Test Pilot
2. A pilot is flying a perfect circle over the ground while maneuvering counterclockwise around a pylon. The wind is from the north. The steepest bank angle is required on the _______ side of the circle.
A. north
B. east
C. south
D. west
3. Gisborne Airport in New Zealand is an air-carrier airport that also serves general aviation. What makes this airport unique?
4. A pilot is about to depart Honolulu International Airport at noon local time on or about May 27 or July 16. During his preflight inspection, what unusual and strange phenomenon would he notice that never occurs in any of the other 49 states?
5. Mix and match the following aviation movies with those who starred in them:
| 1. Battle of Britain | A. Michael Caine |
| 2. The Blue Max | B. Kirk Douglas |
| 3. The Bridges at Toko-Ri | C. William Holden |
| 4. The Final Countdown | D. Matthew Modine |
| 5. The High and the Mighty | E. Gregory Peck |
| 6. Strategic Air Command | F. George Peppard |
| 7. Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines | G. Sam Shepard |
| 8. Memphis Belle | H. James Stewart |
| 9. The Right Stuff | I. John Wayne |
| 10. Twelve O’Clock High | J. Stuart Whitman |
6. In which country did the United States make its first use of military airplanes in warfare?
7. From reader John Schmidt: True or false? The U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, once practiced tight formation flying by tying their aircraft together with bungee cords.
8. What type of lighted landing facility is associated with each of the following types of rotating beacons?
A. alternating white and yellow
B. green, yellow, and white
C. two white flashes followed by green
D. alternating white and green
Test Pilot Answers
1. True. Generally speaking, the velocity of updrafts in a given thunderstorm is twice the velocity of downdrafts.
2. D. The northerly wind causes groundspeed to be greatest on the west side of the circle. Consequently, the least amount of time is available to turn a given amount of arc on that side of the circle. This necessitates a steeper bank angle and greater turn rate than anywhere else on the circle.
3. The main runway is bisected by railroad tracks used regularly by the Palmerston North-Gisborne Line. Tower controllers at Gisborne have the unique responsibility of separating aircraft from railroad trains.
4. Hawaii is the only state south of the Tropic of Cancer. At Honolulu, the sun on these dates passes directly overhead at local noon (when it crosses Honolulu’s meridian). As a result, vertical objects such as vertical fins, poles, and so forth cast no shadows.
5. 1-A, 2-F, 3-C, 4-B, 5-I, 6-H, 7-J, 8-D, 9-G, 10-E
6. Mexico. In 1914, U.S. Navy airplanes took action against hostile gunfire during the American occupation of the seaport in Vera Cruz.
7. True. The cords were used in 1949 when the Blue Angels flew Grumman F9F Panthers. Tying the leader and the two wingmen together worked well in practice, but the cords broke during an exhibition over Cleveland, thus ending the so-called “rope trick.”
8. A. seaport
B. heliport
C. military airport
D. civilian airport
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