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Wednesday 20th August 2008
Brainteasers
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May. 17, 2007

Brainteasers
Interactive Quiz #120:
Something Old, Something New

As the tsunami of change washes over the FAA, leaving it groping for a user-fee lifeline, pilots know to surf the crest, riding old terms, new ways and hope into aviation's future.

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. Runway incursions have plagued ATC for years. Today, after intense study and spending, the FAA can breathe a sigh of relief. No, runway incursions haven't been vanquished, but at least we have an acronym, ASDE, to take into battle. OK, it's not that new, but ASDE does help future controllers find lost Airbuses on the taxiway. What does ASDE mean?
a. Aircraft Surface Detection Equipment
b. Airport Surface Detection Equipment
c. Air Surveillance Distance Equipment
d. ATC Surface Detection Enroute
e. Another Stupid Distraction Endeavor
2. The responsibility to see and avoid airborne traffic rests primarily with pilots -- always has, always will. TIS is a popular on-board, collision avoidance aide. TIS means (_____) and works in cooperation with ATC (_____) radar.
a. Traffic Information Service, Mode S
b. Terminal Information Service, Mode S
c. Traffic Intruder Surveillance, Mode C
d. Traffic Information Service, Mode A
3. More aggressive than TIS is TCAS, Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System. TCAS I provides proximity warning only. TCAS II is a bit bossier, and when it sees intruders it issues TAs and RAs. TA is a Traffic Advisory. RA is:
a. Resolution Advisory
b. Resolution Alert
c. Reactive Advisory
d. Rogue Aircraft
4. You can't swing a dead moose in Alaska without hitting a pilot in love with ADS-B, which has undergone extensive R&D in the Last Frontier. It's slowly migrated to the lower 48 and will one day flood the planet, if you believe the sales brochures. To be prepared, every pilot should know that ADS-B means:
a. Automated Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast
b. Aeronautical Defense Surveillance-Bravo
c. Automatic Dependent System-Broadcast
d. Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast
5. Keep us honest: In order to squeeze more jets into Class A airspace, Center controllers use RVSM, which means Reduced Visual Separation Minimums. Using RVSM, air traffic controllers separate aircraft by a minimum of 1,000 feet vertically between flight level (FL) 290 and FL 410 inclusive, provided pilots maintain visual separation. (The old, pre-RVSM separation standard was 2000 feet.)
a. True
b. False
6. If you, a 21st century pilot, don't know what a TFR is, then step away from the aircraft, place your hands over your head and repeat after the TSA security officer pointing the M-16 at your nose: "TFR means (_____)."
a. TSA Flight Restriction
b. Traffic Flow Restriction
c. Terminal Flight Restriction
d. Temporary Flight Restriction
e. Tenacious Freedom Robbers
7. Despite TSA, aviation's future is bright, due in part to a new acronym -- LSA. To cargo pilots hauling radioactive materials, LSA is a HazMat term meaning Low Specific Activity. A kinder and gentler LSA, however, refers to Light Sport Aircraft. And recently, any aircraft manufacturer that hasn't pledged to pepper the skies with VLJs (very light jets) hopes to plug the aerial gaps with light, piston, two-seaters. To qualify for LSA, the aircraft (land not sea, not copter nor lighter-than-air) must, among other restrictions, have a maximum takeoff weight that does not exceed (_____). (Think Luscombe, J3 Cub, 7AC Champ, Ercoupe 415C.)
a. 1200 pounds
b. 1220 pounds
c. 1300 pounds
d. 1320 pounds
8. Which type airspace requires two-way communication with ATC, a transponder (with Mode C or S) and a clearance in order to operate VFR?
a. Class A
b. Class B
c. Class C
d. Class D
e. All of the above
9. Whatever you fly into the future of brain-teasing terminology, you'll need to know the difference between METAR and TAF. One is an Aviation Routine Weather Report (observation) and the other is an Aerodrome Forecast. One occasionally includes the silly word SPECI. Which partial format below is correct?
a. TAF SPECI KCVG 152224Z 28024G36KT 3/4SM +TSRA ...
b. METAR SPECI KCVG 152224Z 28024G36KT 3/4SM +TSRA ...
c. SPECIAL KCVG 152224Z 28024G36KT 3/4SM +TSRA ...
d. SPECI KCVG 152224Z 28024G36KT 3/4SM +TSRA ...
10. UA is an aviation code with several interpretations. In IFR shorthand, UA means Until Advised. If you're preplanning a lights-out border crossing, be sure to watch for Unmanned Aircraft. UA is also a weather code. Decode this partial one: UA/OV OVR 090025 /TM 1450 /FL 060 /TP C182 /SK 080 OVC ...
a. Urgent pilot report, overcast over 090° radial, 25 miles, 1450 Zulu, (at) 6,000 feet, (by a) Cessna 182, sky cover 8000 overcast.
b. Surface Analysis, 25 NM out on the 090° radial of Omaha VOR, 1450 Zulu, (at) Flight Level 600, turbulence Cessna 182, sky cover 8000 overcast
c. Routine pilot report, 25 NM out on the 090° radial of Omaha VOR, 1450 Zulu, (at) 6000 feet, (by a) Cessna 182, sky cover 8000 overcast
d. METAR, 25 NM out on the 090° radial of Overland VOR, 1450 Zulu, (at) 6000 feet, (by a) Cessna 182, sky cover 8000 overcast
11. Bonus: Some things never change. The FAA for instance. What does FAA mean? (Keep it clean.)
a. Friendly Authoritative Assistance
b. Fantastic Acronym Association
c. Federal Aviation Administration
d. Federal Aviation Agency