Training Tip: Home sweet ground school

To fight back a little—and to stay engaged and entertained as we wait out the hiatus nobody wanted—try translating some timeless terminology, tackling some no-peek quiz questions, and diving into a “thought experiment,” offered to keep your aviation brain lean and limber.

— Is it legal for a student pilot to solo at night?

— Would you want to solo at night?

— The published stall speed for your aircraft is higher in a banked attitude than in wings-level flight. Why?

— If an airport in Class C airspace reverts to Class E after the control tower closes at night, do you still need ADS-B Out and a Mode C transponder to fly there after the closing?

— What’s the difference between winds and convective currents?

— You are climbing after takeoff when the engine begins running rough. You should immediately:

A. Check the magnetos.

B. Check the fuel selector.

C. Lower the nose.

— Explain these aeronautical terms aloud (to yourself or the dog): Density altitude, ground effect, V_SO, standard atmosphere, load factor.

— True or false: 0 degrees Celsius equals 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and minus 40 degrees Celsius equals minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

A. True and false.

B. False and false.

C. True and true.

— Fill in the blank in this regulatory sentence: “A student pilot may not operate an aircraft in solo flight unless that student pilot has received an endorsement in the student's logbook for the specific make and model aircraft to be flown by an authorized instructor who gave the training within the _______ preceding the date of the flight.”

A. Three months.

B. 90 days.

C. 180 days.

— Thought experiment: Sketch out a map of your airport local area, draw a course line to an airport 50 or more miles away, and note some route features from memory (terrain, location of water bodies, airspace classes and boundaries, key radio frequencies). Compare your effort to the sectional chart’s presentation of the route.

How did it go?

We will give answers next time. Meanwhile, look for this article on the AOPA Facebook page to discuss the questions and your answers with other students or pilots or suggest new subjects to explore with the gang online. Until then, stay safe and healthy, and enjoy your downtime.