ADX Flight Planning and Coordination 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When computing fuel requirements for an IFR flight, the dispatcher must ensure enough fuel to fly to destination, execute an instrument approach, and then fly to an alternate and land with how much fuel remaining?
- Fuel to fly 45 minutes at normal cruising speed (Correct answer)
- Fuel to fly 30 minutes at normal cruising speed
- Fuel to fly 1 hour at normal cruising speed
- No additional reserve is required beyond the alternate
Correct answer: Fuel to fly 45 minutes at normal cruising speed
FAR 121.639 requires IFR fuel reserves sufficient to fly to destination, then alternate, then 45 minutes at normal cruising speed.
Question 2: A dispatcher notices that an en route SIGMET is issued for severe turbulence directly along the filed route. The best initial action is to:
- Notify the crew and coordinate a reroute with ATC (Correct answer)
- Cancel the flight immediately without consulting the crew
- Continue as filed since SIGMETs are advisory only
- Reduce cruise altitude by 2,000 feet and continue
Correct answer: Notify the crew and coordinate a reroute with ATC
The dispatcher must inform the crew and work with ATC to find a safe alternate routing around the hazardous area.
Question 3: Which document officially authorizes a Part 121 flight to depart and serves as the dispatcher's legal release?
- Dispatch release (Correct answer)
- Aircraft logbook entry
- Weight and balance manifest
- ATIS printout
Correct answer: Dispatch release
The dispatch release, signed by both the dispatcher and the captain, is the legal authorization for a Part 121 flight to depart.
Question 4: An aircraft is dispatched to an airport that requires an alternate. The alternate must be listed on the dispatch release when the weather forecast for the destination shows a ceiling of less than:
- 2,000 feet and visibility less than 3 miles from 1 hour before to 1 hour after ETA (Correct answer)
- 1,500 feet and visibility less than 3 miles at ETA only
- 3,000 feet and visibility less than 5 miles from 1 hour before to 1 hour after ETA
- 1,000 feet and visibility less than 1 mile at any time during the flight
Correct answer: 2,000 feet and visibility less than 3 miles from 1 hour before to 1 hour after ETA
The '1-2-3 rule' requires an alternate when forecast ceiling is below 2,000 ft or visibility below 3 miles from 1 hour before to 1 hour after ETA.
Question 5: A Part 121 dispatcher is computing the minimum fuel load for a domestic flight. Which factor is NOT required to be considered under FAR 121.639?
- Passenger load factor on a given day of the week (Correct answer)
- Forecast winds aloft
- Expected traffic delays at destination
- Fuel required to fly to an alternate airport
Correct answer: Passenger load factor on a given day of the week
Passenger load factor by day of week is not a regulatory fuel-planning factor; winds, delays, and alternate fuel are all explicitly required considerations.
Question 6: During oceanic flight planning, an Aircraft Dispatcher must ensure the flight plan includes an ETOPS planning scenario. ETOPS stands for:
- Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards (Correct answer)
- Extended Terminal Operations and Procedural Standards
- Engine Twin Overwater Procedural Specifications
- Emergency Twin Operations Performance System
Correct answer: Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards
ETOPS refers to Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards, governing twin-engine flights over remote areas.
Question 7: A dispatcher is planning a transoceanic flight and must identify an Equal Time Point (ETP). The ETP is best described as:
- The point along the route where the flight time to two diversion airports is equal (Correct answer)
- The midpoint between departure and destination by distance
- The point where fuel aboard equals the alternate reserve requirement
- The geographic halfway point of the oceanic track
Correct answer: The point along the route where the flight time to two diversion airports is equal
The ETP (Equal Time Point) is where it takes the same time to divert to either of two airports, helping determine the best diversion option.
ADX Flight Planning and Coordination 2
When computing fuel requirements for an IFR flight, the dispatcher must ensure enough fuel to fly to destination, execute an instrument approach, and then fly to an alternate and land with how much fuel remaining?