Get extra lift from AOPA. Start your free membership trial today! Click here
News & Media Final Exam

Final Exam

January 1, 2021

Final ExamCheckride-ready

See how you measure up to FAA standards with these questions from the AOPA Pilot Information Center.

  1. An airport’s rotating beacon operated during daylight hours indicates
    A. there are obstructions on the airport.
    B. the air traffic control tower is not in operation.
    C. that weather at the airport located in Class D airspace is below basic VFR weather minimums.
  2. On aircraft equipped with fuel pumps, when is the auxiliary electric-driven pump used?
    A. In the event the engine-driven fuel pump fails.
    B. All the time to aid the engine-driven fuel pump.
    C. Constantly except in starting the engine.
  3. No person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight when the flight visibility is less than
    A. 3 miles.
    B. 5 miles.
    C. 7 miles.
  4. The numbers 9 and 27 on a runway indicate that the runway is oriented approximately
    A. 090 degrees and 270 degrees true.
    B. 090 degrees and 270 degrees magnetic.
    C. 009 degrees and 027 degrees true.
  5. True or false: It is both safe and practical to routinely operate an airplane at VNE, redline airspeed.

Final ExamAce

Can you correctly answer these questions from retired TWA captain and 28,000-hour pilot Barry Schiff?

  1. True or false? Baggage compartment doors on most general aviation airplanes should be latched and locked by key during flight.
  2. Which of the following does not belong?
    A. convection.
    B. ocean surface.
    C. surface irregularities.
    D. wind shear.
  3. True or false? Rain falling on a windshield creates an optical illusion that leads a pilot to believe that he is higher during a landing approach than he really is.
  4. What is the upper limit of Class A airspace?
  5. While landing at an airport with standard runway-edge lights, a pilot touches down abeam a runway light to his left and comes to a stop nine runway lights thereafter. The length of the landing roll was
    A. 900 feet.
    B. 1,350 feet.
    C. 1,800 feet.
    D. Cannot be determined.

Illustrations by John Holm

Final Exam Answers

  1. The correct answer is C. On rare occasions, it has been noted that someone in the tower just forgot to turn off the switch from the night before (controllers are people, too!), but it most commonly means that the ceiling and/or visibility is below VFR minimums at the airport. It is important to note that there is no regulatory requirement for daylight operation of the beacon in poor weather. (Aeronautical Information Manual 2-1-10)
  2. The correct answer is A. An electric fuel pump is turned on if an engine-driven fuel pump fails. Sometimes the electric fuel pump is used is during engine start, on takeoff, and for landing. Consult your pilot operating handbook for specific use requirements for your aircraft.
  3. The correct answer is A. This is a good, common-sense regulation. Even so, many aerobatic pilots would recommend more visibility. (FAR 91.303[f])
  4. The correct answer is B. The numbering of runways is referenced using magnetic north. While on final approach to land on Runway 27, your compass should generally read within 5 degrees of 270 degrees. (Aeronautical Information Manual 2-3-3)
  5. False. While it is safe to operate an airplane at redline airspeed, it certainly is not practical. Unless you are a jump pilot heading south to
    pick up your next load, flying at redline almost always involves a very steep dive attitude and a pretty healthy rate of descent, in the thousands of feet per minute category—not practical for everyday flying.
  6. False. Locking a properly latched baggage-compartment door usually does not close the door any more securely, but it can hamper escape or ground rescue operations should this become necessary.
  7. The correct answer is B. The other choices represent basic causes of turbulence.
  8. False. Moisture on a windscreen produces unpredictable illusory effects. Depending on moisture pattern and windscreen shape, a pilot might perceive being higher or lower than he really is.
  9. The upper limit of Class A airspace is Flight Level 600 (approximately 60,000 feet). Class E airspace begins above that and continues to some unspecified altitude.
  10. The correct answer is C. Runway lights are typically and uniformly spaced 200 feet apart. This makes them useful for estimating poor visibility and approximating takeoff and landing distances.

Related Articles