Checkride-ready
See how you measure up to FAA standards with
questions from the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
1. What is density altitude?
A. The height above the standard datum plane.
B. The altitude read directly from the altimeter.
C. The pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature.
2. In addition to a valid airworthiness certificate, what documents or records must be on board an aircraft during flight?
A. Operating limitations and registration certificate.
B. Radio operator’s permit, and repair and alteration forms.
C. Aircraft engine and airframe logbooks, and owner’s manual.
3. When should pilots state their position on the airport when calling the tower for takeoff?
A. When parallel runways are in use.
B. When departing from a runway intersection.
C. When visibility is less than one mile.
4. In what environment is aircraft structural ice most likely to have the highest accumulation rate?
A. Freezing rain.
B. Freezing drizzle.
C. Cumulus clouds with below-freezing temperatures.
5. When flying over a national wildlife refuge, a pilot should fly no lower than
A. 2,500 feet agl.
B. 3,000 feet agl.
C. 2,000 feet agl.
Ace
Can you correctly answer these questions from retired TWA captain and 28,000-hour pilot Barry Schiff?
6. True or false? Mountain waves and their associated rotors occur only when the air is stable.
7. A pilot is taxiing for takeoff on a snow-covered taxiway. He knows that he has reached the correct runway because of the red-and-white sign bearing the runway number, but the hold-short lines are obscured. He must hold
A. 25 feet from the edge of the runway.
B. 50 feet from the edge of the runway.
C. so that no part of the airplane passes beyond the edge of the runway.
D. so that no part of the airplane passes beyond the runway sign.
8. Prior to engine start, a pilot notices that the manifold pressure gauge (which indicates ambient atmospheric pressure when the engine is not running) appears to be in error. How can he quickly determine the accuracy of the MP gauge using other instrumentation in the cockpit?
9. Which of the following does not belong?
A. Air traffic controller
B. Dispatcher
C. Parachute rigger
D. Aircraft fueler
10. True or false? While performing a pretakeoff magneto check using a conventional key-type, rotary ignition switch, a pilot observes noticeable engine roughness with the switch in the “R” position. The problem involves the left magneto.
Final exam answers
1. The correct answer is C. Density altitude is used in performance calculations and as the outside air temperature rises, aircraft performance decreases. The density of the air has a pronounced effect on aircraft and engine performance. Regardless of the actual altitude at which the aircraft is operating, it will perform as though it were operating at an altitude equal to the existing density altitude. (Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 4)
2. The correct answer is A. Pilots use AROW as an acronym to assist in remembering the airworthiness certificate, registration certificate, operating limitations, and weight and balance. (Federal Aviation Regulations 91.9 and 91.203)
3. The correct answer is B. Position reporting is always recommended, but when taking off from a runway intersection as opposed to the actual threshold, pilots should notify ATC as to their actual position on the airport. (Aeronautical Information Manual 4-3-10)
4. The correct answer is A. Clear icing is formed from supercooled large drops (SLD). These are water droplets in a subfreezing environment such as freezing rain. These larger droplets can flow along the airfoil for some distance prior to freezing. SLDs tend to form a lumpy, uneven, and textured ice and tend to form aft, beyond the reach of deicing equipment. Thus, ice remaining on the airfoil continues to disrupt the airflow and reduce the aircraft’s aerodynamic integrity. (Advisory Circular 00-6B Aviation Weather)
5. The correct answer is C. While not regulatory, pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet above the surface of any national wildlife refuge. These areas are depicted on sectional charts. (Aeronautical Information Manual 7-4-6)
6. True. The waves are caused by vertically displaced, stable air attempting with ever-decreasing amplitude to return to its natural (or original) level in the atmosphere. Instability would cause wind deflected by mountain slopes to rise unabatedly.
7. D. This is in accordance with the FAA’s uniform signage program.
8. Adjust the altimeter so that the indicated altitude is zero. The altimeter setting then shown in the Kollsman window will be the ambient atmospheric pressure. This works, however, only at elevations below 2,000 feet because of the limited barometric adjustment range.
9. D. The other three require FAA certification.
10. False. With the key in the “R” position, the engine is operating on the right magneto, which is the source of the problem.
