FEAST Air Traffic Controller 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A pilot reads back a clearance incorrectly. What must ATC do?
- Accept the readback if the error is minor
- Issue a new clearance immediately
- Immediately correct the error to ensure compliance (Correct answer)
- Note the error in the flight strip only
Correct answer: Immediately correct the error to ensure compliance
ATC is required to immediately correct any readback error to ensure the pilot has the correct authorization and avoids a safety violation.
Question 2: What is 'progressive taxi' instruction?
- Taxi at a speed appropriate to conditions
- Step-by-step taxi directions given by ATC to an unfamiliar or confused pilot (Correct answer)
- Taxi instructions for large transport aircraft only
- Instructions to taxi progressively faster to clear the runway
Correct answer: Step-by-step taxi directions given by ATC to an unfamiliar or confused pilot
Progressive taxi is a service where ATC provides turn-by-turn taxi instructions for pilots unfamiliar with an airport's ground layout.
Question 3: What does 'ATIS' stand for and what information does it provide?
- Air Traffic Information System — en-route weather only
- Automatic Terminal Information Service — current weather and airport conditions (Correct answer)
- Aircraft Traffic Identification Service — flight plan data
- Automated Traffic Instruction System — taxi and takeoff instructions
Correct answer: Automatic Terminal Information Service — current weather and airport conditions
ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service) provides pilots with a continuous broadcast of current weather, NOTAM, and airport operational information.
Question 4: An aircraft is cleared for the 'visual approach.' What does this require from the pilot?
- The pilot must use an ILS signal to guide the approach
- The pilot must have the airport or preceding traffic in sight and maintain own separation (Correct answer)
- The pilot must follow a published approach plate
- The pilot must remain above 3,000 ft until the runway threshold
Correct answer: The pilot must have the airport or preceding traffic in sight and maintain own separation
A visual approach requires the pilot to have either the airport or the preceding aircraft in sight and maintain their own visual separation.
Question 5: What is the meaning of 'cleared as filed' in an IFR clearance?
- The aircraft may file a new flight plan
- The aircraft is cleared via the exact route submitted in the flight plan (Correct answer)
- The pilot is cleared only for the filed altitude
- The clearance has been accepted by all sectors
Correct answer: The aircraft is cleared via the exact route submitted in the flight plan
'Cleared as filed' means the aircraft is authorized to proceed via the exact route it submitted in its flight plan without modifications.
Question 6: What is the minimum visibility required for VFR flight in Class G airspace below 1,200 ft AGL during the day?
- 5 statute miles
- 3 statute miles
- 1 statute mile (Correct answer)
- Clear of clouds only
Correct answer: 1 statute mile
In Class G airspace below 1,200 ft AGL during the day, the minimum VFR visibility is 1 statute mile.
Question 7: What does a red light signal from the control tower mean to an aircraft in the air?
- Return for landing immediately
- Give way to other aircraft and continue circling (Correct answer)
- Airport unsafe — do not land
- Stop immediately
Correct answer: Give way to other aircraft and continue circling
A steady red light from the tower to an airborne aircraft means give way to other aircraft and continue circling; do not land yet.
FEAST Air Traffic Controller 4
A pilot reads back a clearance incorrectly.
What must ATC do?