Checkride-ready
See how you measure up to FAA standards with questions from the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
1. Wingtip vortices are created only when an aircraft is
A. developing lift.
B. operating at high airspeeds.
C. heavily loaded.
2. A weather briefing that is provided when the information requested is six or more hours in advance of the proposed departure time is
A. a forecast briefing.
B. an outlook briefing.
C. a prognostic briefing.
3. Which operation would be described as preventive maintenance?
A. Repair of landing gear brace struts.
B. Repair of portions of skin sheets by making additional seams.
C. Replenishing hydraulic fluid.
4. If a private pilot completed her BasicMed requirements—physical exam and medical self-assessment course—on May 8, 2017, when are the exam and course required to be completed again?
A. Never. Both are required one time only.
B. May 2019 for the physical exam and May 2021 for the medical course.
C. May 2019 for the medical course and May 2021 for the physical exam.
5. Which provides the greatest gain in altitude in the shortest distance during climb after takeoff?
A. VA .
B. VX .
C. VY .
Ace
Can you correctly answer these questions from Barry Schiff?
6. Pilot’s operating handbooks for many (if not most) nonaerobatic lightplanes state that these aircraft are approved for “stalls (except whip stalls).” What is a whip stall?
7. Assuming a normally operating pitot-static system and airspeed indicator, explain how it is possible for the indicated airspeed of an airplane to exceed its true airspeed.
8. Correlate each definition with its proper regulation.
1. Sunset to sunrise.
2. End of evening twilight to beginning of morning twilight.
3. One hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.
A. May log night time.
B. Position lights required.
C. Three takeoffs and landings needed for currency..
9. True or false? A pilot holding a no-wind heading determines that his aircraft is drifting 10 degrees right of his intended course. If he then turns 10 degrees left, this will result in the aircraft exactly paralleling the desired course.
10. Why does moving the center of gravity aft cause stall speed to decrease?
1. The correct answer is A. Wingtip vortices are generated by aircraft of all sizes, weights, and speeds. They occur whenever an airplane is developing lift, although the greatest vortex strength occurs when the generating aircraft is heavy, clean, and slow, such as on initial climbout after takeoff. (Aeronautical Information Manual 7-3-2)
2. The correct answer is B. When calling flight service the night before a flight, for example, you would ask the briefer for an outlook briefing. You will typically receive the big-picture outlook—positions of high and low pressure systems and fronts—as well as forecasts along your intended route of flight. Before you leave, call again for a full preflight briefing. (www.1800wxbrief.com)
3. The correct answer is C. FAR Part 43, appendix A, paragraph C details 31 items that are considered preventive maintenance—those that an owner can perform on an aircraft, without the need for a mechanic to oversee or endorse. Replenishing hydraulic fluid is one such item.
4. The correct answer is C. To fly under BasicMed, a physical exam is required every 48 months, and an online medical course is required every 24 months. (www.aopa.org/fittofly)
5. The correct answer is B. VX, or the best angle of climb speed, gives the greatest gain in altitude in the shortest distance. (FAR 1.2)
6. The airplane is pitched up into a vertical or near-vertical climb. After running out of airspeed, it will seem to pause for an instant, slip downward momentarily (tail first), and then whip forward into a steep, nose-down attitude.
7. This occurs at density altitudes below sea level. For example, at a pressure altitude of 1,000 feet and an outside air temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), density altitude is almost 2,000 feet below sea level. A calibrated airspeed of 150 knots would equate to a true airspeed of 146 knots.
8.
1. B
2. A
3. C
9. False. The new heading results in the aircraft heading more into the wind, and the new drift angle will be ever so slightly less. For practical purposes, however, drift angle and wind-correction angle are considered to be the same except when drift angles are large.
10. When the CG moves aft, the horizontal tail surfaces do not have to work as hard (produce as much downward lift) to keep the tail down. When downward lift on the tail is reduced, the wing does not have to create as much upward (and offsetting) lift. This reduces wing loading and stall speed.
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