Checkride-ready
See how you measure up to FAA standards with questions from the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
1. Filling the fuel tanks after the last flight of the day is considered a good operating procedure because this will
A. force any existing water to the top of the tank away from the fuel lines to the engine.
B. prevent expansion of the fuel by reducing the amount of air in the tanks.
C. prevent moisture condensation by reducing the amount of air in the tanks.
2. What action is required when two aircraft of the same category converge, but not head-on?
A. Each aircraft shall give way to the right.
B. The faster aircraft shall give way.
C. The aircraft on the left shall give way.
3. Two-way radio communication must be established with the air traffic control facility having jurisdiction over the area prior to entering which class airspace?
A. Class C.
B. Class G.
C. Class E.
4. What is one procedure to aid in cooling an engine that is overheating?
A. Reduce the airspeed.
B. Increase the rpm.
C. Enrich the fuel mixture.
5. To act as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers, the pilot must have made at least three takeoffs and three landings in an aircraft of the same category, class, and, if a type rating is required, of the same type, within the preceding
A. 90 days.
B. 24 calendar months.
C. 12 calendar months.
Ace
Can you correctly answer these questions from retired TWA captain and 28,000-hour pilot Barry Schiff?
6. True or false? A pilot observes during daylight hours that the rotating beacon at his destination airport is not rotating. This means that the cloud ceiling there is at least 1,000 feet agl and that the visibility is at least 3 statute miles.
7. Prior to engine start on a calm day, the pilot of a lightplane notes that his conventional vertical-speed indicator is displaying a 300-fpm sink rate. What is the simplest way to correct this error?
8. During a normal glide at constant airspeed and sink rate, the vertical component of lift
A. is greater than the weight of the aircraft.
B. is equal to the weight of the aircraft.
C. is less than the weight of the aircraft.
D. This cannot be determined.
9. How is it possible for the pilot of an airplane in flight to totally eliminate induced drag and all wingtip vortices?
10. True or false? It is illegal to land on a runway that is closed and marked by a large “X” at each end.
Illustrations by Hal Mayforth
Test Pilot Answers
1. The correct answer is C. Water is the principal fuel contaminant. As air in the tanks heats and cools, moisture condensation can form and find its way to the bottom of the fuel tank. With a full tank of fuel, the likelihood of this occurring is small. (Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 7)
2. The correct answer is C. The aircraft to the other’s right has the right of way. The pilot of the aircraft on the left shall give way and may not pass over, under, or ahead of the other aircraft unless well clear. (FAR 91.113)
3. The correct answer is A. For arrival or through flight, a pilot must establish two-way radio communications with the ATC facility providing air traffic services prior to entering that airspace, and must maintain communications while within that airspace. (FAR 91.130)
4. The correct answer is C. Reducing power, descending, increasing airspeed, enriching the fuel mixture, and opening the cowl flaps all can contribute to lower the temperature of an engine that is overheating. (Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 7)
5. The correct answer is A. Pilots who fly multiple categories and classes of aircraft must maintain this currency in each, if they intend to carry passengers. (FAR 61.57)
6. False. It is not required that the rotating beacon be used to indicate when IFR conditions exist at an airport. If the beacon is turned on during daylight hours, however, this would indicate that IFR conditions do exist at that airport.
7. Almost all conventional VSIs have a small set screw on the front of the instrument that is used to adjust the indication. Only a certified repairman, however, is allowed to make this adjustment.
8. The correct answer is B. In stabilized flight, lift equals weight, and thrust equals drag. If weight were greater than lift, the aircraft would accelerate in a downward direction. In other words, sink rate would steadily increase. If lift were greater than weight, acceleration would occur in an upward direction.
9. By pitching down and establishing a zero-G condition, the wings cannot develop lift, induced drag, or wingtip vortices.
10. False. Although not illegal, it would not be smart. Landing there likely could cause a pilot to be found in violation of FAR Part 91.13 (careless or reckless operation).
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