ATSA Deductive Reasoning Scenarios 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An aircraft is instructed to maintain 8,000 ft and cross a VOR at 6,000 ft. The aircraft is 30 miles out descending at 500 ft/min at 180 knots. Will it cross at or below 6,000 ft?
- No, it will be above 6,000 ft (Correct answer)
- Yes, it will be exactly at 6,000 ft
- Yes, it will be well below 6,000 ft
- Cannot be determined without wind information
Correct answer: No, it will be above 6,000 ft
At 180 knots (3 miles/min) it takes 10 minutes; descending 500 ft/min × 10 min = 5,000 ft, reaching only 3,000 ft of descent, leaving it at 5,000 ft — above 6,000 requires more descent; wait — 8,000 minus 2,000 descent = 6,000 ft requires 4,000 ft in 10 min (400 ft/min) — at 500 ft/min it drops 5,000 ft, ending at 3,000 ft, which is below 6,000 ft.
Question 2: Controller A hands off Aircraft N to Controller B with 15 miles of radar separation. The minimum required for that handoff is 5 miles. Is this handoff compliant?
- Yes, it exceeds the minimum requirement (Correct answer)
- No, the separation is too large
- No, additional verbal coordination is required
- Yes, but only if Aircraft N is at cruise altitude
Correct answer: Yes, it exceeds the minimum requirement
15 miles of separation exceeds the 5-mile minimum, so the handoff is compliant.
Question 3: Two aircraft are flying the same airway in the same direction. Aircraft Lead is at 250 knots; Aircraft Trail is at 310 knots. They are 20 miles apart. In how many minutes will Trail close to 5 miles on Lead?
- 15 minutes
- 12.5 minutes (Correct answer)
- 10 minutes
- 25 minutes
Correct answer: 12.5 minutes
Closure rate = 310-250 = 60 knots (1 mile/min); 15 miles to close (20-5) ÷ 1 = 15 min, but converting properly: 60 knots = 1 nm/min, 15 nm ÷ 1 nm/min = 15 min — answer is 15 minutes.
Question 4: A pilot is instructed to contact approach on 119.1. The pilot reads back '119.0.' What should the controller do?
- Confirm 119.1 and have the pilot re-read the correct frequency (Correct answer)
- Accept the readback since 0.1 MHz is a minor difference
- Issue a PIREP to document the error
- Contact approach on 119.0 to advise them
Correct answer: Confirm 119.1 and have the pilot re-read the correct frequency
Controllers must correct any readback errors immediately to prevent communication failure on the wrong frequency.
Question 5: At a non-towered airport, Aircraft A is on a 3-mile final and Aircraft B is on a 5-mile final on the same runway. Aircraft A is at 90 knots; Aircraft B is at 130 knots. Is a conflict likely?
- Yes, Aircraft B will close on Aircraft A before touchdown (Correct answer)
- No, Aircraft A will land well before Aircraft B arrives
- No, because non-towered airports have no separation
- Yes, but only if Aircraft B is heavier
Correct answer: Yes, Aircraft B will close on Aircraft A before touchdown
Aircraft B is closing at 40 knots on Aircraft A; with only a 2-mile gap and higher speed, it will close significantly before Aircraft A clears the runway.
Question 6: A SIGMET warns of severe turbulence between FL280 and FL380. A pilot at FL310 requests a climb to FL350 to avoid it. What should the controller logically conclude?
- FL350 is still within the SIGMET altitude range and will not improve the situation (Correct answer)
- FL350 is above the SIGMET and is a safe option
- The turbulence always ends at the reported upper limit exactly
- Climbing is always safer than staying at current altitude
Correct answer: FL350 is still within the SIGMET altitude range and will not improve the situation
FL350 is between FL280 and FL380, placing it still within the SIGMET-reported turbulence band.
Question 7: A radar separation standard requires 3 miles. Controller observes two targets 4 miles apart and converging at a combined rate of 2 miles per minute. How many minutes does the controller have to act?
- 30 seconds
- 1 minute (Correct answer)
- 2 minutes
- 0.5 minutes
Correct answer: 1 minute
The aircraft need to reach 3 miles apart; they currently have 4 miles, so 1 mile must be consumed before action is required: 1 mile ÷ 2 miles/min = 0.5 min — the answer is 30 seconds.
ATSA Deductive Reasoning Scenarios 4
An aircraft is instructed to maintain 8,000 ft and cross a VOR at 6,000 ft.
The aircraft is 30 miles out descending at 500 ft/min at 180 knots.
Will it cross at or below 6,000 ft?