Aviation Flight Operations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the meaning of 'density altitude'?
- Altitude above MSL corrected for temperature only
- Pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature — the altitude the aircraft 'feels' it is at (Correct answer)
- Absolute altitude above the terrain
- Altitude corrected for humidity only
Correct answer: Pressure altitude corrected for non-standard temperature — the altitude the aircraft 'feels' it is at
Density altitude is pressure altitude corrected for temperature deviations from standard atmosphere, representing the actual aerodynamic performance environment.
Question 2: During the takeoff roll, what effect does a downhill slope have on aircraft performance?
- Increases ground roll required for takeoff
- Decreases takeoff ground roll required (Correct answer)
- Has no effect on ground roll
- Increases rotate speed (Vr)
Correct answer: Decreases takeoff ground roll required
A downhill slope aids acceleration, reducing the takeoff ground roll distance needed to reach rotation speed.
Question 3: What type of spin entry condition requires the aircraft to be both stalled and yawing?
- Power-off stall
- Incipient spin (Correct answer)
- Accelerated stall
- Cross-controlled stall in base-to-final turn
Correct answer: Incipient spin
An incipient spin begins when the aircraft is stalled and one wing drops, initiating autorotation — the first phase of spin development.
Question 4: What is wake turbulence, and how long should a light aircraft wait behind a departing heavy jet?
- Engine exhaust heat; 30 seconds
- Wingtip vortices trailing from lifting surfaces; at least 2 minutes (Correct answer)
- Prop wash; 1 minute
- Jet blast; 3 minutes
Correct answer: Wingtip vortices trailing from lifting surfaces; at least 2 minutes
Wake turbulence consists of counter-rotating vortices generated at aircraft wingtips; the FAA recommends at least 2 minutes behind a heavy departing jet.
Question 5: When executing a go-around from a balked landing, what should the pilot do first?
- Retract all flaps immediately
- Apply full power and establish a positive climb attitude (Correct answer)
- Retract landing gear
- Contact the tower
Correct answer: Apply full power and establish a positive climb attitude
The first action in a go-around is to apply full power and establish the correct pitch attitude for climb to arrest the descent.
Question 6: What is the crosswind component formula used by pilots?
- Crosswind = Wind Speed × Sine (angle between wind and runway) (Correct answer)
- Crosswind = Wind Speed ÷ Cosine (wind angle)
- Crosswind = Headwind Component − Wind Speed
- Crosswind = Wind Speed × Tangent (runway heading)
Correct answer: Crosswind = Wind Speed × Sine (angle between wind and runway)
The crosswind component equals the wind speed multiplied by the sine of the angle between the wind direction and the runway heading.
Aviation Flight Operations 2
What is the meaning of 'density altitude'?