ATSA Reading Comprehension Skills 2

Question 1

A NOTAM states: 'TFR EFFECTIVE 1400-1800 LOCAL. ALL ACFT EXCEPT THOSE WITH ATC AUTH PROHIBITED BELOW FL180 WITHIN 30NM.' What does a pilot without ATC authorization need to do to fly at 14,000 feet within 20 nautical miles of the TFR center during the effective period?

Accepted Answer

Stay out of the area entirely

Answer

Without ATC authorization, all aircraft are prohibited below FL180 within 30NM during the effective time, so the pilot must avoid the area.

Question 2

A controller reads: 'Weather at destination: measured ceiling 900 broken, visibility 3 miles in light rain, temperature 12, dew point 10, altimeter 29.87.' Which condition indicates potential instrument meteorological conditions (IMC)?

Accepted Answer

The ceiling of 900 feet broken

Answer

A broken ceiling at 900 feet is below the VFR minimums of 1,000 feet, indicating IMC conditions that require instrument flight rules.

Question 3

An ATC bulletin reads: 'Phraseology change effective immediately: replace 'negative' with 'that is not correct' when denying pilot requests to avoid ambiguity.' A pilot asks to climb to FL350, and the controller intends to deny it. Which response is now correct?

Accepted Answer

'Unable, maintain FL310'

Answer

The bulletin only replaces 'negative' with 'that is not correct,' but 'unable' remains the standard ICAO/FAA phraseology for denying a request, and is not affected by this bulletin.

Question 4

A passage states: 'Radar contact is lost when the transponder return disappears from the display for more than two consecutive sweeps.' A controller notices a target missing for exactly two sweeps. What should the controller conclude?

Accepted Answer

Radar contact has not yet been lost under this definition

Answer

The definition requires more than two consecutive sweeps without a return; two sweeps exactly does not meet the threshold, so radar contact is not yet officially lost.

Question 5

A procedure reads: 'Issue traffic advisories when traffic is within 5 miles laterally and 1,000 feet vertically, unless workload prevents it.' A controller is managing a high-traffic situation. Traffic is 4 miles lateral and 800 feet vertical from an aircraft. What does the procedure permit?

Accepted Answer

The controller may skip the advisory if workload is too high

Answer

The procedure explicitly includes a workload exception, allowing controllers to forgo traffic advisories when workload prevents it.

ATSA - Air Traffic Skills Assessment Practice Test

ATSA - Air Traffic Skills Assessment Practice Test

ATSA Reading Comprehension Skills 2