Test Pilot

1. Cessna Aircraft has used the prefix Sky in naming eight models of its aircraft. Can you name them?

2. During a hard landing, the wings of an airplane tend to flex downward. At such a time, a G-meter in the airplane indicates

a. more than +1 G.
b. between 0 and +1 G.
c. between 0 and -1 G.
d. more than -1 G.

3. What is the difference between a hazard and a risk?

4. An airplane with a groundspeed of 238 knots passes over Point A at 1315 UTC while en route to Point B, which is 800 nm distant. At the same time, an aircraft with a groundspeed of 162 knots passes over Point B en route to Point A. At what time will the aircraft pass one another? (Solving this problem does not require a computer.)

5. What is the only airplane in which additional cruise speed results in decreased fuel consumption?

6. What is the difference between a cowling and a nacelle?

7. From reader Jerry Griggs: Which of the following require(s) a pilot to immediately report such events to the FAA by the most expeditious means available?

a. flight-control system malfunction or failure
b. in-flight fire
c. aircraft collision in flight
d. total engine failure
e. None of the above

8. True or false? A batted baseball travels farther in humid air than in dry air.

Answers

1. Skycatcher, Skyhawk, Skyhook (a helicopter), Skyknight, Skylane, Skylark, Skymaster, and Skywagon.

2. (a) Similarly, the pilot is forced harder into his seat, which is another indication of more than +1 G.

3. Paraphrasing the FAA’s Risk Management Handbook, a hazard is a present condition, event, object, or circumstance that can lead to an unplanned or undesired event. A risk is the future impact or uncertainty of a hazard that is not controlled or eliminated.

4. 1515 UTC. The aircraft have a rate of closure of 400 knots and will pass each other when the total distance flown by both equals 800 nm. This will require exactly two hours.

5. The Lockheed SR–71 Blackbird.

6. A cowling usually is part of the fuselage (such as on a single-engine airplane), whereas a nacelle (such as on a conventional twin) is not.

7. (e) Certain events (such as the first three listed in the question) must be reported immediately to the NTSB, not the FAA. Refer to NTSB Regulation 830.5 (usually included with FAA regulations).

8. True. Humid air contains water vapor, which is less dense than dry air. This results in less drag, which aids the ball in flight. This is why humidity elevates density altitude.