Final Exam
Test your knowledge
Checkride-ready
See how you measure up to FAA standards with questions from the AOPA Pilot Information Center.
1. Before a person holding a private pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of a tailwheel airplane, that person must have
A. passed a flight test in that airplane from an FAA inspector.
B. received flight instruction from an authorized flight instructor who then endorses that person’s logbook.
C. an endorsement in that person’s logbook that he or she is competent to act as pilot in command.
2. Upon landing, the front passenger (180 pounds) departs the airplane, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk. A rear passenger (215 pounds) moves to the front passenger position. What effect would this have on the center of gravity (CG)?
A. The weight changes, but the CG is not affected.
B. The CG could move forward approximately 15 inches.
C. The CG could move forward approximately 3 inches.
3. Determine the only possible magnetic heading for a flight from Airport ABC to Airport XYZ, both in Kansas, with a true course of 360 degrees. The wind is from 090 degrees at 30 knots.
A. 030 degrees.
B. 330 degrees.
C. 150 degrees.
4. A state of temporary confusion resulting from misleading information being sent to the brain by various sensory organs is defined as
A. hyperventilation.
B. hypoxia.
C. spatial disorientation.
5. What ATC facility should the pilot contact to receive a special VFR departure clearance in Class D airspace?
A. Leidos Flight Service Station.
B. Air route traffic control center.
C. Air traffic control tower.
Ace
Can you correctly answer these questions from retired TWA captain and 28,000-hour pilot Barry Schiff?
6. True or false? Flutter can destroy an airplane or glider and is a function of indicated airspeed.
7. Which of the following does not belong?
A. altostratus
B. cumulonimbus
C. mammatocumulus
D. nimbostratus
8. True or false? Assume that it is noon in Tokyo and 7 p.m. in Los Angeles. The time difference between the two cities, therefore, is seven hours.
9. With respect to a typical general aviation airplane, which of the following does not belong?
A. damage to property—other than the aircraft—in excess of $25,000
B. failure of the structural components of an engine
C. in-flight fire
D. flight control system failure or malfunction
10. “Lights! Camera! Action!” is an expression frequently heard on the set of a Hollywood motion-picture studio. How does it apply to pilots?
Final Exam Answers
- The answer is B. FAR 61.31(i) requires some amount of logged flight instruction, and a one-time logbook endorsement from the training instructor. There is a “tax day” endorsement exemption that applies to any pilot who logged PIC time in tailwheel airplanes prior to April 15, 1991.
- The answer is C. A typical CG envelope for a small, four-passenger airplane is on the order of 6 to 12 inches. Moving a passenger from the rear seat to a front seat will move the CG forward, and 3 inches is very possible. (Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 10)
- The answer is A. With a south to north flight path, and an easterly wind, the aircraft must be crabbed right to compensate. The only possible heading that could work is 030 degrees. (Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 12)
- The answer is C. In flight, especially under instrument conditions, your sensory organs may tell you the aircraft is turning and descending, while the flight instruments show it is straight and level. Disregarding sensory inputs and trusting the instruments is the key to avoiding spatial disorientation. (Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Chapter 17)
- The answer is C. Class D airspace includes a control tower. To request a special VFR departure clearance, contact the operating control tower. (FAR 91.157 and Aeronautical Information Manual 4-4-6)
- False. Flutter is a function of true airspeed, which is why VNE must be reduced at high altitude in some aircraft.
- The answer is C. Each of the others is one of the principal cloud types. Mammatocumulus is not.
- False. Because of the international date line, the actual time difference is 17 hours.
- The answer is B. The other occurrences must be immediately reported to the National Transportation Safety Board by the pilot or operator. (Refer to NTSB Regulation 830.5.)
- Many pilots use this expression as a memory jogger for the final items (usually not found on a checklist) to be accomplished when cleared for takeoff. “Lights!” means to turn on the landing lights; “Camera!” means to turn on the transponder (and ADS-B in equipped aircraft) so that the aircraft can be “seen” by ATC; “Action!” reminds you to advance the throttle for takeoff.
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