seemingly normal people fall out of airplanes with the relatively firm conviction that a knapsack full of bed sheets will break their fall. (Email differing opinions to: brainteaseridiot@avweb.com.) Refer to the following parachute operations NOTAM and the sectional chart below:

Belle Plaine IA [TZT]: August NOTAM #4 issued by Fort Dodge IA [FOD] Parachute jumping exercise 10 southwest 5 nautical mile radius 12000 / below effective from August 03rd, 2005 at 10:00 AM CST (0508031600) - August 03rd, 2005 at 07:00 PM CST (0508040100).

What is the block altitude (vertical airspace) of this parachute jump area?

	Sectional Chart -- Belle Plain, Iowa

a. At or above 12,000 meters.
b. At or below 12,000 meters.
c. At or above 12,000 feet.
d. At or below 12,000 feet.

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3. You're a Sport Pilot cruising eastbound, visual flight rules (VFR), at 5,500 feet MSL (mean sea level), and you're approaching the parachute jump area in the previous question. You're receiving VFR radar flight-following from Minneapolis Center. The jump airplane's pilot, Charlene, has notified Center that jumpers will go screaming out the door in two minutes from an altitude above you. The Center controller, Jake, is required to vector you away from this jump area.
a. True
b. False

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4. Speaking of flight following, you're now operating as an instrument-rated Sport Pilot on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan, in a light sport aircraft (LSA), and you're cleared to your destination airport via "direct" using GPS. You're in visual meteorological conditions (VMC) -- the weather is clear everywhere, and you're in radar contact with Minneapolis Center. En route you'll be handed off from Minneapolis Center to Kansas City Center. While preflight briefing on DUATS, earlier that day, you saw the NOTAM below. The NOTAM's time span encompasses your IFR flight. Are you legal to make this IFR flight? (Pick the best answer.)

Kansas City Center (Olathe KS) [ZKC]: April NOTAM #47 issued by Columbia MO [COU] St. LOUIS, Missouri air route surveillance radar out of service effective from April 06th, 2005 at 09:00 AM CDT (0504061400) - April 06th, 2005 at 05:00 PM CDT (0504062200).

a. Yes. Flight following is for VFR.
b. Yes. Expect non-radar IFR reroutes via airways.
c. No. GPS is not IFR-approved for non-radar.
d. No. Too many reasons to list.

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5. Just because you're a Sport Pilot flying VFR doesn't mean you can ignore the brain-teasing acronyms normally associated with IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) operations. What does the acronym STMP mean? (You IFR guys already know this one, right?)
a. Special Traffic Management Programs
b. Special Traffic Management Procedures
c. Serious Traffic Management Procedures
d. Special TFR Monitoring Procedures
e. Someone Took My Plane

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6. A non-pilot friend wants to fly ultralights. You explain that to qualify as a powered ultralight -- and not be so large, complicated, or safe as to require FAA airplane certification -- the ultralight must weigh less than (_____) pounds empty weight, excluding floats and safety devices (that are intended for deployment in a potentially catastrophic situation), have a fuel capacity not exceeding (_____) U.S. gallons, not be capable of more than (_____) knots calibrated airspeed at full power in level flight, and have a power-off stall speed that does not exceed (_____) knots calibrated airspeed.
a. 155 pounds, 3 gallons, 55 knots, 24 knots
b. 254 pounds, 3 gallons, 65 knots, 34 knots
c. 254 pounds, 5 gallons, 55 knots, 24 knots
d. 354 pounds, 5 gallons, 55 knots, 24 knots

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7. Ultralights have been common fixtures at smaller airports for years -- dangling from trees, running into hangars, etc. FAR Part 103 regulates (to the extent possible) ultralight operations and states that all other aircraft have the right-of-way over ultralights in the traffic pattern. Some airports have designated ultralight traffic patterns, but where such patterns are not posted, flyers of winged patio furniture (a.k.a., ultralights) should refer to the FAA's Advisory Circular (AC) 90-66A, which recommends that ultralight traffic patterns be:
a. Same as all other traffic.
b. Same as all other traffic except balloons, helicopters, and Heavy transports.
c. 500 feet above and outside the standard pattern altitude.
d. 500 feet below and inside the standard pattern altitude.

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8. Ultralights are prohibited from operating above a solid overcast, even with unlimited visibility and clear skies above the pilot's head.
a. True
b. False

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9. A Sport Pilot walks into a hangar (Bonk!) where a non-licensed flyer has completed building an unpowered ultralight. The powerless ultralighter requests a tow. The two-seat Taylorcraft flown by the Sport Pilot has a tow hook. Pretty nifty device that, so the Sport Pilot offers to tow the unpowered ultralight for its first flight. Is the Sport Pilot legal to tow the unpowered ultralight aloft? This is not for hire. Weather is VFR in Class G airspace. Adult supervision is unavailable.
a. Legal, but not smart.
b. Not legal, not smart.
c. Legal if the ultralight operator also holds at least a Sport Pilot license.
d. Not legal unless the tow pilot flies solo -- carries no passenger in the tow plane.

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10. Ultralights, LSAs, and corporate jets will mix it up at many uncontrolled airports. Just because you drink kerosene doesn't mean you have the right of way. While taxiing from the FBO's ramp at an uncontrolled (Class G airspace) airport served by a single runway with a parallel taxiway, you hear this on the CTAF: "Ailerona traffic, Taylorcraft 502, back taxi Runway 18." You can expect this Taylorcraft to taxi:
a. On the parallel taxiway opposite to the traffic flow.
b. On the runway with the traffic flow.
c. On the runway opposite to traffic the flow.
d. On the parallel taxiway with the traffic flow.

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