CTO Non-Towered Airport Operations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the standard traffic pattern altitude for piston-powered aircraft at a non-towered airport?
- 500 feet AGL
- 800 feet AGL
- 1,000 feet AGL (Correct answer)
- 1,500 feet AGL
Correct answer: 1,000 feet AGL
The FAA recommends 1,000 feet AGL as the standard traffic pattern altitude for piston aircraft at non-towered airports.
Question 2: A non-towered airport is depicted on a sectional chart with a magenta airport symbol. What does this indicate?
- IFR operations are prohibited
- The airport has no runway lighting
- The airport does not have an operating control tower (Correct answer)
- The airport is restricted to military use
Correct answer: The airport does not have an operating control tower
Magenta airport symbols on sectional charts indicate airports without operating control towers, while blue symbols indicate towered airports.
Question 3: At a non-towered airport, who has the right of way when two aircraft are on final approach simultaneously?
- The aircraft at higher altitude
- The aircraft that called CTAF first
- The aircraft at lower altitude (Correct answer)
- The faster aircraft
Correct answer: The aircraft at lower altitude
FAR 91.113 states that when two aircraft are on final approach, the aircraft at the lower altitude has the right of way.
Question 4: Which organization maintains and publishes the Airport/Facility Directory (Chart Supplement) information for non-towered airports, including CTAF frequencies?
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA Aeronautical Information Services (Correct answer)
- Airport operator exclusively
- AOPA
Correct answer: FAA Aeronautical Information Services
The FAA's Aeronautical Information Services publishes the Chart Supplement (formerly A/FD), which contains CTAF, runway, and service information for all public-use airports.
Question 5: An aircraft experiencing a radio failure approaches a non-towered airport. What is the appropriate action?
- Divert to the nearest towered airport immediately
- Rock wings to signal radio failure and enter the standard traffic pattern
- Squawk 7600 and proceed normally while looking for other traffic (Correct answer)
- Land immediately in a field to avoid conflict
Correct answer: Squawk 7600 and proceed normally while looking for other traffic
Squawking 7600 alerts ATC radar facilities to the radio failure; the pilot proceeds visually, following standard pattern procedures while watching for other traffic.
Question 6: What is the purpose of MULTICOM frequency 122.9 MHz?
- Primary emergency frequency for general aviation
- Common frequency for air-to-air and activities not served by UNICOM (Correct answer)
- FSS relay for IFR clearances
- Exclusive frequency for glider operations
Correct answer: Common frequency for air-to-air and activities not served by UNICOM
MULTICOM 122.9 MHz is used at airports without an assigned UNICOM or tower, serving activities like crop dusting, glider, and parachute operations.
Question 7: A student pilot is unsure of the active runway at a non-towered airport. Besides the wind sock, which on-field indicator can help determine the preferred runway?
- Approach lighting system color
- Segmented circle with landing direction indicators (Correct answer)
- Runway threshold markings only
- ATIS broadcast
Correct answer: Segmented circle with landing direction indicators
The segmented circle with its landing direction indicators (tee or tetrahedron) shows the recommended landing runway based on wind conditions.
CTO Non-Towered Airport Operations 3
What is the standard traffic pattern altitude for piston-powered aircraft at a non-towered airport?