Test Pilot

GENERAL

1. At any time when Air Force One is not airborne, it can be said that it has made one more takeoff than it has made landings, yet has never crashed. How is this explained?
2. What is wrong with the following statement? A pilot is cruising at 17,500 feet, hears The High and the Mighty on his low/medium-frequency receiver, removes his oxygen mask for a moment, sips water from his thermos bottle, and then whistles along with the music.
3. The battery of an ELT must be replaced after it has been used for more than _________ minutes, or when it has been installed for longer than ___________ percent of its useful life. An ELT will broadcast for more than _____________ continuous hours.
4. During flight, the pilot of a Cessna 172 is shocked to discover that the up-elevator cable of the control system has snapped. How can he make a safe landing by using the control wheel?
5. Why does extending the landing gear of many retractable-gear airplanes reduce stall speed slightly?
6. The two frequencies designated for air-to-air communications between aircraft are ______ and ______ MHz.
7. A pilot stalls his conventional lightplane, kicks and holds full rudder, pauses for a few seconds, adds full power, and then applies and holds full opposite aileron. The resultant maneuver is called a ______.
8. What is the difference between counterrotating and contrarotating propellers?
9. A bombardier releases bombs from an airplane; during World War II, what did a bomphleteer do?
10. In which country did the United States make first use of military airplanes in warfare?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

11. A pilot is at an indicated altitude of 8,000 feet with his encoding altimeter set to 30.12 inches of mercury at a time when it should be set to 30.32 inches. An air traffic controller viewing the transponder return on his radar screen will believe the airplane to be at
    1. 7,800 feet.
    2. 8,000 feet.
    3. 8,200 feet.
    4. 8,400 feet.
12. A cube of air measuring 1,000 feet per side (the bottom of which is at sea level) has a mass of approximately
    1. 750 pounds.
    2. 7,500 pounds.
    3. 750,000 pounds.
    4. 75 million pounds.
13. Which of the following does not belong?
    1. cantilever
    2. decalage
    3. interplane strut
    4. stagger
14. What very famous American entertainer was the first person to fly an airplane in Australia?
    1. William (Hopalong Cassidy) Boyd
    2. Oliver Hardy (of Laurel and Hardy)
    3. Tom Mix
    4. Erich Weiss
15. The most direct and adverse effect of humidity on aircraft performance is
    1. reduced lift.
    2. reduced propeller thrust.
    3. reduced engine horsepower.
    4. increased drag.

ANSWERS

1. When Richard M. Nixon left office, his resignation became effective after departing Andrews Air Force Base on Air Force One. Gerald Ford was sworn into office in Washington, D.C., while the aircraft was en route to California. At that moment, Nixon's flight lost its presidential designation and assumed a military flight number.
2. The lack of air density above 12,000 feet makes whistling difficult. At higher altitudes, it becomes impossible.
3. 60 minutes, 50 percent, and 48
4. He applies substantial nose-up trim and applies forward pressure as necessary on the control wheel to maintain the desired attitude. He flares by gradually releasing most or all of this forward pressure.
5. The air resistance of the landing gear forces a slight amount of air that would otherwise pass under the wing to flow over the wing, which reduces stall speed.
6. 122.75 and 122.85 MHz
7. A flat spin, from which recovery may or may not be possible
8. Contrarotating propellers are mounted on the same axis of rotation but turn in opposite directions. Counterrotating propellers also turn in opposite directions but are mounted on different engines.
9. He dropped propaganda pamphlets. The word was coined by the British making pamphlet raids over Europe.
10. Mexico. In 1914, Navy airplanes took action against hostile gunfire during the American occupation of the seaport in Vera Cruz.
11. (c) The actual altitude of the airplane is 8,200 feet, which is the altitude shown on the controller's radar screen (irrespective of the altimeter setting used by the pilot).
12. (d) Such a cube contains 1 billion cubic feet, and each cubic foot has an average density of 0.075 pounds per cubic foot. One billion 2 0.075 = 75 million.
13. (a) The other items refer exclusively to the characteristics of a biplane.
14. (d) The world-renowned magician and escape artist (also known as Harry Houdini) made the flight on March 18, 1910.