Flight Instruments
What instruments operate from the pitot/static system?
altimeter, vertical-speed indicator, airspeed indicator
At what rate does atmospheric pressure decrease with an increase in altitude?
decreases approximately 1" Hg per 1000 ft
What are the following transponder codes?
1200, 7700, 7600, 7500
1200: VFR
7700: emergency
7600: communications emergency
7500: hijacking in progress
When attempting to circumnavigate thunderstorms, what minimum distance is recommended?
Within what frequency range do VORs operate?
within the 108.0 to 117.95 MHz VHF band
What limitations does the magnetic compass have?
the jewel-and-pivot type mounting gives the float freedom to rotate & tilt up to approximately 18 deg angle of bank
at steeper bank angles, the compass indications are erratic/unpredictable
Other than fog, what are several other examples of IFR weather producers?
low clouds (stratus), haze, smoke, blowing obstructions to vision, precipitation
What does the acronym "RWSL" stand for?
Runway Status Lights
occurs when a tailplane with accumulated ice is placed at a sufficiently negative AOA and stalls
since the tailplane counters the natural nose-down tendency caused by the center of the lift of the main wing, the airplane will react by pitching down when the tailplane is stalled
There are 4 types of NDB facilities in use. What are they and what are their effective ranges?
HH: 2000 watts (75NM)
H: 50-1999 watts (50NM)
MH: less than 50 watts (25NM)
ILS compass locator: less than 25 watts (15NM)
What are the different types of aircraft speeds?
indicated airspeed, calibrated airspeed, equivalent airspeed, true airspeed
What is advection fog and where is it most likely to form?
advection fog forms when moist air moves over colder ground or water
most common along coastal areas but often develops deep in continental areas, may occur with winds, cloudy skies, over a wide geographic area, & any time during the day/night
What do the following acronyms stand for?
ALS, VASI, PAPI, REIL
ALS: approach light system
VASI: visual approach slope indicator
PAPI: precision approach path indicator
REIL: runway end identifier lights
If an airplane has anti-icing and/or deicing equipment installed, can it be flown into icing conditions?
the presence of anti-icing and deicing equipment does not necessarily mean the airplane is approved for flight in icing conditions
AFM/POH, placards, manufacturer should be consulted for approvals/limitations
For IFR operations off established airways, the "Route of Flight" portion of an IFR flight plan should list VOR navigational aids that are no further than what distance from each other?
below 18000ft MSL, use aids not more than 80 NM apart
between 14500ft MSL and 17999ft MSL in the conterminous US H facilities not more than 200 NM apart may be used
Name several types of power sources commonly used to power the gyroscopic instruments in an aircraft
electrical, pneumatic, venturi tube, wet-type vacuum pump, dry-air pump systems
How do you determine the stability of the atmosphere?
when temp decreases uniformly and rapidly as you climb (approaching 3 deg C per 1000ft), you have an indication of unstable air
if the temp remains unchanged or decreases only slightly with altitude, the air tends to be stable
when air near the surface is warm/moist, suspect instability
Where is altitude encoding transponder equipment required?
at or above 10000ft MSL over 48 contiguous states or the District of Columbia, excluding that airspace below 2500ft AGL
within 30 miles of a Class B airspace primary airport, below 10000ft MSL
within/above all Class C airspace up to 10000ft MSL
within 10 miles of certain designated airports, excluding that airspace which is both outside the Class D surface area and below 1200ft AGL
all aircraft flying into, within, or across the contiguous US ADIZ
If icing is inadvertently encountered, how would the configuration for approach and landing be different?
extension of landing gear may create excessive drag when coupled with ice; flaps should be deployed in stages
if anomalities occur, it is best not to increase the amount of flaps and perhaps even to retract them depending on how much the aircraft is deviating from normal performance
if landing with an accumulation of ice, use a higher approach speed
during the landing flare, carry higher-than-normal power if there is ice on the airplane, use longer runway if available
after touchdown, use brakes sparingly to prevent skidding
What is ADF homing?
flying the aircraft on any heading required to keep the ADF needle on zero until the station is reached
If the air temp is +6 deg C at an airport elevation of 1200 ft and a standard (average) temp lapse rate exists, what will be the approximate freezing level?
4200 MSL; 6 deg at the surface divided by the average temperature lapse rate of 2 deg C results in a 3000 ft freezing level, converted to sea level by adding the 1200 ft airport elevation
What are the "squall line" thunderstorms?
non-frontal, narrow band of active thunderstorms
develops in unstable air far removed from any front
line bay be too long to easily detour, too wide/severe to penetrate
contains severe steady-state thunderstorms & presents the single most intense weather hazard to aircraft
forms rapidly during the late afternoon/first few hours of darkness
review/understand airport signage, markings, lighting
review the airport diagram, planned taxi route, identify any "hot spots"
review the latest airfield NOTAMs and ATIS for taxiway/runway closures, construction activity
conduct a pretaxi/prelanding briefing that includes the expected/assigned taxi route, any hold short lines/restrictions based on ATIS info or previous experience at the airport
plan for critical times/locations on the taxi route
plan to complete as many aircraft checklist items as possible prior to taxi
How can tailplane icing be detected?
elevator control pulsing, oscillations, vibrations
abnormal nose-down trim change
any other unusual/abnormal pitch anomalies
reduction/loss of elevator effectiveness
sudden change in elevator force
sudden uncommanded nose-down pitch
Describe the operation of WAAS
WAAS ground stations receive GPS signals and forward position errors to two master ground stations
time/location info is analyzed and correction instructions are sent to communication satellites
satellites broadcast GPS-like signals that WAAS-enabled GPS receivers use to correct position information received from satellites
WAAS enabled GPS receiver is required to use the wide area augmentation system