CTO Clearance Delivery & Ground Control 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the phrase 'Cleared as filed' in an IFR clearance mean?
- The aircraft is cleared to fly any route it chooses
- The route, altitude, and all details match exactly what the pilot submitted in the flight plan (Correct answer)
- Only the route is approved; altitude will be assigned airborne
- The aircraft is cleared to enter the runway immediately
Correct answer: The route, altitude, and all details match exactly what the pilot submitted in the flight plan
'Cleared as filed' indicates the entire filed flight plan route is approved without amendment by ATC.
Question 2: Squawk code 7500 is reserved for which emergency?
- Radio communication failure
- Medical emergency on board
- Unlawful interference or hijacking (Correct answer)
- Fuel emergency
Correct answer: Unlawful interference or hijacking
Transponder code 7500 is the universal emergency code specifically designated to indicate hijacking or unlawful interference.
Question 3: When a departing aircraft is instructed to 'Fly runway heading,' what heading should the pilot fly?
- The published magnetic heading of the assigned runway (Correct answer)
- True north (360 degrees)
- The heading matching the ILS localizer course
- The heading the aircraft was on during taxi
Correct answer: The published magnetic heading of the assigned runway
Runway heading refers to the published magnetic heading of the runway, which pilots can find on approach charts.
Question 4: Ground Control must use which lighting system to stop ground traffic at night or in low visibility?
- PAPI lights
- Runway Guard Lights (RGL) (Correct answer)
- Approach lighting system
- Threshold lights
Correct answer: Runway Guard Lights (RGL)
Runway Guard Lights (also called wig-wag lights) are used at runway entrances to warn ground traffic of an active runway.
Question 5: What is the correct readback requirement for a runway crossing instruction?
- No readback is required for ground instructions
- The pilot must read back the runway crossing instruction and runway number (Correct answer)
- Only the runway number needs to be read back
- A full readback of all taxi instructions is required
Correct answer: The pilot must read back the runway crossing instruction and runway number
FAA regulations require pilots to read back runway crossing instructions including the runway number to confirm the clearance.
Question 6: During low visibility operations, Ground Control must ensure that departing aircraft follow:
- Standard LAHSO procedures
- Low Visibility Taxi Procedures (LVTP) as published in the airport's ATCT SOP (Correct answer)
- Instrument approach procedures in reverse
- VFR traffic pattern rules
Correct answer: Low Visibility Taxi Procedures (LVTP) as published in the airport's ATCT SOP
Low Visibility Taxi Procedures, published in each facility's SOP, define specific routing and separation requirements for reduced-visibility ground operations.
Question 7: A pilot is cleared to 'Taxi to the ramp via Alpha, hold short of Bravo.' The pilot reads back 'Taxi to the ramp via Alpha.' What must the controller do?
- Accept the readback since the pilot acknowledged the main instruction
- Correct the readback and restate the hold-short instruction explicitly (Correct answer)
- Issue a new clearance with different routing
- Mark the strip and take no further action
Correct answer: Correct the readback and restate the hold-short instruction explicitly
Omission of a hold-short instruction from a readback is a critical error that the controller must correct immediately to prevent a runway incursion.
CTO Clearance Delivery & Ground Control 4
What does the phrase 'Cleared as filed' in an IFR clearance mean?