Test Pilot

GENERAL

1. From reader David Shaw: What well-known U.S.-production airplane has a clutch pedal?
2. From reader Jeff Pardo: Excluding helicopter rotors, what is the world's largest propeller?
3. For what purpose were reversible-pitch propellers originally designed?
4. In 1912, a pilot flew from Newport Bay on mainland California to Santa Catalina Island, the longest overwater flight (33 miles) that had ever been attempted. Who was this famous pilot?
5. Damage to engine rings, pistons, and cylinders can occur when piston rings literally move or flutter in their grooves. What can pilots do to avoid this phenomenon?
6. The New Piper Aircraft's Meridian was recently approved for FIKI. What does this mean?
7. From reader John Lawton: How is it possible to fly true tracks of 090, 180, 270, and 360 degrees under the same wind condition and airspeed so that the magnitude of the drift angle (either left or right) on each leg is exactly the same? (No, the wind is not calm.)
8. There are times when a pilot might note from his aeronautical chart that overlapping airspace designations apply to the same chunk of airspace. How is he to know which designation applies?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

9. For instrument-rated pilots: Unless otherwise specified, departure procedures (DPs) provide obstacle protection as long as the aircraft is at least _____ feet high as it crosses the departure end of the runway, does not turn until reaching _____ feet, and climbs at least _____ feet per nautical mile.
   1. 35, 400, 200
   2. 35, 500, 300
   3. 50, 400, 200
   4. 50, 500, 300
10. GPS accuracy relies on highly precise cesium (atomic) clocks. These typically have an error rate of 1 second per _____.
    1. 10 years
    2. 100 years
    3. 10,000 years
    4. 1,000,000 years
11. According to Weatherwise magazine, the kinetic energy of a Category 5 hurricane is equivalent to approximately _____ of the world's electrical energy (as long as the hurricane remains Category 5).
    1. 1 percent
    2. 10 percent
    3. 25 percent
    4. 50 percent

TRUE OR FALSE

12. From reader Jeff Pardo: FAR stands for federal aviation regulations.
13. From reader Bill Rimer: All pilots who want to carry passengers at night in an airplane are required to have made three takeoffs and landings to a full stop at night during the previous 90 days.
14. Sea ducks, pelicans, sandpipers, and other birds often fly close to the surface of the water to take advantage of ground effect, an aerodynamic phenomenon that improves their flight efficiency.

TEST PILOT ANSWERS

1. The clutch pedal of the venerable Beech Model 18 "Twin Beech" disconnects the gear-retraction gearbox to facilitate hand-cranking the landing gear to the down position.
2. The three-blade propellers used on the largest wind-driven electrical generators (windmills) have diameters in excess of 200 feet. Each blade weighs about 5 tons.
3. Reversible-pitch propellers were originally developed to serve as brakes and assist in controlling seaplanes taxiing on water (according to Jeppesen Sanderson's Multi-Engine Manual).
4. Glenn L. Martin flying a "semi-headless" pusher seaplane (don't ask).
5. Ring flutter can occur at high rpm and very low power settings. It is of most concern during a prolonged dive with the throttle closed when rpm is increased by windmilling (the propeller is driving the engine).
6. Flight into known icing.
7. This occurs whenever the true wind direction is 045, 135, 225, or 315 degrees, and the wind speed is less than true airspeed. For example, with airspeed of 100 knots and the wind on each leg from 045 degrees at 40 knots, the drift angle while tracking north, east, south, or west is 16 degrees.
8. According to the Aeronautical Information Manual, the pilot is to assume that the rules for the most restrictive airspace designation apply.
9. (a) Increased or unusual climb and/or turn criteria is published in certain DPs when necessitated by terrain or ATC requirements.
10. (d) The clocks are automatically corrected for the speed of the satellite using Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.
11. (d) This is about the same as a one megaton hydrogen bomb exploding every minute.
12. False. FAR now stands for federal acquisition regulations. Aviation regulations are formally referred to as Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Aeronautics and Space. VFR regulations, therefore, can be found in 14 CFR Part 91.
13. False. Airline captains involved in air carrier operations (and certain other pilots) are exempt from the night currency requirements of Part 61.
14. True. According to the Audubon Society, birds skimming the surface and following the contours of swells and waves at heights of less than a wingspan experience the same reduction of induced drag as airplanes in ground effect.

Visit the author's Web site ( www.barryschiff.com).