FEAST Air Traffic Controller 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'Class B airspace' typically surround in the United States?
- Military training areas
- The nation's busiest airports (Correct answer)
- All airports with control towers
- Restricted airspace around nuclear plants
Correct answer: The nation's busiest airports
Class B airspace surrounds the nation's busiest airports and requires an ATC clearance to enter.
Question 2: A pilot reports turbulence as 'severe.' What does this mean for the aircraft?
- Slight erratic control, no structural stress
- Rapid altitude and attitude changes, occupants forced violently against restraints (Correct answer)
- Slight variations in altitude and attitude
- Loss of control for brief periods
Correct answer: Rapid altitude and attitude changes, occupants forced violently against restraints
Severe turbulence causes rapid, extreme changes in altitude and attitude, forcing unsecured occupants violently against restraints.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)?
- To replace ATC radar coverage
- To warn pilots of conflicting traffic and provide resolution advisories (Correct answer)
- To track aircraft on the ground
- To prevent runway incursions
Correct answer: To warn pilots of conflicting traffic and provide resolution advisories
TCAS warns pilots of potential mid-air collisions and issues resolution advisories (RAs) to increase vertical separation.
Question 4: What is a 'go-around' instruction used for?
- Directing an aircraft to a holding pattern
- Instructing a landing aircraft to abort its approach and climb away (Correct answer)
- Routing aircraft around restricted airspace
- Directing aircraft to an alternate airport
Correct answer: Instructing a landing aircraft to abort its approach and climb away
A go-around instruction tells the pilot to abort the landing approach and execute a climb-out for another attempt.
Question 5: Which weather phenomenon is most hazardous during takeoff and landing and is caused by a microburst?
- Icing
- Windshear (Correct answer)
- Fog
- Turbulence aloft
Correct answer: Windshear
Microbursts create severe windshear — a sudden change in wind speed and direction — that is extremely hazardous during the takeoff and landing phases.
Question 6: What does 'ATC clears' mean when used in a clearance delivery?
- The pilot is authorized to request a route change
- The pilot is given authorization to proceed as stated (Correct answer)
- The flight plan has been filed
- The route has been cleared of all traffic
Correct answer: The pilot is given authorization to proceed as stated
The phrase 'ATC clears' introduces an official authorization, meaning the pilot is cleared to proceed exactly as stated in the clearance.
Question 7: What is the FAA-defined 'ceiling' of an airport?
- The maximum altitude allowed for operations
- The height of the lowest broken or overcast cloud layer (Correct answer)
- The top of controlled airspace
- The highest terrain elevation in the area
Correct answer: The height of the lowest broken or overcast cloud layer
Airport ceiling is the height above ground of the lowest layer of clouds reported as broken (BKN) or overcast (OVC).
FEAST Air Traffic Controller 3
What does 'Class B airspace' typically surround in the United States?