Test Pilot

1. From reader John Schmidt: Instrument pilots know about precision and nonprecision approaches, but what is a point-in-space approach?
2. True or false? The word aileron is of French origin and refers to the steering feathers of a small bird.
3. During World War II, Royal Air Force pilots were known to strap _____ to the bottoms of their wings.
   A. beer kegs
   B. frozen chicken carcasses
   C. large cartons of candy
   D. toilets
4. True or false? During an approach to land an amphibian on water with the landing gear extended, the green landing-gear safe light(s) and the red gear-warning light will be illuminated.
5. From reader Thomas Nagorski: Making an airframe lighter enables a fixed-wing aircraft to go faster, and vice versa. Why, then, do sailplane (glider) pilots add weight to their aircraft prior to a race?
6. What is the only state in the United States that does not have a border consisting of or containing either a straight line or an arc?
7. From reader Jerry Griggs: What is wrong with the following METAR?
   KICT 191353Z 01005KT 10SM FEW080 04/05 A3043
8. Many World War II airplanes were all metal except that their control surfaces were covered with fabric. The primary purpose for using fabric on such airplanes was to
   A. reduce aircraft gross weight.
   B. reduce manufacturing cost.
   C. reduce the possibility of flutter.
   D. simplify repairs in the field.

Test Pilot Answers

1. Point-in-space approaches are used only by helicopter pilots. An instrument approach is executed to a point in space that hopefully is beneath the weather. The pilot then proceeds visually to his destination (usually a heliport).
2. False. In French, aileron refers to a “small wing,” which—in a sense—is what an aileron is.
3. The correct answer is A. The purpose was to cool the beer at altitude when no other means were available and then return to base and the eagerly awaiting squadron.
4. False. There would not be a warning. An amphibian typically does not have the intelligence to recognize the type of surface on which it is about to land. The green lights, however, will be illuminated, a case of green lights indicating the gear in the wrong position.
5. Adding ballast (usually water) to increase a sailplane’s gross weight increases its best glide speed, which obviously improves its chance of winning a race. (A heavily loaded airplane also has a faster glide speed than a lightly loaded one.)
6. The fiftieth state, Hawaii.
7. The temperature cannot be less than the dew point.
8. The correct answer is C. Fabric reduced the weight of the control surface aft of the hinge line, which reduced the likelihood of flutter.