Test Pilot

GENERAL

1. What must a pilot do to qualify for membership in the Caterpillar Club?
2. Why is the pilot's compartment of an airplane referred to as a cockpit?
3. What is the primary difference between an autogyro and a helicopter?
4. Strong, dry, warm winds that flow down the lee slopes of North American mountain ranges are called __________.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

5. Which of the following does not belong:
   1. air traffic controller
   2. dispatcher
   3. parachute rigger
   4. fueler
6. When a conventional six-cylinder aircraft engine turns at 2,400 rpm, how many combustion cycles occur per hour?
   1. 432,000
   2. 864,000
   3. 1,728,000
   4. 3,456,000
7. A .38-caliber bullet is fired through the cabin wall of a pressurized jetliner cruising at Flight Level 350. Unless the pilot makes a rapid descent, the result most likely will be
   1. no change in cabin pressure.
   2. a slow reduction in cabin pressure.
   3. a rapid decompression.
   4. an explosive decompression.

TRUE OR FALSE

8. Relatively cool air at altitude cools an overheating engine better than relatively warm air at sea level.
9. From Reader Bruce C. Parker: Two identical Cessna 172s — one heavy and one light — encounter engine failure at the same altitude and are subsequently flown at the best glide speed as published in the pilot's operating handbook. The heavier airplane will glide farther.
10. It is illegal to land on a runway that is closed and marked by a large X at each end.
11. It is legal to land on roads and highways in Alaska for any reason.

MIX 'N MATCH

Match the following individuals with the items with which they are most closely associated:

ANSWERS

1. He must have used a parachute to save his life.
2. A cockpit originally was the pit in which fighting cocks battled; it came to mean any small place where many battles are waged, as in the adage "Belgium is the cockpit of Europe." By analogy, World War I pilots in Europe referred to their cramped quarters as cockpits, which came to mean any place on an airplane or boat used by the steerman.
3. The rotor of a helicopter is powered; the rotor of an autogyro is not powered and turns by autorotation.
4. Chinooks. They are also called foehn winds (especially in German-speaking countries). One of the most well-known chinooks is Southern California's Santa Ana wind.
5. (d) The other three require FAA certification.
6. (a) Each piston/cylinder of a four-cycle engine undergoes a complete cycle every two revolutions of the crankshaft. Three cycles/revolution x 2,400 rpm x 60 minutes per hour = 432,000 cycles/hour.
7. (a) Cabin air normally escapes through the outflow valves in much greater volume. To compensate for the small amount of air escaping through the bullet hole, the outflow valves would close slightly to prevent a pressure loss (James Bond movies notwithstanding).
8. False. Dense air — even when relatively warm — carries away engine heat more efficiently than air that is less dense and relatively cool.
9. True. The best glide speed applies to a situation in which the aircraft is loaded to its maximum-allowable gross weight. A lightly loaded airplane must be flown at slightly less airspeed to achieve the same glide performance.
10. False. A pilot landing on a closed runway might, however, be in violation of FAR 91.13 (careless or reckless operation).
11. True. According to the Alaska Airmen's Association, the only restriction is that the pilot not disrupt traffic.
12. a.
13. f.
14. i.
15. l.
16. m.
17. b.
18. e.
19. g.
20. j.
21. d.
22. n.
23. h.
24. c.
25. k.