Test Pilot

MIX 'N MATCH

Match these popular aviation movies with the most appropriate clues.

1. Airport
2. Airport '77
3. Battle of Britain
4. The Bridges at Toko-Ri
5. Captains of the Clouds
6. Command Decision
7. Fate Is the Hunter
8. Flying Tigers
9. The High and the Mighty
10. Memphis Belle
11. The Spirit of St. Louis
12. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
13. Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines
14. Twelve O'Clock High

1. Royal Canadian Air Force
2. Coffee spill
3. Sabrejet
4. Short-field takeoff
5. Clark Gable
6. Snowbound
7. "Never have so many..."
8. Precursor of Reno
9. Warhawk
10. Point of no return
11. Flying Fortress
12. Underwater pressurization
13. Up periscope
14. 25 missions

GENERAL

15. What two airplanes are tied for the longest uninterrupted production runs?
16. In aviation jargon, what is a truck?
17. Why does an airplane with a constant-speed propeller have a shorter takeoff roll than an identical airplane with a fixed-pitch propeller (everything else being equal)?
18. The airflow above a wing follows the cambered (curved) upper surface (except at excessive angles of attack) because of a phenomenon known as the _____________________ effect.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

19. When an aircraft accident report is required, it must be made to the FAA within
    1. 24 hours.
    2. 48 hours.
    3. 72 hours.
    4. never
20. If the dew point is 87 degrees Fahrenheit, the increase in density altitude resulting from humidity alone is equivalent to increasing the temperature by
    1. 0 degrees.
    2. 4 degrees.
    3. 9 degrees.
    4. cannot be determined
21. During a hard landing, the wings of an airplane tend to flex downward. At such a time, a G meter in the airplane will indicate
    1. more than +1 G.
    2. between 0 and +1 G.
    3. between 0 and -1 G.
    4. more than -1 G.
22. The most direct and adverse effect of humidity on aircraft performance is
    1. reduced lift.
    2. reduced propeller thrust.
    3. reduced horsepower.
    4. increased drag.

TRUE OR FALSE

23. An accident report is required when a pilot forgets to extend the landing gear for landing and causes substantial aircraft damage.
24. During World War II, a pilot flying a British dirigible pursued and shot down a Heinkel He.115.
25. If a certificated flight instructor loses his medical certificate, there are times when he may still provide required flight instruction and charge for his services.

ANSWERS

15. According to Air & Space Magazine, they are the Beechcraft Bonanza and the Yakovlev Yak-18, which have been in continuous production since 1947.
16. A truck is a landing gear leg that usually has four wheels arranged like those on an automobile (or truck).
17. An engine with a constant-speed propeller develops 100-percent power from a standing start; an engine with a fixed-pitch propeller does not.
18. Coanda. This behavior of fluid flow is named after the French engineer and inventor, Henri Marie Coanda.
19. (d) Regulations require that accident reports must be made to the nearest National Transportation Safety Board field office (and not the FAA) as expeditiously as possible.
20. (c) High humidity has a greater effect than generally is appreciated.
21. (a) Similarly, the pilot is forced downward into his seat, which indicates more than +1 G.
22. (c) Water vapor displaces some of the dry air that would otherwise be available for combustion, enriching the mixture and retarding flame propagation within the cylinders.
23. False. Reports must be provided only for the accidents and/or failures described in Part 830.5 of NTSB regulations, which usually are included in pilot manuals containing the Federal Aviation Regulations.
24. False. You've got to be kidding.
25. True. A CFI is allowed to instruct and charge a fee without a medical certificate as long as the "student" is qualified to act as pilot in command of the aircraft being used.