Training Tip: Grading the quiz
“Pencils down,” as Mrs. Saslow, my fifth-grade teacher, would say when the time to take one of her surprise exams expired. Here’s hoping you had fun perusing, and possibly Googling or debating questions from the spot quiz we offered last time in “Training Tip, Home Sweet Ground School” to help pass the downtime while we wait to get back to flying.
Unlike that long-ago class, this quiz does not count toward your final grade, so here are the questions with answers added, along with some links to additional information.
— Is it legal for a student pilot to solo at night?
Yes, in accordance with the “Limitations on student pilots operating an aircraft in solo flight at night” provisions of FAR 61.87.
Let’s consider this one an essay question, and you can grade yourself based on your analysis of the variables present in your own flight training circumstances and goals. It’s an intriguing, even controversial question, so feel free to share your answers in a comment on the AOPA Facebook page, where this quiz is posted.
— The published stall speed for your aircraft is higher in a banked attitude than in wings-level flight. Why?
This is all about “load factor.” The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge explains (page 5-25) that the stalling speed of an aircraft is higher in a level turn than in straight-and-level flight because “centrifugal force is added to the aircraft’s weight and the wing must produce sufficient additional lift to counterbalance the load imposed by the combination of centrifugal force and weight.” Figure 5-39 illustrates the idea.
— 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?
No.
— What’s the difference between winds and convective currents?
Spring is (usually) a good time to research this matter. Suppose you fly on a sunny, zero-wind day but you experience a lumpy ride. The bumps are caused by rising currents of air warmed by uneven solar heating of the earth—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.
The correct answer is C. Remember, always fly the airplane first.
— Explain these aeronautical terms aloud (to yourself or the dog):
Density altitude. Tell the dog that density altitude is “pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature.” You could note (for a human audience) that density altitude expresses how your engine would perform at an altitude when temperature and/or pressure at that altitude are not standard. The higher the density altitude value, the more a (normally aspirated) engine’s performance diminishes. A very high density altitude can make a takeoff from an airport you usually depart with a comfortable obstacle-clearance margin a much closer call—or even a no-go.
Ground effect. You may notice this phenomenon while learning to land. Just before touchdown the aircraft may seem to hesitate before completing its descent, an effect caused by “air that is trapped between the wing and the landing surface, as if there were an air cushion.” It is the same phenomenon pilots take advantage of during a soft-field takeoff, in which the technique is to get airborne as quickly as possible and then “accelerate in ground effect” to reach a safe speed for the climb. See the discussion on page 5-11 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.
VSO. This value is “the 1-G stall speed of the aircraft with the engine idling and the landing gear and flaps fully extended.” On an airspeed indicator it is the bottom of the white arc.
Standard atmosphere. Most pilots know that standard conditions at sea level are 15 degrees Celsius, or 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and 29.92 inches of mercury. What are standard conditions at altitude? “A standard atmosphere is a listing of values for the temperature, pressure, air density, viscosity, and other properties of the atmosphere at given altitudes,” wrote meteorologist Jack Williams in his August 2017 Flight Training magazine column. At 5,000 feet, standard conditions are 5.1 degrees Celsius, or 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and 24.89 inches of mercury. Think of standard conditions as a reference point from which pilots adjust certain instruments to receive accurate information: An altimeter is only correct if set to the local atmospheric pressure; an aircraft’s true airspeed is determined by correcting calibrated airspeed for nonstandard temperature and pressure. (Under standard conditions, TAS and CAS are the same.)
Load factor. This is the total load borne by the wing—the combination of centrifugal force and the aircraft’s loaded weight. See the discussion of stall speeds and bank angle above.
— 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.
The correct answer is C. If you have never inspected a temperature-conversion table, it may come as a surprise that C is the correct answer.
— 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.
The correct answer is B. Avoid a temporary grounding by marking your calendar for the date by when this endorsement must be renewed.
Last week this space contained a thought experiment testing your ability to recall details about a familiar flight route. Here’s another to take on as our downtime continues: Would you be comfortable flying an aircraft just like the one you fly now if it were outfitted with completely unfamiliar technology, such as a glass cockpit instead of “round gauges,” or vice versa?
